This film is absolutely absurd but it works. Its not to be taken seriously, it's not trying to win Oscars, it's just trying to be fun and fun is exactly what it is. It moves at a nice fast pace, it never seems to drag on, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham seem to be having a very good time shooting this film as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw and there's never an opportunity for them to be bored. To think before fast and furious films, these two have never acted together before is shocking. There are also some very funny cameos that weren't announced during the production or trailers so that was a very lovely treat.
The performances are very nice. Obviously the two main stars are superb and their chemistry is off the scale but it's the newcomers who are equally impressive Vanessa Kirby is greatly cast as Deckard Shaws sister Hattie Shaw. As well as an absolute stunner, she's also a rising action star and it's nice to have another female action star in the Furious franchise. We could have done without the forced Luke and Hattie sexual desires that are clearly played for laughs though and Hobbs referring Shaw as brother at the end felt a bit rushed considering they've hated each other in two films and throughout this film.
Idris Elba is another good addition to the cast who plays the main villain Brixton very well. When it's revealed he works for someone else more sinister than him, that's where it gets interesting but unfortunately I can't help but feel Brixton was a bit underdeveloped. First I think he could have been villainous enough without being a cybernetic human. Even for fast and furious, that seems a bit too much in the OTT department.
Also when it's revealed Brixton and Shaw has past together, they seemed to invest that mostly from Shaws perspective. I think it would have been nice to see it from both characters point of view. As well as Shaw talking to Brixton about the past, we could have had scenes with Brixton having flashbacks of the past. That could have made him a more memorable villain. What we got instead was a good villain but I just felt there was more depth to him that the film held back.
What really polarized me was the action sequences. Now I know this is fast and furious, it's in the era where we all now expect OTT stunts. I thought the action was spectacular and very creative but it felt like they went a bit too far with the action and it was a bit too overblown. Even with the finale act, they had an opportunity to do a sequence where less is more but they threw that away for more explosions and action.
Also bringing fast cars into the mix seemed a bit forced for me to bring nostalgia and what the series is known for. Hobbs and Shaw are not Dominic Toretto and his crew. They're not interested in fast cars. Only guns or a nice cold can of whoopass. There are some seeds planted for a sequel which is quite risky but hopefully it all pans out.
Overall this is a very funny action packed fun film with charismatic leads and a good enough villain with some missteps but since this is just supposed to be a fun film and nothing too serious, it doesn't hold back the film too much.
⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment