Vin Diesel seems to be that guy who discovered the grass is not green at all on the other side. After leaving two successful films, in which he chose films that did not do well at the box office, only to return to the films he left, because well they did just fine without him. That decision has Diesel is doing very well, and he gets to play the same characters, which helps with what range he has. After what seems like the never ending “Fast and the Furious” series, it was time to try and revive another film franchise, and bring back Xander Cage from the dead.
Cage (Vin Diesel) didn’t really die, that was just code for not wanting to do the sequel. Well years heal all wounds, and Cage is back and is extreme as ever. The reason why he is needed is because some bad person wants to use a device that can turn a satellite into a weapon. The C.I.A. dusts off the XXX program, a program that gave criminals with three strikes the chance to be the hero. Well not only does Cage play the hero, he looks beyond cool doing it. This time out though Cage has individuals that are like him help out. The XXX crew makes it look easy, and retrieve the device, only to have the tables turned on them. Well all Cage came to do was drink Mountain Dew and kick ass, and he is all out of Mountain Dew, and being that “X” takes care of their own, this is one group you don’t want to mess with. In the end the crew shows you can look good while saving the world.
I think it is easy to know what to expect going into a movie like this. You are going to get a great deal of action and very little in the way of substance. The good news it doesn’t let you down on that front. While the action is on par with anything else you might see in a studio film, it does add some fun elements. I mean, whenever you can add motorcycles, that have skis on them so that they can travel on water, you do it. The action gets to the point where you can do nothing but smile as reality it thrown out the window. Where “The Return of Xander Cage” fails at is in it words. Written by F. Scott Frazier, whose name might invoke some confidence quickly kills that, with just some amazingly bad writing. The good thing is you don’t come to a Xander Cage movie to hear him speak; you come to see him kick some ass. Sure you are more often laughing at it, than with it, but laughing non the less. I feel like Diesel has found his groove, and I am all for him making more films like this. Xander Cage is back, and while he might be trapped in the late nineties, this movie is just bad enough to be fun.
