for “Chernobyl” fans, set among reactors at
a Russian nuclear power plant. But at this
point, we expect — no, demand — to see
Lamborghinis on the moon.
Instead, the entertainment of “Hobbs & Shaw,”
directed by stunt coordinator-turned-director
David Leitch (“Deadpool 2,” “Atomic Blonde”), rests
more with its cast, including its two leads. But just
as significant are two major new additions: Elba’s
villain, a cyborg mercenary named Brixton, and
Shaw’s sister Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), an MI6 agent
whose theft of a super virus from Brixton sets the
globe-trotting plot in motion.
Hobbs and Shaw are called in to the save the
world, a job they are both eager for. (Hobbs says,
seriously, that he had been “tracking some dark
web chatter” on the virus.) But it’s a partnership
they loath. If “Hobbs & Shaw” lacks in memorable
stunt work, it tries to make it up with bickering
and put-downs between the two, a shtick that
vacillates between funny and tiresome. But it’s
the kind of stuff Johnson excels at.
They also have reinforcements. Elba’s character,
who boasts digital eyes and a self-driving
motorcycle, takes the franchise in a more sci-fi
direction that doesn’t fit the street-level nature
of “Fast & Furious.” But Elba is never not an
imposing presence; the movie straightens up
whenever he’s in it.
With such titans as Elba and Johnson in the
movie, it’s a wonder how smoothly and
completely Kirby stakes her claim, too. In a movie
full of the expected, she’s the happy surprise and
a breath of fresh air. In the miles between “The
Crown” and “Hobbs & Shaw,” Kirby has swiftly
proven herself capable of an extraordinary range.