If there's one thing that DJ Caruso's xXx: Return of Xander Cage does extremely well, it is consistency.
Absurd and ridiculous
The movie opens with Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) animatedly attempting to recruit football superstar Neymar into the xXx program, the secret society of world-saving talented misfits he founded with Xander Cage (Vin Diesel).
Gibbons eagerly tells the athlete of the history of the xXx program, before being rejected – Neymar just isn't hero material. On his way out of the restaurant, the establishment gets held up, and Neymar, out of instinct, kicks a napkin box onto the perpetrator's head and saves the day. He's definitely a hero. Before things go too happy, a satellite falls off the sky and kills everybody. (WATCH: Vin Diesel's return, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez in 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage' trailer)
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It's absurd, ridiculous, adamantly outrageous, and the movie maintains that giddy and brazen tone throughout.
xXx: Return of Xander Cageis a movie that is hard to take seriously, which isn't exactly a bad thing.
It starts quickly and relentlessly propels its story of a bunch of daredevils trying to recover a troublemaking device called Pandora's Box. The story is told through quickly and sometimes haphazardly edited action sequences that stretch the laws of both physics and logic to the extreme. It helps that the movie recruits a lot of humor, doing away with common sense and good taste with cocky jokes that complement the movie's unabashed machismo.
Everyone's a ham
Diesel's a peculiar action star. He looks the part, with the hefty build and unique baritone that are reminiscent of Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Lundgren, and other action heroes from the latter part of the 20th century.
However, Diesel's also a capable thespian, having started his movie career with films like Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998), Brad Bird's The Iron Giant (1999) and Ben Younger's Boiler Room (1999). The action franchises he heads, from The Chronicles of Riddickto The Fast and the Furious, are all reliant on a brooding attitude, on his capability to put on a façade of utmost gravity, and to build a certain mystique and danger to the characters he plays.
In xXx: Return of Xander Cage, director Caruso maximizes Diesel's range, turning him into a firecracker, a know-it-all extrovert with the capacity to both annoy and astound. It all works within the atmosphere of cheeky silliness that the movie thrives on.
Here, everyone's a ham. Toni Collette, who plays the domineering bureaucrat who heads Xander's operations, offers a delightfully contrived performance. Donnie Yen, Kris Wu, Tony Jaa, Ruby Rose, Deepika Padukone, all of whom comprise Xander's racially diverse crew, have their respective roles to play in furtherance of the movie's effort to provide something for everyone.
There are daring stunts for the adrenaline junkies, a bit of shallow romance for those who like their action movies with a sliver of sexy flirtation, and a whole lot of gunfights, explosions, and motorcycle chases.
Senseless fun
The movie's a mishmash of mindless thrills and fake spectacles.
It's a defiant mess of attempts to sustain disbelief, shock, and awe. It's also reasonably entertaining. xXx: Return of Xander Cagedefinitely won't stick, even for a minute right after credits roll, but while you're there, it can be a lot of consistently senseless fun. – Rappler.com
Francis Joseph Cruz litigates for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino movie he saw in the theaters was Carlo J. Caparas' 'Tirad Pass.' Since then, he's been on a mission to find better memories with Philippine cinema.