The Fast & Furious : Hobbs Vs Shaw

The Fast & Furious franchise has finally landed outside the mortal world after 8 movies. The characters have now acquired God-like powers. The franchise initially started off with the Paul Walker craze and the hair raising street chase scenes. With time it grew and became one of the most loved action films and no one will disagree. With each movie the franchise improved greatly, the locations varied and international heists were included. But now, with the latest addition in Hollywood, it has gone beyond those features with Hobbs Vs Shaw.

We have been expecting a lot from this franchise and now it seems that it’s going downhill. The trailer for the latest F&F movie is out and it’s about superheroes, James bond and cops. The trailer hints at a mockery to other franchises and to the audience but it is totally lit, can’t disagree.

The Opening

This trailer opens with an operatic section while Idris Elba’s ‘Brixton’ says that he is the new stage in human evolution, ‘Superhuman’; intercut with the typical Fast & Furious style shots of fast cars and party girls.  The monologue finishes in him being surrounded by armed forces as he announces without a inch of satire that he is the ‘Bad Guy.’ The trailer even hints to the rumor of Elba portraying James Bond as the trailer came with a clip from a scene where he has chained Hobbs and Shaw together in a complex way that will be relevant to only a Bond villain.

Introduction

‘Hobbs’ (Dwayne Johnson) and ‘Shaw’s (Jason Statham) introductions are no less delicate, with Hobbs looking straight into the camera and saying, “I’m what you call an ice cold can of whoop ass” and Shaw doing the same saying “I’m what you might call a champagne problem” before moving up to beat someone up with a bottle. The trailer includes so many buddy cop movie clichés. For example when they’re told they need to work together, and they say “no way! This guy’s a real asshole” together and acting mirror to each other’s movements in sync.

MUSIC!!!

The music in the trailer initially feels a bit confused. It starts off with a typical villainous music track then switches into a peppy melody intercut with the bass spells and drum beats which is common in many action trailers and this music reintroduces Hobbs and Shaw. This music is witty and light but soon gets gradually replaced with a bass score filled with dramatic drums throughout giving us the goose bumps and makes us take the film seriously again.

We then get a scene where Hobbs jumps out of window in order to collide onto Brixton’s gunmen who are running down the side of a skyscraper (while typical action movie music is playing in the background) and then it is a skip to Shaw riding in an elevator.  The music in the elevator is a lo-fi version of a pop song. Why?

I am in love with this trailer. And I also hate myself for wanting to see this film, but that’s the best thing about this movie. It is now evident that the franchise is self-conscious. The makers know that it’s a film franchise. They know that there are other franchises such as the MCU and James Bond and so it’s now taking things from them. This trailer is promising us a film that is the origin story of a Bond villain who is also a super villain and I can’t stop myself from loving it.

But it also seems that this franchise is bored of its own monotonousity and badly wants to experiment, any absurd thought, any random quirky idea, this movie is going to have it all. Also I can’t ignore how Dwayne Johnson channels in Inner Maui in the trailer. (Maui is the demi god from the Disney movie Moana, Dwayne Johnson voiced that character). The tribal weapons and chants gave the trailer a really spicy edge. Looking forward to booking tickets soon for Hobbs Vs Shaw, what about you?