Movie Review – XXX: Return of Xander Cage

Fifteen years ago a new breed of agent was introduced to us. Extreme sports athlete, Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) worked with a secret government organization to take down dangerous threats until his time came to an end. Three years after that, a new agent named Darius Stone (Ice Cube) stepped in to fill the gap and take up the good fight. The only constant through both of these encounters is the man who found and trained them. That would be Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) who seems to have nine lives. A new chapter is currently upon us and an old face has returned to help right some serious wrongs in xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
When sky starts falling there’s only one man for the job, Xander Cage (Diesel). xXx: Return of Xander Cage is very straightforward in its title in that the man that kicked off the franchise has found his way back. His new mission involves working under the somewhat tyrannical direction of a new handler, Jane Marke (Toni Collette). Unlike Augustus Gibbons, there is no mutual respect here. Xander assembles his own team rather than relying on the one that Jane tries to shove down his throat. As expected, things get dicey hidden agendas come to light causing Xander to break ranks and operate in his own unique way.
Sequels are what the movie seems to be all about. Come up with something that works once and then beat that idea into the ground. The other common trend we’ve experienced over the past several years is releasing sequels 10+ years after the last movie. xXx: Return of Xander Cage is no different. The original xXx (2002) starring Vin Diesel was followed by a sequel that changed lead characters (hello Ice Cube) and completely tanked. xXx: State of the Union completely bombed and seemingly killed off the franchise. Well that was until now and here we go again. Admittedly Vin Diesel is a hotter commodity now than he was back in ‘02. Then again, he is only about 15 months removed from the box office bomb, The Last Witch Hunter (2015).
As much as I rag on sequels, I can also admit that if they’re done right (aka putting some actual effort into creating something), there is a chance for real enjoyment. A good example of this is another of Vin Diesel’s franchises. The Fast and Furious franchise totally gave up on legitimate car racing movies and evolved into something much greater. They increased their star power by adding loads of recognizable faces and they then veered away from the original cinema ideology once it was realized that it was about the chemistry and fun rather than just fast cars.
Well xXx: Return of Xander Cage rips a page right out of that playbook with this latest offering. In addition to earlier names mentioned, some of the other names associated with this movie are Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Ip Man franchise), Ruby Rose (Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black), Tony Jaa (Furious 7 (2015), Ong-bak franchise), Nina Dobrev (CW’s The Vampire Diaries), UFC fighter Michael Bisping, ex-NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez and famous footballer (that’s soccer here) Neymar. Now these aren’t huge names by any means but definitely makes for a better situation knowing that these aren’t throw-away people.
Toni Collette (Showtime’s United States of Tara looks like an older, angrier Lady GaGa which kind of kept throwing me off. Vin Diesel is his typical on screen persona consisting of an overflowing macho bravado and as well as a hint of humor. It’s all cool though because thankfully the ridiculous skateboard riding CGI crap is mostly just witnessed in the beginning of the movie. As for Samuel L. Jackson, you’ll just have to see the movie and form your own opinions.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage is campy, cheesy and totally far-fetched. Thankfully director D.J. Caruso embraces this fully and makes it fun. No one from The Expendables franchise is out politicking for Oscar nods, and it’s the same case here. An effective ensemble cast is exactly what makes a movie like this worth seeing. If all you’re looking to do is veg out while witnessing some ridiculous action shenanigans then look no further. Even though the plot is flimsy, the dialogue is tacky and the overall feel is like that of a bad 80s action flick, somehow it was indescribably entertaining. This is definitely my guilty pleasure of the month.