I don't want to go around starting any big Hollywood rumors, but I think Dwayne Johnson has been sharing some of his patented Franchise Viagra with his pal Vin Diesel. Six years after revamping the Fast and Furious franchise, Diesel has worked his macho voodoo magic again by successfully reviving the long-dormant xXx franchise with the absurdly fun Return of Xander Cage.
Anyone that follows the Fast and Furious franchise will be quick to notice that Diesel and co. have applied the same formula (globe-trotting setting, racially-diverse ensemble cast, self-aware tone, a complete detachment from reality) that has made that series the gold standard for over-the-top blockbuster entertainment to Return of Xander Cage. While it may sound like a lazy gimmick to try and emulate the massive success the Fast and Furious films have enjoyed of late, employing that approach prevents Return of Xander Cage from repeating the sins of the prior films in the xXx series. Both the 2002 original and the Ice Cube-led sequel State of the Union took themselves way too seriously and lacked the type of camaraderie between its central cast that's needed to make these type of ridiculous action movies work. Without dealing with the constraints of a straight-faced delivery and making the wise decision to surround the titular hero with a colorful, well-matched band of sparing partners (led by Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, Chinese pop sensation Kris Wu and martial arts legend Donnie Yen, whose flare for scenery-chewing is much better utilized here than it was in Rogue One), Return of Xander Cage is able to become the dopey grin-inducing exercise in action movie excess that this franchise should've been from the jump.
Return of Xander Cage also benefits from having a much-more skilled director in D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye) running the show. Unlike previous directors Rob Cohen and Lee Tamahori, Caruso boasts the precision to make the frantic action setpieces and cartoonish stunts work. He handles everything from standard fist fights to gun battles in a rapidly descending airplane with confidence and is talented enough to ensure that these scenes are fast-paced without ever becoming incomprehensible. Return of Xander Cage is pure escapism and given the sheer amount of dread that is engulfing the world at this moment in time, we need purely entertaining cinematic distractions like this more than ever.
4/5 Stars
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