Fans of the series will know there has been little love lost between Hobbs and Shaw, and calling them “frenemies” would be generous as the two have a history of animosity and trying to out-macho each other while wanting to beat each other to death. This movie embraces that, with the two frequently trading barbs and insults to comedic effect. The chemistry between the actors works well, as does the juxtaposition between the Rock’s hulking mass and rough-around-the-edges ways, compared to the posh, stylish, and subtle Stratham. Two big stars, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart, make uncredited cameos, and their scenes are some of the best and most hilarious, showing that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. 

At 2 hours and 17 minutes, the movie never feels slow, but it does feel a bit long. There are only so many fights and chases one can handle no matter how well they look, how many people are involved, or the weapons and choreography involved. Though even the most jaded car-chase viewers will find it tough to not feel a bit of an adrenaline rush during the terrific London chase with Shaw behind the wheel of a McLaren 720S being chased by Idris Elba on a Triumph Triple Speed motorcycle.

Filmed in ArriRaw in a combination of 2.8 and 3.4K, Hobbs and Shaw is taken from a 2K digital intermediate. Detail in closeups is always sharp and clear. There are plenty of opportunities to see fine details, like the well-groomed stubble on Shaw’s face, individual drops of sweat glistening on The Rock’s significant dome, or the texture and grain in Lore’s black-leather uniform. The image is always totally clean and noise-free, with blacks that are deep and pristine.

What really makes the image look great is the use of HDR throughout. Many of the big scenes are at night, and come to life with the HDR grading. This is apparent from the opening nighttime robbery in London, with bright lights against deep blacks, along with vibrant greens, golds, and reds, and near the end when lightning flashes and huge fireballs had me squinting while the image maintained lifelike, deep-black levels. 

Sonically, Hobbs & Shaw is a big film, with a dynamic soundtrack with some significant bass when called for, which is often, due to the fights and explosions throughout. Unfortunately, NBCUniversal continues to refuse to provide Kaleidescape with the Dolby Atmos soundtrack, so the digital download only contains a DTS HD-Master 5.1-channel mix. While not as impressive as a discrete Atmos or DTS:X mix, the soundtrack is quite exciting and immersive when run through an upmixer like Dolby Surround or DTS:Neural. Drones zip past overhead, cars screech along the sides of the room, glass shatters and debris falls all around, and even the gentle outside wind, ocean, and bird sounds fill the room.

If I had one quibble with the audio. it’s that the dialogue was a bit hard to understand during some scenes. Whether this was due to the music and effects levels, the British accents, or just poor dialogue recording or mixing I can’t say. Fortunately, these moments are infrequent.

If you can look past some moments that defy credibility—like Hobbs lassoing and holding down a Blackhawk helicopter —Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw can make for a fun night at the movies.