XXX: Return of Xander Cage Review


After 15 years, Xander Cage is back for more XXX action. The last time we see Cage, he is relaxing with Yalana in Bora Bora.  Now, he is in Brazil, still up to his old tricks and trying hard not to be XXX, but that life is about to be short-lived.  Halfway around the world, a satellite falls out orbit and crashes into the building where Gibbons is currently recruiting his next XXX killing him.  Joan Marke (Toni Collette) and the rest of the CIA top brass gather in a high-security facility, or so they thought, to discuss the device that caused the satellite to drop, called Pandora’s box.  That is until Xiang (Donnie Yen) and his crew crash the party.  Enter the return of Xander Cage.

Xander recruits his own team because he is not about to have a bunch of special forces team of soldiers watching his back just won’t cut it.  His team consists of Adele the sniper, Nicks the punk kid who can turn any gathering into a party with his wicked DJ skills; and Tennyson the guy who currently holds the record for most crashes, yes crashes, at 199.  It’s up to them to stop Xiang and his crew and recover Pandora’s box.  Enter the inevitable, but predictable twist.
If you are a fan of the original XXX and the 2005 XXX with Ice Cube, you already know what to expect. The story is easy to follow, the acting is somewhat terrible, but hey, this is XXX, not Shakespeare.  Lots of cheeky one-liners sprinkled with some comedy. There is a lot, and I mean A LOT of over the top action sequences, including downhill skiing through a rainforest on less than one millionth of an inch of water, skateboarding off a bus, riding a dirt bike on the water like it was a motor powered set of water skis, then diving underwater, coming back up and the bike still works! Yea, that type of over the top, but it worked. Either you are a fan or you are not. I’m a fan, and I knew what I was walking into when I sat in the seat.

Grade B

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