Vin Diesel is back in his old shoes once again as Xander Cage in the second installment of xXx: Return of Xander Cage. The last time Diesel appeared in a xXx show was over a decade ago - way back in 2002. The main question that is playing on everyone's minds since the trailer release: Can this new movie surpass the original?
Xander Cage is basically a copy of Dominic Toretto. They are both adrenaline addicted thrill seekers who are recruited by the government to hunt down dangerous weapons stolen by a group of bad guys. Cage is enlisted by a ruthless official agent (Toni Colette) to retrieve Pandora's box, a mysterious device that is responsible for knocking satellites out of skies into populated areas, causing serious deaths and destructions. A huge assignment like this certainly cannot be achieved with a one-man show. Cage seeks out his old friends and forms his eccentric team: Adele Wolff (Ruby Rose), the crazy lesbian sniper, Tennyson Torch (Rory McCann), the outrageous driver and Nicks (Kris Wu), the cool music DJ. Although the crew is made up of different interesting pieces, they lack the personality and family bond as explored by Furious films. Action takes up most of the screen time, leaving little to no time for characters to develop. The stunts in this movie are over-the top and borderline insane; another similarity with the Furious series. Leaping across rooftops? Check. Dropping from the sky (sans parachute)? Check. Fighting in zero gravity? Check. My favourite scenes include Cage skiing down the hills of the jungle. You read that right. Skiing. Also, the motorcycle chase scene with Xiang takes a turn all of a sudden to a boat chase by sprouting jet skis. I whistled internally; it is impressive! In addition, the hot potato game with a grenade between Cage, Xiang and Serena is ridiculous but is definitely one of the most memorable scenes. Despite the solid action and fun, this movie still comes off weak with its predictable plot, underdeveloped characters, corny dialogues and dull acting. Vin Diesel is Vin Diesel. He pulls of the action man persona with a pass, though this time around he smiles a lot because Cage is supposedly a cheeky character. Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev and Toni Colette played their roles to perfection. Donnie Yen's fights (especially his lightning fast iron fists) are magnificent as always, but his acting is stiff. Deepika Podukone, who plays his partner, did a decent job. She also lacked chemistry with Diesel's character so the final scene came off as slightly awkward.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage is a movie that has no intention to be taken seriously. The film tries too hard to appear lighthearted with cheesy one-liners thrown out by almost every character, which gets overbearing as the show drags on. There are also funny cameos by Ice Cube (Darius Stone, xXx: State of the Union) and Neymar Jr, the hot, up-and- coming Brazilian footballer. This is the perfect movie for audiences who likes mindless shoot/beat-em-up. Action stunts of every pattern dominate the scenes, and the plot is cliché and overdone like most modern action movies. All in all, this film is a good comic and stress relief, but ultimately, nothing special worth remembering.
Xander Cage is basically a copy of Dominic Toretto. They are both adrenaline addicted thrill seekers who are recruited by the government to hunt down dangerous weapons stolen by a group of bad guys. Cage is enlisted by a ruthless official agent (Toni Colette) to retrieve Pandora's box, a mysterious device that is responsible for knocking satellites out of skies into populated areas, causing serious deaths and destructions. A huge assignment like this certainly cannot be achieved with a one-man show. Cage seeks out his old friends and forms his eccentric team: Adele Wolff (Ruby Rose), the crazy lesbian sniper, Tennyson Torch (Rory McCann), the outrageous driver and Nicks (Kris Wu), the cool music DJ. Although the crew is made up of different interesting pieces, they lack the personality and family bond as explored by Furious films. Action takes up most of the screen time, leaving little to no time for characters to develop. The stunts in this movie are over-the top and borderline insane; another similarity with the Furious series. Leaping across rooftops? Check. Dropping from the sky (sans parachute)? Check. Fighting in zero gravity? Check. My favourite scenes include Cage skiing down the hills of the jungle. You read that right. Skiing. Also, the motorcycle chase scene with Xiang takes a turn all of a sudden to a boat chase by sprouting jet skis. I whistled internally; it is impressive! In addition, the hot potato game with a grenade between Cage, Xiang and Serena is ridiculous but is definitely one of the most memorable scenes. Despite the solid action and fun, this movie still comes off weak with its predictable plot, underdeveloped characters, corny dialogues and dull acting. Vin Diesel is Vin Diesel. He pulls of the action man persona with a pass, though this time around he smiles a lot because Cage is supposedly a cheeky character. Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev and Toni Colette played their roles to perfection. Donnie Yen's fights (especially his lightning fast iron fists) are magnificent as always, but his acting is stiff. Deepika Podukone, who plays his partner, did a decent job. She also lacked chemistry with Diesel's character so the final scene came off as slightly awkward.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage is a movie that has no intention to be taken seriously. The film tries too hard to appear lighthearted with cheesy one-liners thrown out by almost every character, which gets overbearing as the show drags on. There are also funny cameos by Ice Cube (Darius Stone, xXx: State of the Union) and Neymar Jr, the hot, up-and- coming Brazilian footballer. This is the perfect movie for audiences who likes mindless shoot/beat-em-up. Action stunts of every pattern dominate the scenes, and the plot is cliché and overdone like most modern action movies. All in all, this film is a good comic and stress relief, but ultimately, nothing special worth remembering.