Hey movie fans! This week it’s time to get a bit cheesy with Pop Life as I ventured to the theater to see “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”, starring Vin Diesel.
This film follows the 2002 (!) original “xXx”, and the 2005 release “xXx: State of the Union” which did not feature Diesel, thus the title of the new film. I vaguely remember the 2002 original, mainly due to the jacket Diesel’s character wore in the film. As expected, the famous (for these films) jacket makes a return appearance. Just in case you haven’t seen any of the aforementioned films, the series began with the recruitment of Xander Cage (Diesel), a extreme sports enthusiast, stuntman and athlete, who was reluctantly recruited by the National Security Agency to be a spy for the United States. In the first film, which did gross $277.40 million, Xander was sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate potential terrorist located in Central Europe. At the end of the first film Xander is last seen relaxing in Bora Bora where he declines the next mission (and to appear in the sequel), leaving the door open for Ice Cube to take over in the second film.
Flash forward to 2017 and Diesel is back as Xander, apparently needing a break from the “Fast and Furious” series. Oh, wait, there is another one in that series coming out this year. The plot of the new film has Xander being recruited back into spy action by CIA Agent Jane Marke (Toni Collette), to help track down a gang led by Xiang (Donnie Yen), after they stole a device named “Pandora’s Box” which has the ability to crash satellites into a specified location. Xander agrees if he can have his own team with him which features the following team members: sharpshooter Adele Wolff (Ruby Rose); DJ Harvard Zhou (Kris Wu); and getaway driver Tennyson “The Torch” (Rory McCann). Xander and crew head to the Philippines where the bad guys are hiding out with the device, and the real action begins.
The plot features a twist that sends the group to Detroit for another action packed showdown that eventually turns matters into the favor of the good guys. The really unique aspect of these films is the fact the spy is an expert skateboarder and has a large collection of body art, which you will never relate to James Bond or Jason Borurne. The film features enough over-the-top actions sequences to fill several film, and Vin Diesel appears to be having the time of his life. He smiles in almost every scene, and you can tell the smiles are genuine. In fact toward the end of the movie, just before a dangerous stunt, Xander says “I live for this (expletive)”. So, apparently, do many fans of this surprisingly enjoyable cheese fest. If you are looking for mindless entertainment where you can just sit back with your pop corn and forget your troubles, then “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” is your ticket to action film paradise.
(Rated PG-13) 2 1/2 spies (out of 4)
