Summary
- Hobbs' addition saved Fast & Furious, taking action from street-level to global espionage adventures.
- Hobbs vs Dom showcased shift to brutal fight scenes, setting tone for series' bombastic growth.
- Hobbs brought a new dynamic, showing enemies can become allies without joining Dom's crew.
The addition of Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs to the Fast & Furious franchise expanded the scope of the films and breathed fresh life into the series, with his return for Fast and Furious 11 solidifying his importance to the series. The best sequences featuring the WWE veteran in the series played into the overall themes of the movies as they evolved from street-level action movies into globe-trotting espionage adventures. Hobbs debuted in Fast Five, as a law-abiding heroic antagonist to the heroic but criminal Toretto crew.
Hobbs helped save Fast & Furious and escalate the sheer scale of the series into something else. Hobbs' arrival ushered in the openly bombastic second half of the series, setting up multiple appearances and even a spin-off film. Along the way, Hobbs highlighted some of the biggest themes of the franchise and proved that it didn't have to be Dom Toretto and his "family" who drove the series forward. Here are the ten most important Luke Hobbs scenes in the Fast & Furious movie franchise and how they highlighted the evolution of the series.
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10 Hobbs' Introduction
Fast Five
Hobbs was introduced in 2011's box office hit Fast Five, which helped reinvigorate the franchise and expanded the scope far beyond the street racing that had dominated the prior films. Hobbs' first scene in the series establishes him as a direct contrast to the bombastic personalities of Dom's crew. After Dom and his allies are framed for the murder of several DEA agents, Hobbs arrives on the scene to bring them to justice. Hobbs is quickly established as a prepared and dangerous adversary, with a vast amount of resources at his disposal.
Instead of the villains of prior films, Hobbs is shown to be driven by the loss of his fellow agents and keen to not underestimate his adversaries. This effectively sets Hobbs up as a unique counter to Dom in the films. While Dom and his allies may be the heroes of the film series, they're still career criminals. Hobbs, by contrast, is established as an effective lawman with the confidence to warn local authorities away from his investigation. After four films of overtly criminal antagonists, Hobbs gives the series a more engaging type of adversary.
9 Hobbs Vs. Dom
Fast Five
Hobbs' big one-on-one fight with Dom in Fast Five underscored an important new element to the Fast & Furious films. Whereas earlier movies in the franchise had based much of their action around high-octane car chases and races, the films were increasingly featuring more brutal fight scenes. After locating Dom, Hobbs tracks him down and engages in a brawl that sees both men showcase their physical strength and endurance.
While Dom was increasingly becoming an unstoppable force in the series, Hobbs presented an impressive counter. Their fight takes them through several walls, highlighting how the fight scenes in the series were growing more over-the-top as well. A far cry from the more grounded beats of the original The Fast & The Furious, Fast Five's big Dom and Hobbs fight helped shape the future of the series.