Alpha male bickering proves Fast & Furious franchise running out of gas

The chest-thumping one-upmanship that passes for a relationship between the characters of Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson is this film’s biggest problem

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FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW

Two and a half stars

Director: David Leitch

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba

Rating: M

Running time: 136 minutes

Verdict: A franchise that is fast running out of gas

The main problem with this Fast & Furious spin-off, which is basically a custom vehicle for outsized action hero Dwayne Johnson and his on-screen nemesis Jason Statham?

The chest-thumping one-upmanship that passes for a relationship between their respective characters.

Riggs and Murtaugh (Lethal Weapon), Lee and Carter (Rush Hour) Gamble and Hoitz (The Other Guys) … fractious partnerships are a buddy cop staple.

But compared to, say, Stuber, in which the combative chemistry between Dave Bautista’s grizzled detective and Kumail Nanjiani’s emotionally sensitive Uber driver oiled the wheels of subgenre that has been well and truly flogged, Hobbs & Shaw rattles along like an old banger.

After Johnson’s much-publicised feud with Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel, a franchise detour probably seemed like a good idea for all concerned.

Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

But while Johnson’s hulking lawman, Luke Hobbs, and Statham’s disgraced military operative, Deckard Shaw, spiced up the action satisfactorily as occasional sparring partners, their alpha male bickering grates over the course of an entire feature film.

Vanessa Kirby (best known as Princess Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown) provides some welcome relief each time she appears on the screen as an arse-kicking MI6 field agent — even if the character’s relationships with both men (one would-be lover, one brother) feel a little forced.

When Hattie injects herself with an apocalyptic virus in order to save it falling into the wrong hands, Hobbs and Shaw must learn to work together in order to save the planet — as well as the woman they both love.

Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

Family plays a big part in Hobbs & Shaw, which also sees Johnson’s character reconciled with his estranged brother (Cliff Curtis) when he basically runs out of any other options.

Pursued by a mysterious and well-heeled scientific organisation that wants to rid the world of “human weakness” — using chemical weapons — the trio can only solve the problem if they go off grid.

And so Hobbs takes them back to Samoa, where his extended family lives.

This gives the filmmakers an excuse to stage a novelty showdown using traditional clubs and spears.

As Brixton Lore, a rogue MI6 agent who is part man, part machine, Idris Elba lends emotional grunt to what might otherwise have been a rather stereotypical villain.

Idris Elba in a scene from Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. .

Hobbs & Shaw’s action sequences are as professionally choreographed as one would expect from Brad Pitt’s former stunt double, David Leitch, who has gone on to direct Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2.

And there are enough preposterous car stunts to meet the expectations of long-time franchise fans — culminating in a scene in which Hobbs stops a helicopter from taking off, basically with his bare hands.

A pedal-to-the-metal action adventure — with very little under the hood.

Hobbs & Shaw is now screening