j* Movie Reviews 2019

Hobbs & Shaw (2019) ... sort of Fast & Furious 8.5

A Fast and Furious stone gathers no moss, but everyone's glad that it gathered The Rock.

I've been struggling with this review for several weeks. I just can't get it together. So here's my review in ten points.

1. Fast & the Furious is the absolute peak of reinvention, reanimation, and regenre-ification. This doesn't disappoint.

2. In this side-story instalment, Fast takes on all the conventions of superhero films, and does them better because it's a more pure action-superhero, rather than the usual dramafication sobfest.

3. Super solid action. Really relishes in all the action. Also really glories in its action men and women.

4. Statham and Johnson are so adorbs together.

5. More cameos than anyone knows what to do with.

6. Best use of bro-tatts for comedy purposes ever. I mean ever. I will walk around forever just wishing that it was actually hilariously true.

7. Black superman is well and truly Idris level excellent.... Note well he's a bit more Brightburn than Clark Kent, but fully superhuman.

8. Ah, that big brown man mountain in that shirtless sari-type Samoan get-up and all that coy love interest sidebar that is cute, brother-angering and yet not at all a major part of the story. Love story, check, love story that doesn't get in the way of any action, double check.

9. Just because Vin Diesel isn't here doesn't mean this isn't 'bout family, it is a Fast after all. Excellent family vibes, from Helen Mirren to Samoa to that cute kid hacking the phone calls.

10. I was so engaged in this because it was so gloriously fast paced that I was shocked to realise in the singular breather that we hadn't even been to Samoa yet... and then it was like a countdown of three, two, one before the Rock said "we're going to Samoa" and then it was crazy-amazeballs action until the end.

J* gives it 5 stars because it's worth it.