Many film franchises have tried to be the next James Bond. However, the Fast and Furious franchise has come pretty close to capturing the essence of a Bond film with its fast cars, brawn-happy heroes, villains with no underlying agenda other than being pure ‘evil’ and pretty and risk-taking femme Fatales. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, the first film in the franchise to depart completely from Vin Diesel’s character and focus on his two frenemies is definitely a wannabe Bond film.

Starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (as agent Luke Hobbs) and Jason Statham as (criminal Deckard Shaw) the film Hobbs & Shaw is on the more amusing lines than all the Fast and Furious films put together. The film is a testosterone-fuelled adrenaline-pumping watch where we get to see these two mean machines trade banter and blows. Idris Alba plays the main antagonist in the film. The film has been released in the theatres and should appeal to the Indian audience. However, before you shell out your money take a look at how the International media rated the film.

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The Vox wrote, “Hobbs & Shaw follows the classic Fast & Furious pattern of turning your worst enemies into your best homoerotic action hero partners. Fast & Furious action sequences are usually top-notch, and this film is no exception: Most sequences are entertaining and well-staged, and Elba is magnetic enough to make us actually care when he perpetually survives every car thrown at him. But the movie’s climactic sequence is essentially CGI’d out of most of its emotional realism — and that holds true for most of its thematic beats as well.”

Variety wrote, “In the end, the film’s stakes are less interesting than its potential. In a year when so many franchises are winding down — from The Avengers” to “Star Wars” to “X-Men” — here’s one that’s expanding, and the film teases how that could continue from here. While on the other hand, DeseretNews wrote, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is an absurd title for an absurd movie. It’s also a pretty fun movie, with loads of action, mayhem and Dwayne Johnson. The verbose title of David Leitch’s film is also a funny reminder of how this over-the-top international action spy thriller spinoff is rooted in a Southern California street racing movie from the early 2000s. It’s problematic, too, because for all its strengths, “Hobbs & Shaw” can’t quite match the charm of its parent franchise.”

(Source: The Vox, Variety, DeseretNews)