3 Out of 5 Stars
With the Fast and Furious series coming to an end in just two more installments, Vin Diesel has taken a page from his own playbook to bring back a franchise we never even knew we ever wanted to see a sequel to. With XXX: Return of Xander Cage Diesel brings back the extreme sports star turned super spy, to give us the film the first one probably should have been and what will hopefully be the template going forward.

The film has Xander Cage brought back after the death of Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) to track down a prototype device known as ‘Pandora’s Box’. The Swiss Army like contraption not only allows the user to crash satellites into the earth, but also hack any computer and compromise any network known to man. After the device is stolen in a pretty breathtaking action set piece at the beginning of the film, Xander is joins back up with the CIA to track down the crew that stole it. He does so by recruiting his own team of misfits into the XXX program, to find the group led by the charismatic Xiang (Donnie Yen) before they can use the device or sell it to the highest bidder.



At the core the film refuses to take itself seriously, which was a smart move by D. J. Caruso. While at times bordering on self-parody with its magic water skiing motorcycles and Diesel’s rapid-fire one-liners, the film takes what worked from the previous film combining it with the DNA of the Fast and Furious making a hybrid that feels like a fun homage to 80s action cinema. Heavily influenced in particular by Fast and Furious (2009), XXX3 takes the immediate focus away from Diesel going for more of a diverse ensemble piece, where we take stock of the previous films and events retroactively crafting a cinematic universe around them. Diesel has also smartly surround himself with some of the best action film stars the world has to offer while also bumping up the girl power contingent of his posse.

While the story has a surprising depth it’s Donnie Yen who we last saw in Rogue One, and his group of badasses that made the film for me. I was honestly a bit hesitant when I heard he was cast in the film, for fear that Diesel would possibly be afraid of being eclipsed by the legendary martial artist. But Yen here is on full display and at his best as he turns in some tremendous fight sequences that probably cost the budget of one of his Hong Kong films. The action is big as it gets and at times a big goofy, but it’s A LOT of fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way.


So if you’re looking for a reprieve from your facebook and twitter feed XXX: Return of Xander Cage could be just the film you’re looking for. Vin Diesel has jump-started the stalled franchise, which could be the greatest thing to happen to XXX: State of the Union. It’s a film that is not afraid to be exactly what the fans want with Vin Diesel laughing right along with the audience. It’s a proven formula that no doubt means this isn’t the last time we have seen Xander Cage, I just hope the whole crew comes back for the next mission.