Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is the story of two law enforcers, each with their own way of doing things who don’t quite appreciate the other’s methods. First is Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a brute tracker who tends to go by-the-book while smashing all in his way. And his counterpart is Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), a disgraced MI6 agent who relies more on stealth and finesse and isn’t shy about engaging in the criminal underworld. When a shady technology organization threatens to unleash a deadly virus, the two reluctantly team-up to once again save the world.

What works in Hobbs & Shaw is the chemistry and character development. In a surprising deviation from previous Fast & Furious films, the action and chase sequences are actually the least interesting parts of this sequel (more on that in a moment). However, director David Leitch (Deadpool 2) does find a way to squeeze out every drop of charisma from his two leads, and even (mostly) recognizes how to effectively use Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible Fallout) as a woman who can deliver quips and beatings with the best of them. Admittedly the barb-throwing stints between Hobbs and Shaw often feel a little bit like staged skits, but the jokes land frequently enough that one can excuse the silly and enjoy the comedy.

RELATED: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Brings Samoan Heritage To Hobbs & Shaw

The most intriguing aspect of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is how little it resembles Fast & Furious. Yes, there are car chases and tight posh clothing, but the vibe is much closer to the buddy-cop action romps of decades past than the street-racing-outlaw-heist movies that have recently marked the series. With this dynamic, Leitch attempts to provide more depth to his two main characters who until now have only played one-note supporting roles in the series thus far. His plan mostly succeeds, as he gives Statham and Johnson plenty of opportunities to act through emotional sequences, although the latter definitely gets the lion’s share.

While Hobbs & Shaw offers delightful verbal spats, it suffers from a changing industry when it comes to blockbusters. In the past five years, premiere action films have relied less heavily on quick-edits and CGI to focus on artful choreography and elaborate stunts. The eye can tell the difference. The Hobbs & Shaw sequences probably sounded visually incredible, their actualization is probably too ridiculous for most watchers (yes, even in this franchise). This makes the whole experience somewhat exhausting as each near-death-physics-defying scene is longer and louder than the previous one.

This is random, but also note that this film oddly spoils the end of Game of Thrones.

Hobbs & Shaw is fun at times but feels a bit laborious. It desperately wants audiences to have a good time, and if movies were judged on effort, this would receive off-the-chart marks. Unfortunately, the final product feels a bit disjointed and noisy, as if the script conveniently cobbled together a bunch of ideas for crazy set-pieces with little regard for a cohesive plot. Okay for mindless popcorn-munching, but not much else.

Recommended if you enjoyed: Mission: Impossible 2, The Expendables 3

FINAL GRADE: C+

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