Eye Candy? Fun Ride? XXX- Return of Xander Cage #movie_review

Sometimes a movie is just an escape… I’m giving XXX a B+.
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Former extreme athlete Xander Cage was believed dead but when an unstoppable weapon begins targeting satellites and kills his former friend and handler, Gibbons, Xander must come out of retirement to save the world. 

​Vin Diesel returns as the over-the-top Xander who uses his special talents and sarcastic wit against another team of mercenaries out to get the Pandora’s Box for their own purpose. Only things aren’t what they seem as enemies become friends and everyone’s a target. 

​Donnie Yen (Fresh off Rogue One) as Xang is a kick-butt martial art bad guy who lives in a shade of gray world. Along with Deepika Padukone as Serena, the two are leaders of a group who can take out intelligence officers and military specialists in a blink of an eye. 

​Xander gathers his own band of friends, a sharpshooter, hip-hop music man and You Tube Car sensation as they finally realize that the bad guy might be someone on their own team.

​This movie is very typical of gun blazing, shoot-em up movies. The good guys aren’t entirely good but are very good on the eyes and good with the women. The bullets fly but never hit any of the good guys unless it’s needed for a reaction and just when you think the end is near, a surprise saves the day.

​XXX makes you laugh and cheer. You marvel at the action and stunts. Each movie has to be bigger and better. Riding a motorbike through the water or skiing down a dirt-strewn mountainside. Plays with words and nods to things we all know as the audience are fun to watch, such as a character thinking they were trying out for the Avengers- After all…Samuel L. Jackson is both Gibbons and Nick Fury. But cheesy lines and predictability are two reasons I knocked points off this movie. Then there’s the whole part of the movie which took place in Detroit, however, it wasn’t even filmed there. Bummer loss of realism for the hometown audience. 

​But if you are looking for a fun escape, hot girls and sexy guys with in your face action and stunts… XXX is the movie to while away an afternoon. Just some eye candy at the end of a tough week.