“The things I do for my country.” —Xander Cage
Today’s quick review: xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Xander Cage (Vin Diesel), an extreme sports junkie turned government agent, comes out of retirement when Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), his friend and mentor, is the target of a high-tech assassination attempt. To catch the culprit, Xander must track down Xiang (Donnie Yen), an operative with a similar set of skills, and recover Pandora’s Box, a device capable of taking control of any satellite.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage is an action movie and the third entry in the xXx series. The movie continues the saga of the xXx program, a top-secret NSA initiative to recruit special agents with unconventional backgrounds. Return of Xander Cage delivers over-the-top action with the series’ signature attitude, this time with an expanded cast of characters. However, the movie’s shaky plot and limited budget keep it from doing more with its setup.
Return of Xander Cage specializes in high-octane action with an extreme sports theme. The movie goes out of its way to give Xander hills to skate down, heights to jump off of, and motorcycles to ride, giving the stunts a unique flavor without deviating too far from bread-and-butter action. The movie also branches out into martial arts by bringing in Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa. The quantity and variety of action is enough to make the movie a fun time.
However, Return of Xander Cage suffers from the same flaws as the earlier movies in the series. For starters, Xander is not as slick as the movie makes him out to be. His rebellious lifestyle and extreme sports skills are pure wish fulfillment that the movie doesn’t even attempt to justify. The action itself has a few rough patches where the movie relies on cheap CGI to get the job done, and the plot is as flimsy as most popcorn action flicks.
But for all of its shortcomings, xXx: Return of Xander Cage has the potential to be a very fun watch for the right viewer. Anyone who enjoyed either of the last two xXx movies will get a kick out of the third, as will action fans who are willing to sit back and enjoy the ride. Fans who are looking for something more substantial, either in terms of story and character or in terms of polished action, may want to skip it.
For an action movie with the same attitude and more spy elements, try the original xXx. For another action movie sequel with a similar feel, try Mechanic: Resurrection. For a more polished, bigger-budget action series starring Vin Diesel, try the Fast & Furious movies. For popcorn action that operates on some of the same rules, try the Charlie’s Angels movies.
5.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for enjoyable action with some clear flaws.