Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw has a "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes after the first wave of reviews, with critics praising the movie's cast and action. Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2), Hobbs & Shaw stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as the titular former enemies, who are forced to work together when Shaw's sister, Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), becomes the target of rogue super-soldier and self-professed "Black Superman" Brixton Lore (Idris Elba).
Hobbs & Shaw is currently projected for a $60-70 million opening weekend at the domestic box office, and positive reviews could push that number even higher. The Fast & Furious franchise has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2001, with Furious 7 grossing a staggering $1.5 billion in 2015, and most recent main entry The Fate of the Furious also joining the billion-dollar box office club. As a spinoff movie without the full crew, however, Hobbs & Shaw's fate is a little less certain.
Johnson and Statham should feel confident going into the weekend, however, as the movie currently has a score of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes with 71 reviews counted. While not everyone was impressed, the majority of reviews praise Hobbs & Shaw for its outlandish action sequences, strong humor, and the chemistry and banter between the main characters. Several reviewers have suggested that this spinoff won't be a one-off, but rather could start its own offshoot of the main franchise.
Among Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics, Rolling Stone's Peter Travers says that the movie has "a surreal silliness that’s infectious," with the caveat that while the movie has its moments, "the problem is it keeps repeating them — stunt, banter, stunt — until they wear out their welcome." Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt says that Hobbs & Shaw is "so relentlessly, ridiculously adrenalized, it doesn’t so much unfold as steadily defibrillate you," but adds that, "When it’s not all completely brain-numbing, it’s actually pretty fun."
Hobbs & Shaw doesn't have many outright rave reviews, with most of the "Fresh" verdicts being from critics who had mixed opinions on the movie, but it sounds like fans of the Fast & Furious franchise and its usual ingredients (cars, crazy stunts, and lots of talk about "family") will be satisfied by this latest offering. At the very least, they'll get to see Johnson teaming up with his Samoan family to do battle with "old school" weapons rather than guns, and a rather outlandish sequence involving a string of cars and a helicopter.
