A morning of sorting through toys, tools, and costumes.
An afternoon at the movies to do some light research and get some choreography ideas.
There were several to choose from, some I hadn't seen yet, some I've already seen but wouldn't mind a re watch because of their quality.
But in the end, it was Hobbs and Shaw.
A franchise film that I would equate to the old Western Serials shown in the movie houses of the past.
The actual nuts and bolts of the plot were outlined in the trailers, so no real surprises in that regard. Super Virus that will wipe out the world is loose, super powered bad guy with army of henchmen out to get it, good guys must find McGuffin girl and McGuffin doctor to stop the virus and save the world.
One directorial choice I appreciated in this race and chase movie is that after the chase sequences the vehicles were often not drivable, or showed a realistic version of damage to it after the events ended. . The exception of course, being the Super bikes. Also, I did raise an eyebrow at a McClarin popping over curbs and across side walks with relative ease. But hey, it’s a movie.
The good guys end up saving the day, as they do, McGuffin girl ended up being just as capable as Hero Boys. And being a fan of the Wrastlin and fisticuffs that I am really appreciated the inventive ways that the good guy defeated the bad guys without the use of guns in a lot of the sequences.
The humor was pretty spot on for the most part as well, though I will admit some of the banter between the two leads could have used a little bit of reworking. But even in the moments that the dialogue wasn’t working, the chemistry between the two leads held the scenes together.
Also, again, McGuffin girl was just as capable as the Hero Boys. Which is a lovely twist of modern action movies that definitely is a sign that action movies are starting to move from Damsel in distress to “Damn she killed it in that dress.”
Thank you Atomic Blonde and Aunties LeFemme Nikita and the Matrix for paving the way.
What can I say, for me, silly action movies that don’t take themselves too seriously while at the same time imparting a message of teamwork and rising above expectations is the exact kind of fluff and filler I need on a Tuesday afternoon.
Let’s give it an arbitrary ranking then.
B+
Fun Action, Good Message, Humorous Through Lines, and Charismatic Leads.
