- with Shannon Griffiths
Hobbs and Shaw
3.5/5
Eighteen years and eight films later, The Fast and the Furious franchise refuses to die with the latest instalment “Hobbs & Shaw” now entering the spin-off realm of absurd impossibility.
The product of Dwayne Johnsonand Jason Statham’s supporting characters Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw becoming incredibly popular following their on-screen rivalry in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, Director David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool 2) brings his signature action style to the ninth (and definitely not last) outing of this series, now as far away from street racing as you can get.
Sans Vin Diesel in a film he actively tried to prevent and featuring an over-the-top plot you’ve seen many times before, Johnson will pretend to act as he flexes his muscles with the worn tough-guy shtick, yet despite the ridiculousness of it all and the blatant cash-grab this movie is, the pairing of two brutes forced to team up after first facing off in 2015’s Furious 7 makes for an entertaining action-comedy that also stars the always brilliant Idris Elba.
When cyber-genetically enhanced baddie Brixton (Elba) gains control of a virus that could wipe out all of humanity and kidnaps MI6 agent Hattie Shaw (Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Vanessa Kirby), Deckard Shaw finds himself aligned with Luke Hobbs after the two both get wind of the situation. Determined to save his sister and help stop Brixton from global chaos, two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be stronger than them.
With enough action set pieces and one-liners to please die-hard fans of the series who don’t mind a little detour away from the main story of Dominic Toretto and co. but leaving plenty of room for the same audience to be annoyed of this film’s very existence, it’s no secret Dwayne Johnson is attempting to dethrone Diesel and take the Fast franchise as his own. Whether you’re on team Dwayne, team Vin or think the series should have ended with the late Paul Walker, one thing’s for sure, Fast & Furious 9 (2020) and Fast & Furious 10 (2021) are still on the way, and they’re probably going to space.
Lion King
3/5
The latest classic Disney animation to be reinvented with today’s modern technology, The Lion King is the long awaited and hugely anticipated remake of the 1994 original film beloved by almost everyone. Directed by Jon Favreau (the man responsible for kicking off the biggest film franchise of all time with the first Iron Man and more appropriately helming the excellent Jungle Book remake of 2016), Donald Glover and Beyoncé lead an A-List voice cast which also features the return of James Earl Jones as the iconic Mufasa.
Essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the same film you’ve seen a hundred times with less awesome music yet incredibly gorgeous visuals and a (mostly) different voice cast, it’s easy to see why this was made but it remains completely unnecessary to have been in the first place. With Favreau yet again delivering breathtaking visually stunning animals and computer generated cinematography so good it truly does look like the plains of Africa, this version of the adored tale of Simba lacks the energy and heart that made the original so special, by offering nothing new and not allowing its characters to emote properly in a way that kind of takes you out of the film.
Following young lion cub Simba (Glover) who must embrace his role as the rightful king of his native land following the death of his father Mufusa, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Seth Rogen are the major stand-outs as evil uncle Scar and humble warthog Pumbaa, respectively.
Featuring the likes of Billy Eichner as Timon, John Oliver as Zazu and the instant nostalgia of Jones carrying the legacy with reprising the role of the true Lion King, there is a lot to appreciate with this interpretation yet enough to not recommend it as a must-watch.
Missing the genius of Elton John from its soundtrack this time around (until the credits) for Beyoncé instead, most of your favourite songs are here but “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” taking place during the day just isn’t the same.
If you see this one, have fun. If not, hakuna matata.
