"Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" Movie Review

    Last week my girlfriend and I were set on watching the film “Yesterday” before it was pulled from theaters.  When we got to the theater however, the theater was full so we were forced to pick another movie or go home.  Having seen almost every other movie screening, we settled on “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”.  The trailer didn’t wow either of us but I like some of the films in the franchise and we both enjoy Dwayne Johnson’s movies typically.

    The film is a spin-off from the main “Fast and Furious” films and focuses on the characters of Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw as they are both sent on a mission to recover a deadly virus carried by a woman who turns out to be Deckard’s sister.  They aren’t the only ones trying to get ahold of her however as a cyber enhanced superhuman and terrorist is also hunting her for the virus she has inside of her.

    As far as popcorn munching crowd pleasers go, this movie was fairly enjoyable if you turn your brain off and just enjoy the visuals.  The biggest problem with the film is that it is just kind of dumb (which is not a new problem for the “Fast & Furious” franchise).  The movie ignores anything remotely realistic in favor of explosions and fist fights.

    The cast was probably the best part of the film as Dwayne Johnson once again proves how charming he is as a leading man even in something so over the top.  Jason Statham isn’t one of my favorite actors but he has a good back and forth chemistry with Johnson that plays like a classic buddy cop pairing from 80s movies.  Idris Elba does the most with the throwaway villain role he was given.  Vanessa Kirby is good but doesn’t exactly steal any scenes.  On the other hand, Helen Mirren lights up the screen during the few scenes she has in the movie.

    ::Spoiler Alert::  One of the highlights of the film were the many cameo appearances featured throughout.  In addition to WWE superstar Roman Reigns in a non speaking role, we also get Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart in humorous roles.  I just wish the cameo appearance planned for Keanu Reeves would have worked out.

    Now, the film is roughly thirty minutes too long and lacks direction but this isn’t helped by the fact that the movie suffers from franchise fatigue so you notice the flaws more.  I felt the same way about “The Fate of the Furious” and I think this is a franchise that could use a breather.  All the in fighting among the cast (most notably Tyrese Gibson) isn’t helping the franchise as a whole either.  For a franchise that stresses the importance of family, the cast certainly isn’t acting like family (although this film didn’t focus on family much anyway).

    The movie is a big dumb enjoyable car wreck of a film anchored by The enjoyable charm of Dwayne Johnson.  This film won’t be considered a masterpiece to most, but it is still a fun ride.

Grade: B-

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” Movie Review

    Being just shy of turning 34, I feel like the Pokémon franchise has been around for most of my life.  Since the mid 90s, Pokémon has taken the world by storm.  The franchise has consisted of video games, trading card games, television shows, and animated movies.  Everywhere you looked, you couldn’t escape Pokémon.  It truly was a cultural phenomenon among the youth of America.

    “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” tells the story of...well...detective Pikachu.  Okay, there is a little more to it but I think Pikachu alone would sell the movie to most people.  After a detective is in a car accident outside of a top secret Pokémon lab, Tim Goodman is informed his father has died as a result of the crash.  Upon going to his father’s apartment in Ryme City (a city where humans and Pokémon live together in peace), he finds a Pikachu there.  This Pikachu is unlike any other Pokémon however because Tim can understand him.  After forming a bond, the pair set off to find the truth behind the disappearance of Tim’s father.

    I am going to start off with a bit of a disclaimer for this review.  I am not, nor have I ever been, the biggest fan of Pokémon in the world.  I have a passing knowledge of the universe but I have never played a Pokémon game or collected trading cards or anything like that.  I have watched a few episodes of the animated series but that is about the extent of my Pokémon experience before this film.  I essentially wanted to see this because the trailer looked entertaining.

    I have some mixed feelings about this film.  On the plus side, this is probably the best video game adaptation to date.  While this is the first live action Pokémon movie made, there have been three animated Pokémon movies that have hit theaters (in addition to several movies that were released direct to video).  This adaptation lifts several elements from “Pokémon: The First Movie” including the inclusion of Mewtwo. One aspect of the film I felt a little let down by was that much of the humor of the film was highlighted in the trailer.  I was expecting a little funnier film even though I did enjoy the finished project.  I just wish the film was marketed a bit less humor heavy.

    The film stars as Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu.  Reynolds provides the voice and facial motion caption for the Pokémon.  Justice Smith plays Tim Goodman and has good chemistry with his computer animated co-star.  Smith has improved significantly since his critically panned role in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”.  Screen veterans Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe add a level of credibility to the film.

    The film was directed by Rob Letterman who previously helmed “Goosebumps”.  Like “Goosebumps”, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” was made for adult fans of the franchise.  The production design was a bit neon noir feeling not completely unlike “Blade Runner”.  The creature design was also fantastic.  The Pokémon felt feel and adorable throughout most of the movie.  Pikachu and Psyduck were among the standout creatures in the film.

    Overall, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is a cute nostalgia trip geared more for fans who grew up with the phenomenon as opposed to young fans just getting into the franchise.  While it wasn't exactly the movie I was hoping for, that doesn't make it a bad movie either.

Grade: B-