Hobbs and Shaw

Since it’s a spinoff from the prolific Fast and Furious franchise, Hobbs and Shaw carries the weight of genre obligations and fan expectations.

This loud and proud action-thriller checks some of the boxes in that regard, although in this case, the focus is more on characters with two feet rather than those with four wheels — driven more by talking heads than revving engines.

As such, the adrenaline rush and high-octane thrills are minimized, even if the performances are energetic and everything is whipped into a technically slick package by director David Leitch (Deadpool 2).

For those unfamiliar, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is an American government agent while Shaw (Jason Statham) is a former British military officer whose prior encounters have been antagonistic, to say the least. Their unlikely alliance comes in response to a villainous cyborg (Idris Elba) who plans to unleash biochemical weapons as part of a plot for world domination.

Along the way, Hobbs and Shaw discover they have more in common than just macho posturing, perpetual facial stubble, and a reckless tendency to put family members in harm’s way.

Johnson and Statham, whose characters debuted in different F&F sequels before intersecting on opposite sides of the law in Furious 7, develop an amusing chemistry by adding considerable charisma and bravado to the derivative buddy-comedy bickering. Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, and Kevin Hart each pop up briefly to enliven the proceedings.

But despite plenty of eye candy, the effects-heavy action set pieces aren’t fun enough to carry the film through the remainder of its ponderous running time. There are some cool cars to tease gearheads (some of which are unceremoniously disposed of along the way), and the climactic showdown features a ridiculously over-the-top convergence of a high-tech helicopter and some turbocharged dune buggies.

You can check your brain at the door, of course, although the film lacks the sort of spontaneity and imagination that could make it stand out. Instead, it feels more like a half-hearted compilation of action clichés intended as more of a setup than a payoff.

By the end, our chrome-domed heroes prove practically indestructible, which means additional installments are in the pipeline. Its recipe for long-term success, however, might involve more fast and less furious.

Rated PG-13, 136 minutes.