Despite 18 years on our screens, The Fast and the Furious shows no signs of slowing down, writes Paula Fleri Soler
Who’s ready for a nice cold can of ‘whupass?’ Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw promises that, and then some, as two stalwarts of the Fast & Furious franchise unite for a spinoff movie.
After eight films that have fastly and furiously collected over $5 billion worldwide, the franchise is spinning off for a stand-alone vehicle, with fan favourites Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprising their roles as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw.
Despite 18 years on our screens, The Fast and the Furious shows no signs of slowing down. The franchise features a series of action films with a diverse cast playing out ludicrous but undeniably fun plots, each built on the concepts of illegal street racing, major criminal heists, and spies from all corners of the globe. The franchise also includes short films, a television series, live shows and theme park attractions.
The Fast and the Furious was released in 2001 and was supposed to be the first of a planned trilogy of films – but their constant success with audiences saw more films being produced ever since. Two final films are planned, and are set to be released in 2020, and 2021, respectively.
Although the explosive and often over-the-top action are key components in the franchise’s success, the characters quickly found a firm place in fans’ hearts. These include Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel), Leticia Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges) and Han Lue (Sung Kang); the aforementioned Hobbs and Shaw, and of course, Brian O’Conner (played by Paul Walker, who died tragically in 2013 while Furious 7 was being filmed).
Released in 2015, Furious 7 was the film that saw Statham joining the franchise, and the first time he faced off with Hobbs. The plot saw Hobbs and the team return to the US to live normal lives (well, as normal as they possibly could) after securing amnesty for their past crimes. It is then that Deckard Shaw, a rogue special forces assassin seeking to avenge his younger brother put in a coma by the team, turns up, putting them in danger’s way once again.
Eight films have fastly and furiously collected over $5 billion worldwide
Since then, whenever their paths crossed, Hobbs and Shaw have pretty much swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.
After the events of Fast and Furious 8, which saw them reluctantly working alongside each other, Hobbs and Shaw have gone their separate ways. Hobbs continues working as a diplomatic security service agent, while struggling with family issues, while Shaw has returned to his home in London.
Back home, Shaw’s mother asks him to assist his sister Hattie, who is an MI6 agent working on a particular project. She has been tasked by MI6 to follow the tracks of Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), an operative gone rogue, who has become a wanted terrorist leader equipped with highly advanced technology that grants him superhuman abilities.
Much to Shaw’s chagrin, Hobbs has also been brought on board – and they need to partner up once more: for they are the only ones capable of bringing down Brixton – who may well be the only guy who might be actually ‘badder’ than themselves.
Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast & Furious universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa; with a healthy dose of action underscoring the story. The film also stars Eiza González as Madam M, a mysterious billionaire who resides in the island country where Hobbs’s family resides and serves as information supplier, while Helen Mirren reprises her role as Magdalene Shaw, Deckard and Hattie’s mother.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is directed by David Leitch, from a story by long-time Fast & Furious writer Chris Morgan and a screenplay by Morgan and Drew Pearce.