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Even Idris Elba can’t rescue ...Hobbs & Shaw, says Rashid Irani
Fast & Furious 9 is just more of the same tyre-screeching, glass-shattering meaningless mayhem.
“Nothing succeeds like excess” is the mantra that has contributed to the blockbuster status of all eight installments of this tyre-screeching franchise. And it’s just more of the same in this first standalone spinoff in the Fast & Furious series.
Notable primarily for pairing super-sized American lawman (Dwayne Johnson) with his former British adversary (Jason Statham), …Hobbs & Shaw is an interminable 135 minutes of tedium.
The action hurtles across several exotic locations, including Samoa, where the preposterous proceedings culminate.
It seems that the titular odd couple must not only prevent a deadly virus from falling into the hands of a genetically enhanced terrorist (Idris Elba) but also rescue a lithe government agent (Vanessa Kirby, stealing the show from her male co-stars) from the jaws of death.
The banter between the two leads is feeble, the martial arts skirmishes sloppy and the stunts only sporadically thrilling. Here’s hoping the high-octane torch will shine more brightly in the next iteration, due for release in May 2020.
