Review of xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) by Mrsouffle — 26 Jan 2017

XXx : the Fast & the Furious :: Crank : the Transporter.

I mean this in the best way. xXx's sensibilities are hilariously juvenile; it appears to stem from an idea of "cool" that wasn't particularly cool at its peak in the 90's. But it knowsxXx : the Fast & the Furious :: Crank : the Transporter.

I mean this in the best way.

XXx's sensibilities are hilariously juvenile; it appears to stem from an idea of "cool" that wasn't particularly cool at its peak in the 90's. But it knows that. It knows what it is. The script, the acting, it's all wooden and ridiculous, but in a way that's clearly intentional. The stunts are fun as hell; the plot is secondary and thin but it hits the right beats and provides a rail on which to affix all the ridiculousness.

I'm a big believer in taking a movie as seriously as it takes itself: if a film tries to be serious, I'll hold it to that standard – that's why the latest DC Comics movies lost me; their serious tone is not matched by any amount of serious (that is, able to be taken seriously) plot, acting, or dialogue. This movie, in contrast, clearly does not take itself seriously at all: it's clear that everybody involved is just trying to make something ridiculous. In that aim, they succeeded. So I loved this.