The 7 Best Action-Packed Jason Statham Movies To Watch Before Hobbs And Shaw

The 7 Best Action-Packed Jason Statham Movies To Watch Before Hobbs And Shaw

He’s been a hero, a villain, a joker and a competitive diver. But if action superstar Jason Statham is known for anything, it’s his ability to kick a lot of ass. The most recent example of that piece of his career has been his success as an ass-kicker in the Fast and Furious film series, so much so that he’s half of the new spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw.

If you’re a fan of Jason Statham's, or are looking for a reason to get into his work, we recommend you, at the very least, watch the last two films in the Fast and Furious series to get caught up to the point that Hobbs and Shaw is at in the series. However, there are other movies in the Statham catalog you should be partaking in to get yourself pumped and ready for his latest action romp, and we have a good list of what those films should be.

So schedule a little bit of “me time” on the books, make sure you do your streaming and rental research as to how to get ahold of the Jason Statham movies we’re about to lay down and prepare for your very own film festival. Let’s call it “StathamFest,” which means that the following are your required stops on the StathamFest trail.

The Italian Job (2004)

With his career as an action lead getting a huge boost out of The Transporter’s surprise success, one of the Jason Statham movies that increased his visibility exponentially was director F. Gary Gray’s remake of the 1969 crime caper, The Italian Job.

Flexing his action hero muscles as Handsome Rob, Jason Statham also got to play the eye candy of Mark Wahlberg’s band of criminals, which was certainly a bonus for the audience that made it a theatrical hit. The Italian Job not only gave Statham a chance to be a comedic heartthrob, but it also gave him even more experience with the impressive car stunts that helped make his career what it is.

While we never got the proposed sequel, The Brazilian Job, we did get a Statham/Gray reunion when the star and director paired up for The Fate of The Furious; so The Italian Job is a good film to re-watch in preparation for the further adventures of Deckard Shaw.

The Transporter 2 (2005)

The Transporter is one of the earliest successes of Jason Statham’s career, as Frank Martin was the first blockbuster character that Statham had under his action belt. And with The Transporter 2 bringing Frank to the mean streets of Miami, the scenery is closer to home, along with the high flying automotive action.

While it acts as a sort of loose remake of Man On Fire, with Jason Statham’s Frank replacing Denzel Washington’s Creasy, the film is a full throttle thrill ride, complete with one of the most ridiculous action moments in the man’s entire career. The second of three installments with Statham as Mr. Martin, our hero is charged with not only preventing a viral outbreak, but also recovering a wealthy family’s child in the process.

A positively breathless ticking clock action film, The Transporter 2 is a Jason Statham movie quick enough to fit into any day’s schedule, but it’s also weighted enough to keep an audience fixed on the screen the whole time. If you believe one of life’s rules is a person knowing their car and its contents, in and out, this one is a no-brainer.

Crank (2006)

Mixed in with all of the big budget franchises and one-off action fests that make up the body of Jason Statham’s movies are some smaller, and definitely weirder, choices. Case in point is the extremely memorable Crank, directed by Neveldine/Taylor, a duo more than familiar with the world of the weird.

Jason Statham’s character this time around is Chev Chelios, with Crank seeing his protagonist injected with a drug intended to prevent the flow of adrenaline, in hopes of killing him dead. But, of course, as this is a Neveldine/Taylor directed film, Statham’s assassin antihero does have a way out of this mess. And it’s keeping his adrenaline pumping in such an extreme fashion, that methods such as electrocution and other feats tempting death are needed at all times in this single day thriller.

Pushing the boundaries of every force it comes into contact with, Crank makes for one of the weirdest, but also one of the most exhilarating Jason Statham movies in his collected canon. Proving that he can turn his charms and action talents to 11 when need be, Crank gave Statham the range he needed to eventually jump into the sort of antics that Hobbs and Shaw will eventually demand of him.

War (2007)

While Jason Statham and Jet Li would eventually team up yet again in The Expendables, their paths would cross earlier in the gang thriller War. Except in the instance of this particular film, Statham and Li faced off as nemeses in an all-out street fight between an FBI agent and a rogue element.

Jason Statham’s John Crawford is the FBI agent who’s swearing revenge against Jet Li’s former CIA operative Rogue, a target who survived his supposed death and not only killed Crawford’s partner, but also plans on starting a gang war between the Triads and the Yakuza. Things get pretty hairy as the two play cat and mouse on the streets of San Francisco, and will use everything at their disposal to strike the other where it hurts the most.

Another interesting connection that adds an interesting layer to watching War is the fact that Jason Statham’s character, Crawford, works with an FBI sniper by the name of Goi throughout the film’s duration. Playing Goi is none other than Sung Kang, better known as Han from the Fast and Furious universe; and considering how War ends, Jason Statham’s murder of Han in that particular series could be seen as pure revenge.

Death Race (2008)

Sometimes a movie gets remade because of its popularity. But in the case of director Paul W.S. Anderson’s Death Race, the film feels like a remake that is made to capitalize on the popularity of someone like Jason Statham. At least it feels that way, because wisecracks meet car stunts in this dystopian action extravaganza that screams its status as a Jason Statham movie.

Framed for a murder he didn’t commit, Jason Statham’s Jensen Ames is sent to prison and given the opportunity to win his own freedom through the titular Death Race. A televised pay-per-view spectacle, take The Running Man and infuse it with the DNA of NASCAR, and you’ve got the basic premise for this particular film.

As far as Jason Statham movies go, Death Race is sort of an underrated gem. Showcasing Statham’s abilities as an action lead, while also putting him into an ensemble that sees Joan Allen, Ian McShane and future Fast and Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson all mixing it up, Death Race is well worth tracking down if you’re serious about your Statham.

The Expendables (2010)

If there’s anything that the viewing public should know about Jason Statham by this entry in the list, it’s that he plays very well as both a lead and an ensemble member. The latter is part of why The Expendables is such a treat to watch, as the relatively fresh faced Statham gets to play with heavy hitters like Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren.

Hired to overthrow a villainous dictator, The Expendables sees some of the biggest names in action teaming up, or in some cases fighting against, the likes of Sylvester Stallone’s expendable team. Playing Lee Christmas, the team’s blade expert, Jason Statham gets to be a man who only talks when the conversation requires him to. And if he’s not talking, chances are his opponent is about to take some serious damage.

Whether it’s an island in the Gulf of Mexico or a basketball court on home soil, Jason Statham takes the fight to whomever stands in his way in The Expendables. Even though he appears as a member of the overarching ensemble, this Statham movie has enough action to excite the crowd and enough Statham magic for him to stand out from all the rest.

The Meg (2018)

Let’s just get something out of the way: The Meg is, by no means, a film that needs to be taken seriously. Getting past that though, it’s easy to see how people enjoyed this film so much, it became a blockbuster hit in 2018’s film market. And naturally, part of that success is Jason Statham’s Jonas Taylor.

Playing a rescue diver obsessed with proving the existence of a rare Megalodon, Jason Statham gets to be The Meg’s hero, front and center. As such, Jonas is wise, kind and not afraid to put his foot down; all the things you’d expect from a Statham performance, with a little more heroic charm allowed this time out.

In fact, it’s Jason Statham’s charm that helps anchor The Meg’s all-star cast, which also includes Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose and Li Bingbing. And with both Statham and his cast fully in sync, the level of ridiculous spectacle and action is balanced in such a state that the audience can really sink their teeth into it. And if you want to make it a family affair, this film’s PG-13 rating will certainly allow the kids to enjoy this one alongside the adults in the room.

Jason Statham’s career is as varied as it is exciting, and this sampler pack of films is only the beginning of the proof to that point. So let StathamFest pump you up for a summer of action, as well as the eventual box office debut of Hobbs and Shaw. But more importantly, let these films entertain you while showing the many facets of Jason Statham’s career as a hero, a villain and a comic relief for the ages.

Hobbs and Shaw promises to kick the box office’s ass on August 2, but if you’re looking for some action prior to that point, check out the 2019 release schedule for more of the options available to you.

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Bruce Campbell Is Playing Evil Dead’s Ash Again, But Not How You’d Think

Bruce Campbell Is Playing Evil Dead’s Ash Again, But Not How You’d Think

Heroes may come and go, but only the most resilient find their way back to the danger. Just ask Bruce Campbell, as his most famous role as the Evil Dead franchise’s Ash Williams is one that’s waxed and waned like our fickle moon. And just when everyone thought he was gone for good, Ash is about to saddle up for action yet again. Only this time, it’s going to be in another realm he’s not unfamiliar with: the world of video games.

Despite Campbell, for the most part, retiring the role of Evil Dead’s Ash Williams after the cancelation of Ash vs. Evil Dead, it looks like he’ll be strapping on the chainsaw again for the multi-platform game, Dead By Daylight. Currently available on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One, the concept of the game is very much an Evil Dead inspired affair.

With the objective of the game being that the four survivors in play must repair the required number of emergency generators that will allow for their escape, it’s already terra firma for the man who survived three films, three seasons of his own TV show, and various comic book appearances. The similarities only increase in Dead By Daylight’s gameplay when it’s hindered by the fact that there’s one player hunting those survivors as the killer, whose objective is to clear the board in vicious, bloody fashion. And, you’ll get to play through it all, with the likeness and vocal stylings of Bruce Campbell being fully integrated into the game’s killer engine.

So, yeah, adding Ash Williams as a playable survivor is as good of an idea as when a previous Dead By Dayilght update brought fellow horror legend Laurie Strode to the game. If you’re one of those types that’s liable to want to cross over famous franchises such as Halloween and Evil Dead, this news from Variety just gave you further incentive to go out and buy yourself a copy. Unless you’re a Nintendo Switch owner, in which case you’ll have to wait until this fall. Still, it’s pretty exciting news.

Though he’s had plenty of video game adventures of his own on various console generations, seeing Ash Williams heading to Dead By Daylight so soon after being told we would probably never see or hear from him again has us hopeful. Should this recent offering in a long line of famous franchise themed DLC sell like hotcakes, maybe there’s a possibility that Bruce Campbell could snag an Evil Dead themed game franchise as previously promised; which opens up a pathway for him to rope dear friend and series creator Sam Raimi back in to tell more stories in that particular sandbox. It’s far from a given, but fans can dream, can’t they?

If you’re looking to try out Dead By Daylight’s latest, boomstick toting survivor, and just happen to be at the PAX East convention this weekend, stop by their booth and hail to the king! Otherwise, the DLC featuring Ash Williams will be available on April 2nd.

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Good Boys Red Band Trailer Has Jacob Tremblay Dropping F-Bombs And Playing With Sex Toys

Good Boys Red Band Trailer Has Jacob Tremblay Dropping F-Bombs And Playing With Sex Toys

We’ve entered the era of Jacob Tremblay getting into raunch comedy. The adorable 12-year-old kid from Wonder and Room will next star in Good Boys, a raunch comedy about three friends who get into trouble while trying to figure out how to kiss girls. You can can check out the ridiculous premise, as well as sex toys, drones, drugs and more in the full trailer below.

As you can probably tell with the early explanation to this trailer it’s Red Band and thus NSFW.

Jacob Trembley is joined by fellow actors Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams in the Good Boys trailer. The Red Band look at the movie has a funny intro featuring Seth Rogen, who produced the flick alongside Evan Goldberg, Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane and James Weaver. Basically the gist is that the middle schoolers in the movie can’t actually watch the red band trailer because they aren’t old enough, even though the were the ones tasked with dropping f-bombs and more here.

Although the kids are much younger in this trailer, obviously this movie has some of the same “kids getting into shenanigans” narrative that Superbad did more than 10 years ago. Universal Pictures and Good Pictures make a point to connect the new movie with “the guys who brought you Superbad.” (Superbad was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.)

It’s always a little bit of a shock factor when 12-year-old boys are dropping f-bombs, but that’s something they often do with their friends. Otherwise, despite the references to Molly and the specific and varied uses of dildos, this trailer is witty and heartwarming.

Seriously, though, there are so many sex toys here.

Also, there are plenty of f-bombs from the youngsters who aren’t Jacob Tremblay and more. The general plot is that these kids are trying to figure out how to kiss. They use a drone to spy on some nearby women, which then leads to them stealing a purse to exchange it for the drone. Unfortunately, there are drugs in the purse and shenanigans ensue.

These shenanigans involve frat boys, stealing beer from a gas station, watching porn and seemingly causing a major traffic accident on a freeway. Just a regular Saturday for these young men. (Actually they are in way over their heads.)

Good Boys doesn’t currently have a release date, but we’ll let you know as soon as the Universal Pictures movie does get a date. In the meantime, take a look at the full movies schedule to see what else is coming up in 2019. If you are keeping tabs on Jacob Tremblay's career at all, you'll also be able to catch him in Doctor Sleep and The Twilight Zone coming up.

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See What Sebastian Stan Could Look Like As DC’s Riddler

See What Sebastian Stan Could Look Like As DC’s Riddler

While he’s been known as Marvel’s Winter Soldier for almost a decade and has a new spin-off show with that same character debuting at some point next year, some folks are really hung up on the idea of actor Sebastian Stan playing The Riddler in Matt Reeves’ new Batman movie.

And whenever a particularly inspired piece of casting crops up on the internet, you can count on corresponding fan art to help everyone get a picture of what that variation of a famous character could look like. With that in mind, please enjoy the following fan rendering of what Stan could look like as Edward “The Riddler” Nygma:

Looking at this particular visual representation of The Riddler, it does maintain a dorky element of the character’s psyche. But there’s also a seedy, alpha male sort of style at work as well, seeing Sebastian Stan perfectly occupy a crossroads between someone threatening and someone you could kind of laugh at on the streets of The Batman’s Gotham City. Knowing the character’s history of outbursts when his superiority is challenged, it might be best if you just nod respectfully and walk along, before he really does something to your mind you can’t come back from.

Naturally, this wasn’t unprompted, as recently Sebastian Stan has gone on record as stating that he’d love to play the purveyor of perplexing and pernicious puzzles in the universe that feels like it’s on the cusp of confirming Robert Pattinson as the man playing the latest version of the Dark Knight himself. But now, with the right art suggesting what this possibility would look like, it’s easier to approve of such a move.

While Matt Reeves’ The Batman has been reported to have its first two villains already sewn up, with both The Penguin and Catwoman taking those initial slots, there’s always room for more villains to be set up and deployed for future films. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a baddie as iconic as The Riddler in the franchise’s back pocket, especially when The Joker would be an option that’s too familiar to bring into the fold just yet.

So leave it to an eager fan on Instagram to make the best case for Sebastian Stan to be the latest Marvel star to defect over to the side of DC, in the name of creative re-casting. It’d certainly be an awesome draw to this new potential series of Batman films, especially with Stan’s fans from his days as Bucky Barnes being part of the contingent that made Avengers: Endgame such a huge box office hit.

As such, this isn’t exactly a confirmed casting, but it’d be a surprise if this item hasn’t already been circulated through Warner Bros’ internal email servers. So if Stan finds himself suiting up in the infamous green question mark suit we know and love, this could be the very moment that made it all happen.

Sebastian Stan can currently be seen in Avengers: Endgame, as well as the Shirley Jackson adaptation We Have Always Lived In The Castle. But if you’re looking for something else at the movies, take a look at our 2019 release schedule to see what else is in your realm of interest.

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Oscar-Winning Bohemian Rhapsody Editor Wishes He Could Recut Mocked Meeting Scene

Oscar-Winning Bohemian Rhapsody Editor Wishes He Could Recut Mocked Meeting Scene

Bohemian Rhapsody has found incredible success as the highest-earning music biopic worldwide, and as a four-time Oscar winner. The movie centering around Queen’s history as a band swept most of the technical categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Film Editing. The latter has been most heavily criticized online for its win, especially for the cut of the band’s first meeting with manager John Reid, which became a viral example of Oscar "injustice" on Twitter.

John Ottman, who was Bohemian Rhapsody’s editor, received a ton of honors during awards season. He was recently told of a viral video specifically criticizing the editing of that band meeting scene. Here was his reaction:

Oh my God! Wow. I didn’t know about that, but I know why that’s out there. Whenever I see [the scene], I want to put a bag over my head. Because that’s not my aesthetic. If there’s ever an extended version of the film where I can put a couple scenes back, I will recut that scene!

The Bohemian Rhapsody editor told The Washington Post that the restaurant scene was one of the few scenes shot by Dexter Fletcher shortly after previous director Bryan Singer was fired from the film. Some of the storyline was reordered, leading to a reshoot of the meeting between the band and their manager outside a London pub. Check out the scene found all over Twitter after the Oscars in all of its glory below:

Feeling that whiplash? The flashy cut switches in this scene in particular caused an outcry over the internet, all questioning how the movie won an Oscar for Best Editing. John Ottman said he was under pressure to get the first act of Bohemian Rhapsody moving quickly, so some scenes ended up looking this way.

Later, when the movie was screened for test audiences, their feedback indicated they enjoyed learning about the band in their early years. So Ottman went back over those scenes and slowed them down. However, due to time constraints, he didn't get to do the same for the now much-mocked meeting scene. The editor certainly seems to regret it now looking back, per his recent words.

A recent video by Thomas Flight breaks down just why the Bohemian Rhapsody restaurant scene in question, and many of the other dialogue scenes, have terrible editing. Take a look:

You know there’s something wrong when a simple dialogue scene has 60 cuts in under two minutes – more than an action sequence in Transformers: The Last Knight. The video breaks down some major problems with the editing in Bohemian Rhapsody, along with why it may have been recognized for it by the Academy – because it’s noticeable. Though the YouTuber notes great movie editing is often not easy to detect.

The 2019 Best Film Editing honor isn’t the only Oscar winner that has been criticized this year. Best Picture going to Green Book has also perplexed moviegoers, along with First Man over Avengers: Infinity War for Best Visual Effects.

Did you notice Bohemian Rhapsody’s flashy editing and did it bother you when you watched it? Sound off in the comments below!

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Ian McDiarmid Reacts To Palpatine's Return: 'The Dark Side Is Stronger Than Ever'

Ian McDiarmid Reacts To Palpatine's Return: 'The Dark Side Is Stronger Than Ever'

Star Wars fans were in for a massive treat this week with Star Wars Celebration, a kind of convention exclusively for the Star Wars franchise. At Celebration, the cast and filmmakers of Episode IX took to the stage and finally dropped details about the movie. While there was a lot to chew on, maybe the biggest revelation was the reveal that the Emperor would be returning in the film. That's pretty huge -- and Ian McDiarmid, who played Palpatine in all the movies, had some fun teasing his return.

The first footage for Episode IX -- now forever known as The Rise of Skywalker -- was dropped during Star Wars Celebration. It's a seriously awesome trailer that showcases Rey, Finn, and Poe on a mission together (finally!), some new planets, Kylo Ren doing his thing, and the return of Lando. But Lando isn't the only original trilogy character making his comeback as the ominous laugh of Emperor Palpatine closed out the trailer.

As if that wasn't enough confirmation that old papa Palps is back, Ian McDiarmid took the stage and had the trailer play a second time. Somehow, Paplatine will once again torment the galaxy, and while fans are already cooking up their theories, McDiarmid took to Twitter to raise the hype even further.

McDiarmid has played Palpatine in all of his live-action appearances, perhaps featured the heaviest in the prequel trilogy. Now, the actor is back and he's teasing fans that the dark side is stronger than ever. Seeing as how Palpatine is THE Star Wars bad guy, that statement certainly rings true.

The reveal of Palpatine certainly must have caught plenty of fans by surprise, but when you think about it, there weren't many options available to The Rise of Skywalker for villains. After the death of Snoke, there's really no one left. Yes, there's Kylo Ren, but his story is so tied up in the will he/won't he be a good guy, that he doesn't really feel like a final boss. You can't introduce a new guy because what good would that do in the last film? So, you bring back the guy everyone knows and it becomes a lot stronger.

We're still far away from learning more details about Palpatine and the movie. Maybe he's back as a Force ghost or the First Order actually figured out a way to resurrect him. I'm sure there won't be any shortage of theories! But will those theories be any ... good?

It's still a long wait, but all the answers to our questions will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 20, 2019. To learn as much about the film as you can, be sue to check out what we know so far about the movie, which we'll continue to update as more news drops.

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Why Movie Franchise Fatigue Isn’t Really Happening, According To One Theater CEO

Why Movie Franchise Fatigue Isn’t Really Happening, According To One Theater CEO

If you’ve been to the movies in recent years, it’s hard to miss the fact that the film industry -- particularly domestically but also internationally -- has heavily relied on franchise content, returning to stories, universes and characters that breed familiarity and (often) fond feelings. However, at the same time, there is a faction of people who are vocal about not wanting interconnected franchises, and there are common gripes about the proliferation of remakes and reboots as well.

If you ask Jane Hastings, however, movie franchise fatigue isn’t really a thing. At least, not yet.

Speaking during an event at CinemaCon 2019, Jane Hastings, CEO & Managing Director, Event Hospitality & Entertainment Ltd. spoke out about the biggest movies of 2018, noting that all of them were in some ways continuations of popular franchises.

She said at CinemaCon that box office year over year has shown that franchise fatigue isn’t really a thing and that the audience still has an appetite for the larger budget franchise movies, noting,

Regardless, if a franchise is new, if it’s good, if it’s quality, it will work… So, we’re in good shape. Why? Because people always want to be entertained.

Citing 2018’s box office as evidence, Jane Hastings also mentioned the top five movies in the past year were all returns to worlds and characters that have found love with audiences in prior years and movies.

The five biggest movies last year were as follows:

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Incredibles 2

Aquaman (With a late release date, this box office also led into 2019)

It’s not just franchise movies that are absolutely dominating the box office, but bigger movies in general. Last year, a whopping 83% of movie box office totals came from “the majors,” or what Janes Hasting cites as the biggest budget movies with the most oomph in terms of budget and advertising from the major studios.

This means that fewer titles are actually contributing to more of the box office intake than happened in the past within the theater and movie industries. It's a trend that should continue into 2019 as there are a slew of franchise movies set to launch this year from the major studios. This includes but is definitely not limited to Avengers: Endgame, Godzilla: King of The Monsters, Frozen 2, Hobbs and Shaw, Jumanji 3 and plenty more.

Looking at two of the biggest movies of last year, Black Panther and Aquaman, both are origin stories, yet they do fall within the larger Marvel and DC comics universes. They are part of a bigger picture, and despite only having one solo appearance, the character of T’Challa, for example, has already made three big screen appearances so far. The trajectory is similar for Jason Momoa’s Aquaman character. Both origin flicks also have a lot of additional stuff in common, including making over a billion dollars internationally and easily earning greenlights for Black Panther 2 and Aquaman 2.

So, people are still clearly seeing these franchise movies, and Jane Hastings cites an increase in connecting with fans and creating good products as to why franchise fatigue isn’t really a thing.

It's not like every franchise movie that comes out is great. The same is true of original movies, which run the gamut from good to bad. There may come a point when we've hit franchise fatigue, too. Sort of like how some long-running TV shows go on a little too long and a percentage of the audiences loses interest after a while. Clearly we aren't there with Marvel or DC content yet, but we have seen recent Transformer movies do less well than their predecessors. When that happened, Paramount pivoted and gave us Bumblebee, a spinoff that renewed interest in the franchise.

It's also true that every franchise has to start somewhere, and there are still a lot of studios pushing out interesting and new content at all budget levels. We will get plenty of original movies this year, ranging from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood to Artemis Fowl. Then again, with the latter, there is presumably the hope of a franchise given the large number of books to draw from; Disney will just have to wait and see how the box office pans out.

So, if you were hoping for more original movies – at least of the big budget variety in the future – the box office itself is telling a different story. Which leads me to the question: Do you agree? Has box office intake taken over quality or have franchises managed to create engaging stories with familiar characters and universes?

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