“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (Action/Comedy: 2 hour, 16 minutes)

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby and Helen Mirren

Director: David Leitch

Rated: PG-13 (Sequences of action and violence, suggestive material and strong language)

 

Movie Review: “Fast & Furious” meets James Bond in this poorly penned screenplay. It is good on action scenes, but childish antics dissuade the seriousness of the titular characters’ mission. 

Producers could not decide if they wanted this script to be a comedy or a serious action movie.

Agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and former British military elite operative Deckard Shaw (Statham) form a reluctant alliance to retrieve Hattie (Kirby), an MI-6 agent in possession of the deadly virus Snowflake. 

Enter Brixton Lore (Elba), a former foe of Shaw. Lore has been cyber-genetically enhanced, he is termed the “Black Superman,’ and he wants Snowflake for his villainous alliance, the terrorist organization Eteon. Hobbs and Shaw must stop Lore to save humanity.

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are too macho – they are men who throw at each other like two childhood siblings. Moments are supposed to be comical but are just two men behaving as poorly as the acting in this movie. Chris Morgan has the characters repeatedly do juvenile acts in this screenplay. Such actions become tedious quickly.

Even more, the acting is messy, and the characters’ actions are not constant. Johnson reprises his role as the WWE’s The Rock, mimicking some of the lines he used when he was a wrestler and showcasing his classic eyebrow expression.

Statham shows off his martial arts style. He also shows off his driving abilities à la “The Transporter” and its sequels that began in 2002.

Despite their skills as action stars, the muscled guys’ lines are childish, so good additions to this movie are Idris Elba and the attractive Vanessa Kirby. They add a certain amount of seriousness to this screenplay, but even their lines are muddled because of the inadequate narrative. The story is formulaic messiness, and its characters are similarly inconsistent.

Director David Leitch (“Deadpool 2,” 2018) and his team create an entertaining movie. The action sequences are superfluous, yet it has more stuntmen and special effects than actors. This is a bad sign for many photoplays, which includes this one. As entertaining as this action piece is, it is equally as annoying.

Grade: C+ (Hobbs & Shaw … the energetic bumbling duo)

“The Angry Birds Movie 2” (Animation/Comedy: 1 hour, 36 minutes)

Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Awkwafina, and Bill Hader

Director: Thurop Van Orman

Rated: PG (Violence and crude humor)

 

Movie Review: This middling animated movie is the sequel to the 2016 movie “The Angry Birds Movie.” While its bright cotton-candied colors and humor may entertain small fires, “The Angry Birds Movie 2” proves playing the game provides more lasting entertainment.

Red (Sudeikis) leads flightless birds against scheming green pigs led by Leonard (Hader). After constant fights between their islands, the birds and the pigs call a truce to take on a new threat. A third island, an ice land of mighty dwelling eagles threatens birds and pigs. Red and Leonard recruit several birds and pigs to face the new threat. 

The movie is amusing for younger audiences. The movie provides just enough flashy colors to keep their attention. These bright-colored characters provide adventure and laughs that rival the first movie. However, the rest of the movie is an expected plot. It provides momentary entertainment that is not long lasting subsequently.

Grade: C+ (Vivid characters entertain for a while.)

 

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar lives and works in Valdosta.