The first trailer for Hobbs & Shaw dropped today, and this movie looks like it is going to try to top the Fast & Furious films from which it spun off in every way. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as their respective characters, Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, who must begrudgingly work together to bring down Idris Elba’s character, Brixton.
There is plenty to unpack in this trailer, which crams so much action and personality into just under three minutes that it requires more than a single watch. If anything, it looks like this film might just kick off its own series if it performs well. One thing is for sure: there is no shortage of craziness in this first look.
8. BRIXTON PUNCHING THROUGH A TRUCK
The very first part of Hobbs & Shaw we are treated to is the introduction of Brixton, the dangerous villain played by Idris Elba. While it seems like it would be a hard sell to have a villain who can hang with both Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, Brixton seems like he will be a legitimate threat.
This is demonstrated early in the trailer when, after identifying himself to some soldiers as just “bad guy,” Brixton manages to punch through the back of a truck. He must have been serious when he said he was “a shock to the system” and “human evolutionary change.”
7. HOBBS STRAIGHT UP EATING COFFEE GROUNDS
Throughout his appearances in the previous Fast & Furious films, Hobbs has proven that he is not a guy who has time for a lot of nonsense in his life. That means that when he wakes up in the morning, he already needs to be on the move, getting things done, and not wasting a single moment.
That’s very evident in the way Hobbs chooses to take his coffee. He doesn’t add sugar, cream, or even hot water. He just pops the lid off of the can, takes a sniff, then eats a healthy spoonful of coffee grounds. Hopefully, he made sure to thoroughly brush his teeth afterward.
6. HOBBS PINWHEELING A DUDE THROUGH THE AIR
The trailer then takes the time to re-introduce all of us to the main characters once more, with each of them stating in plain terms what kind of people they are. We start with Hobbs, looking almost directly down the barrel of the camera and proclaiming “I’m what you call an ice cold can of whoop-ass.”
Hobbs then proceeds to absolutely destroy everyone in the room (which looks like a poorly-lit tattoo parlor, a location which seems to only exist in action movies). The biggest move comes when Hobbs grabs a guy and literally sends him spinning through the air like a human propeller into a mannequin.
5. SHAW USING A CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE TO BEAT UP A GUY
Shaw gets a similar re-introduction for his character as well (Statham made his first cameo appearance all the way back in Fast & Furious 6). After entering a party that looks like something that Jay Gatsby would put on if he were alive in the 21st century, Shaw also looks almost directly into the camera and states simply “I’m what you might call a champagne problem.”
The next image we are treated to is Shaw taking a guy out using an actual champagne bottle. There’s something to be said about a guy entering such an opulent party and using a symbol of wealth to take a guy out. Either way, it looks like both characters’ strengths will be on full display.
4. SHAW DRIFTING A CAR UNDERNEATH AN 18-WHEELER
Jason Statham really made a name for himself as an action star when he played the lead role in The Transporter. That film was followed by two sequels, a reboot, and a TV series. However, none of them ever really lived up to the promise of the first movie, which marked Statham as a talent to watch.
It looks like Hobbs & Shaw are bringing some of that Transporter action back to the big screen, demonstrating Shaw’s impeccable driving skills by having him drift a car directly underneath an 18-wheeler. We can’t say for sure, but the filmmakers might have got that idea from the opening scene of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
3. BRIXTON SENDING HOBBS FLYING WITH ONE PUNCH
Back in October 2018, Dwayne Johnson posted the first photo of Idris Elba as Brixton on his Instagram. The caption reads “The name: BRIXTON. The record: UNDEFEATED. The promise: SHOWDOWN OF ALL SHOWDOWNS.” It was hard to imagine any villain being a big enough threat for Johnson’s muscular stature, but the Hobbs & Shaw trailer truly delivers.
In a quick scene meant to display just how big of a threat Brixton is going to be, we see him fighting against Shaw and knocking him out, before sending Hobbs flying through the air with a single blow to the chest. Obviously, the heroes of this film are going to have their work cut out for them with such an imposing and powerful antagonist.
2. BARREL-ROLLING A CAR TO ESCAPE FROM A HELICOPTER
As the trailer goes on, the action continues to build, showcasing some of the huge set pieces that director David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool 2) is going to be bringing to the screen. One of those appears to be a daring escape from a helicopter in a military grade dune buggy.
Though it is only shown briefly in the trailer, it appears that Shaw is once again behind the wheel during this daring sequence, where the car does an actual barrel roll through the air in order to shield its passengers from the gunfire of the helicopter. If this is what we’re seeing now, there will probably be even crazier stuff in the full movie.
1. FULLY VERTICAL FOOT CHASE
Finally, the trailer closes with a look at what might be one of the most creative scenes in the film: a foot chase that takes place down the side of a building. This looks like it is going to be a perfectly constructed sequence, as it delivers on both action and character beats. It might have also taken some inspiration from the first Die Hard film.
While Hobbs takes the more obvious route of going directly after the bad guys out in the open, Shaw instead chooses to take the elevator. Hobbs obviously is not happy about this, but it looks that will just be the kind of dynamic that these two characters are going to have to work through in order to stop Brixton for good.
