Shanice Harris

I recently made a trip to the AMC to check out the newest installment in the world of fast cars, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham. Next to comedies, action is my favorite movie genre. I love a good action movie, so I was excited to see this project even before Idris Elba was announced as the antagonist of the film. My good friends and I made our way to the Dine-In AMC theatre in the middle of Magnificent Mile. We settled into our reclining seats, with our popcorn and soda, and waited in anticipation as the lights dimmed.

I left the theatre feeling excited. The adrenaline running through my veins, as I brought up my favorite scenes to my other action-loving friend. But as we conversed with the rest of our group, one friend seemed...unimpressed. As a person who isn’t too fond of action movies, she didn’t understand how a movie could be so...bad. BAD?!

I’m not going to spoil anything about the movie. This opinion isn’t about the movie per-say, more about critics of action movies. Let me say this loud and clear: ACTION MOVIES ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT. Not “great” in the way you are probably thinking. Too many times, I will see write ups about action movies, criticizing its dialogue, plot, and overall over-the-topness. Action movies are not made to be critiqued as if they are films that make their way to Sundance. They are not supposed to be artsy, dimly-light, dramatic pieces that the Oscar’s would drool over. They are to be loud, punchy, and filled with in-your-face action.

Now, some elements can be criticized. I’m not saying they are above any review. At the end of Hobbs and Shaw, there is a big climactic fight scene between Brixton (Idris Elba), his crew, and Hobbs and Shaw. During the scene, the sky changes from night to bright daylight without much transition. This was an obvious filming schedule conflict. They probably filmed half of this scene in the evening and the other half in the middle of the day, and editors had to find a way to make the scenes look cohesive through film manipulation...they didn’t succeed. Continuity can be a legitimate criticism, but anything other than that is a waste of review space.

The movie was everything I expected. If you have seen any Fast and the Furious movie, you know that they are—and will always be—filled with corny dialogue, absurd levels of testosterone, extreme fight sequences, and the Rock will pull a helicopter to land by his muscles alone. It’s the name of the game. So, before you criticize an action movie for being “bad”, I’d recommend you just skip the line...I’m sure Midsommar is playing in the theatre next door.

Until next time…

Shanice