Show me something different.
One of the most important aspects of an action film these days is being unique and setting yourself apart from the pack. Take the John Wick franchise for instance -- fight choreography that Bruce Lee would grab popcorn and chomp away to. Like The Matrix, it changed the scope of an action film forever.
With Hobbs and Shaw, this summer's spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and company are taking the action to another level: an insane and previously unseen level of mayhem, carnage, and 100% fun.
Here's a movie that won't care about the critics who get turned off because no one's in a corset, complaining about teen romance, or covered in makeup and fat pads. When it comes to August movies, entertainment should be at the top of the menu. Forget complexity, aim for the ear to ear grins.
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In this movie, the plot is simple. Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), former enemies and now unlikely allies, are facing off against Brixton (Idris Elba), a cyber-genetically enhanced "Black Superman" hellbent on taking over the world, stealing money, and defeating our dynamic duo.
The gents get help from Shaw's sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) and Madam M (Eiza Gonzalez). Hattie stole a crucial piece of technology from Brixton, which sets off the chase. Along the way, the mothers get involved, with Helen Mirren and Lori Pelenise Tuisano playing Deckard and Luke's moms. In keeping with the "it's all about family" DNA of the Fast & Furious franchise, Hobbs and Shaw promises to be something more.
In the latest and final trailer, you got Hobbs crashing through the lobby window of a skyscraper (which he jumped out of) onto Brixton. Shaw drifting his sports car under a passing semi-truck with Brixton squeezing through on a sports motorcycle. There's a battle on a remote island, which happens to be the Hobbs' homeland. You have Hobbs latching a hook of some sort onto Brixton's helicopter, which picks up the truck he is standing in the back of, and Shaw is driving, swinging them through the air.
Are you breathing heavy yet? You can't make this stuff up unless you have the passcode to extremely good times in a movie theater.
What is always on display here is the proud and storied Samoan culture, with Hobbs reverting back to his brothers and ancestors in a climactic battle with Brixton. As Johnson recently said in an interview, "the Samoan culture is being exposed and showcased" in this movie, which is a cool thing for a summer tentpole film to put out to the masses.
Thanks to Johnson and director David Leitch (who helped create John Wick and directed Deadpool 2), you are getting iconic action sequences that you can't anywhere else. When it comes to Johnson, the world's biggest mega star at the moment, the audience having a good time is priority No. 1. It'll never reach No. 2 with The Rock in command.
The humor, especially between Johnson and Statham, layers this summer fun cake with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek levity that will only empower the action. If you left The Fate of The Furious wanting more with these two, consider yourself served.
Some people may roll their eyes at this trailer, and you know what, that should happen. If you aren't going, "what in the heck is going on?" with this preview, you aren't doing it right. When you change pants, watching it again should happen.
This is the kind of insanity that little kids think about before bedtime when they are crashing their action figures together.
You think about a guy jumping off a tall building and leaping onto the bad guy before a huge chase commences. It's action bravado at its best. If you aren't defying physics and gravity, you're doing it wrong.
If you want something truly unique and wildly entertaining, check out The Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw this August.
