It took me a couple weeks, but finally made it to Hobbs and Shaw, the latest installment in the Fast & Furious series, whis is the best documentary series this side of Ken Burns’ Baseball and Step Up 2-5.

This movie is, well, what you would expect it to be. Banter between two charismatic badasses, ridiculous hijinx at fast speeds and a kickass baddie, this time played by Idris Elba. Seriously, when are we going to get Elba as Bond? I’ve wanted few things in the movie world more than I want Elba as Bond.

Hobbs & Shaw spins off from the Diesel/Walker vehicles (movie, not car). This one lands better than the last excursion, Tokyo Drift, did. Although, i do seem to like that one better than most did. But Lucas Black could never match Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as leading men.

Johnson and Statham don’t have to establish their action star chops at this point, but the movie open does a nice of showing off their different styles in simulcast. Vanessa Kirby quickly establishes herself as a wylie thwart-turned-love-interest-ish as Hattie Shaw, the sister to Statham’s Deckard Shaw. Apparently, the Shaws are one of the most badass group of misunderstoods ever, including the mother. They did well in never making Hattie the damsel-in-distress in need of saving by the big bad boys. She held her own.

Elba more than held his own. By the time he uttered the promo-featured line “I’m Black Superman”, you believe it. Also, where do I get me one of those motorcycles? My Honda doesn’t do that. Stringer Bell didn’t need any business classes for this role, just charisma on par with the good guy leads and believable tough-guy movie.

Since this was a Fast and Furious feature, the theme of family was hammered home once again. They did a decent job delivering on the regret of abandonment, but overall, the reunion stuff came across as cheesy. But, you weren’t going to watch this movie for that anyway. You also have to forget any prior knowledge on how tow chains work, but this is the franchise that dropped cars out of planes with parachutes and raced across a lake withe a submarine, so, whatever.

The final third of the movie lands weak, which you typically don’t want in an action movie, but overall, it still works. If you liked the series from Fast Five and forward, you will like this one. If not, there is nothing new here to draw you back in.

Rating: 7/10