xXx (2002)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It was one time watch kind of movie. But it was worth the watch. Not too good but not bad either. The stunts could have been better. Its typical Vin Diesel movie with cars, bikes and action. But i can say the year it was made, with the animation and graphics available that year, the movie was well made considering that. The story was not that good. That was one the main bad thing about the movie.

Wouldn't be the first XXX movie I've seen, but it is for this series.I may never have seen a single entry in this series if not for the How Did This Get Made? podcast. They recently covered part 3x3, so I figured I'd begin at the intro.Was this a bad movie? By all means, no. Just, it was too…DAMN…LONG. Yes, it came out in 2002 but it was sooo 1990s. If you like this sort of no- brainer, Bond-rip-off sort of action flick – like I do, then this is the movie for you.Not a cliché passes as our "anti-hero" Xander Cage is recruited to take down the stereotypical end-times terrorists. Along the way, he's tested several times to pad the movie's running time and prove he's got the heart to save the good guys and preserve mankind.Already stated, it's worth seeing if you love the blow'em up 90s action films. I just wish it wasn't so long. I haven't seen the follow-ups yet and will, thanks HDTGM, but hopefully they're merciful with the screen- time.***Final thoughts: Why wasn't this a spin off of the Fast/Furious series? It was practically the same character for Vin Diesel. It's not like he's pitching black for this audience.

If any future filmmakers are looking for inspiration in the guilty- pleasure high octane action genre, xXx is exactly the film to look into. What's not to like about it? Heck, even the horribly awful things are entertaining.Back when Vin Diesel decided not to come back to the Fast & Furious franchise, he chose to join F&F 1 director Rob Cohen in taking on another ridiculous action extravaganza, xXx. Now, the Fast & Furious franchise has figured out the right balance of lighthearted humor, bada** action sequences, and developed characters who we actually care about. xXx certainly has fun action, but that's about it. The humor is there, but in no way do I believe it's intentionally funny. And the characters are pretty awful. Or, at least the dialogue coming out of their mouths is awful.But does a film like this really need to have great dialogue? I guess not. Especially when it contains countless one-liners that do nothing but put a smile on my face from ear to ear. Essentially, this is just another Fast & Furious movie. Fast cars, explosions, women in scantily clad attire, incoherent plots, over-the-top villains, and catchy music. All are staples of the franchise, and Xander Cage's first film outing is no different. The supporting characters are fittingly absurd and bizarre, led by a prototypical performance from Samuel L. Jackson & an equally clichéd turn from Marton Csokas. I think the bottom line is, this movie is so far-fetched and insane that it works as one of the best mindless action adventures of the last decade. No one would believe a guy like Xander Cage would be recruited as an undercover agent in any sort of organization, but that's not really the point. xXx sets out to entertain, and that it does.+One-liners+Full-throttle action+Over-the-top-Really, really awful dialogue-Cliched -Does anyone actually care about these characters?6.4/10

"xXx" is an entertaining spy/action film because it puts a nice twist to the genre by including an outcast as a main character & featuring some impressive stunts. It does rehash most of the old ideas known in the genre + the general promise is a bit silly, but it doesn't really distract from the overall enjoyment level.The cast is generally good, the highlight for me being Marton Csokas as Yorgi. He really puts on a good, psychotic villain performance. The rest of the film; editing, cinematography, (no shaky cam in the action scenes!)score, action/stunts,... were well put together.Good popcorn fun!