On X List of Movie Reviews
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XXX (2002)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
3/03, 12/03, 1/05, 3/07, 2/10
3/07:
With many films in store, the James Bond franchise had established itself as the standard of the spy genre.
Evidently, the longer it went on, the more tired I was of the character, no matter who the actor was.
For a while, it seemed the genre was beaten like a dead horse, save for a few film with plenty of success.
Finally, a new surge of adrenaline comes forward: throw out the old, bring in the new. Exit James Bond, enter Xander Cage.
Welcome to the Xander Zone. XXX is an explosively awesome picture with exciting stunt performances,
realistic European feel, wonderful cinematography, fun characters, slick direction, and flawless CGI.
It's a combination of Point Break, James Bond, and
Die Hard.
Xander Cage is a radical dude with tons of good-looking tattoos who can surf, parachute, rock climb, snowboard, motorcycle,
drive, and blend into the underground culture seamlessly well. It doesn't get any better when Vin Diesel steps in to play him.
The concept is innovative, not to forget how fantastic the stunt actions are.
All in all, XXX is the most exciting action-adventure picture to come out in a long time.
2/10:
XXX is a positively thrilling action-adventure picture that enters new territory for spy films which is a mix of
extreme sports, 21st century hard-knocks attitude, and Playstation mentality.
What a refreshing change it is to go from the typical James Bond crap to the heavy-metal European subculture.
Xander Cage performs insanely awesome stunts with snowboards, cars, and motorcycles and blends in
well with surly tough guys because he projects the look along with his beefy physique clad with colorful,
well-designed tattoos which explains why James Bond stood out too much like a sore thumb.
There are several outstanding scenes: the shiny red corvette going over the bridge, the motorcycle flying in the air in
Colombia, and Yorgi's assassination attempt of Xander Cage. I also love it when the star declared: "You're in the
Xander Zone." Once again, the stunts are unbelievable and exciting. I didn't think it was possible that a thrilling
action-adventure film would come out in the last ten years or so due to poor acting, the overreliance of CGI, and many terrible
attempts in achieving naturalism. But what I saw in XXX has proven me wrong.
The reason why I'm changing my rating from '9' to '7' is Asia Argento. She throws the film off by failing to match the
role or, rather, the subculture. Additionally, the last fifteen minutes of chasing the missile-filled submarine is
boring. I wish the writers would think of something else more entertaining. It's also a mistake to
end Yorgi (who's well-played by Marton Csokas) prematurely by giving him an easy death.
All in all, XXX is a super fun flick that reinvents the wheel for the spy genre.