xXx - welcome to the Xander Zone (xXx (DVD))

Member Name: will r seymour

Product:	xXx (DVD)
Date:	21/04/03 (661 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great stunts, vin diesel - good, weapons and gadgets heaven

Disadvantages: corny, predictable

xXx - The Movie

Every Saturday night it's a tradition in my house to get pizza and a movie and so yesterday I went to Blockbuster Video and got xXx on DVD (and pizza), as I heard that it was quite a good movie. In some ways I was disappointed, and in others I was pleased. Although this is probably "corny film of the year" it provides some pleasure, for those who seek happiness in rebellious spy films anyway. Anyway let's move onto the film shall we.

~ The story Line ~

xXx begins with Vin Diesel playing Xander "xXx" Cage, who up until now been deemed untouchable by the law. . (He's known throughout America and various other countries for doing ludicrous stunts for pleasure and recording them and then selling the tapes to anyone who wants them - which is quite a lot).

Anyway xXx decides to steal Senator "Dick Hotchkiss's" sports car and then do an elaborate stunt involving a very tall bridge, a ramp, a video camera, the fast car and a parachute, which ends with xXx quoting to the video camera "Don't be a dick - Dick" - kinda funny, kinda corny. But then the Police seize hands on xXx and dump him in prison, wiping the smirk off xXx's face.

Meanwhile the NSA (National Security Agency) are having trouble of their own, as another secret agent has been killed. But Augustus Gibbons (Samuel. L. Jackson) who works for the NSA steps up betting a prison convict will succeed where other conventional spies have failed.

And so of course, xXx is one of many convicts picked for a number of tests to see which one of them should become a secret agent. xXx uses all his craziness to complete the tests and he graduates to the top of his class, being enlisted for the job of a secret agent. He?s resentful at first but then when he realises that he won?t have to go to prison afterwards he accepts.

He is then given an array of weapons, which look seriously cool
and of course a GTO
Pontiac Muscle spy car (which is modified just slightly by the arsenal of weapons covering the inside of the car including, computerized dials, GPS, information centers, ejector seats, a detachable roof, rocket launchers, buttons everywhere, a manual the size of a bible and a machine gun mounted on the back seat, in the end you'll think that it's a cockpit of a Jumbo Jet instead of a 1967 GTO car.

Anyway he's flown of to Prague where his mission is to gain information on a young, powerful and rebellious gang named "Anarchy 99". He gains all the info but Gibbons tricks him into becoming good friends with the leader of anarchy 99 "Yorgi" (Marton Csokas). And also befriends a woman called "Yelena" (Asia Argento). It is then that xXx finds out what Yorgi is up to - producing a submarine named AHAB which is equipped with lethal nerve gasses - Silent Night which Yorgi is intending to destroy the world with. This may just be me, but does that sound a little farfetched - YES!

And then xXx learns that Yelena is actually a Russian spy who was forgotten by her own Government and left to live her life with Yorgi, which kind of baffles him.

It is then up to xXx and Yelena to thwart Yorgi's plan and save the world from destruction.

And guess what, they manage it, using his athletic prowess and a whole lot of attitude, that is.

You then see the final scene with xXx and Yelena on holiday in the Caribbean and then xXx's cell phone chirping up with Gibbon's voice saying "xXx we've got a new assignment for you, - a typical spy movie ending.

~ The actors and actress ~

Vin Diesel (Fast and the Furious) acts the role as bad man xXx magnificently and is probably the only actor for a role like his - he fits right in and acts his best. He tried hard and had weeks of training to look his best when riding motorbikes, snowboarding down the sid
e of a mountain and rock-climbing a cliff. He only ever had stunt doubles while doing very dangerous things like pulling a superman seat grab while shooting drug dealers single handed on a motorbike while driving straight through an explosion in the air and things like that. So you can imagine the work he must of put into the film.


Asia Argento "Yelena" (The phantom Of The Opera) acted quite well given the type of character she had to play, and although she wasn't brilliant, she tried hard and she too had to do a bit of training which she pulled off quite well. She could have been a bit more dramatic at some times and she looked as if she were speaking to a - I don't know, something boring. Her dancing could have been better as well.

Marton Csokas "Yorgi" (Lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring) acted very well and displayed his dark and maniacal underside brilliantly although like Asia Argento could have been a bit more dramatic.

~ Music ~

One thing that seemed more than anything to be fluent was the soundtrack. Consisting of Thrash/Goth rock, it played through perfectly, forever switching to fit the action of the scene. The opening couldn't have been harder or louder - it was brilliant, the action took place during a small gig where those fire obsessed German nutters, Rammstein were playing (Although they are nutters they still do really good music).
The movie music consists of 10 great songs and 10 great artists each one with their own action packed songs and the main theme tune "Adrenaline" by Gavin Rossdale fits the movie well.

~ Locations and Scenes ~

Most of the movie is set in the Beautiful, romantic, outer suburbs of Prague where there are big palaces and small bars and stone carved artwork, which contrast together and fill the streets with architecture, and artwork. The makers of the film had trouble as they didn't want to harm the surroundi
ngs and so they used special explosives and guns that didn't harm the area.
Some of the filming though was set in L.A such as the bridge stunt and one of the tests that xXx had to do to become an agent, which was set in a Columbian drug farm that was actually built for all the stunts place that take place there - it's amazing.

Their were also a lot of scenes set in lots of wonderful places such as the alps where xXx is snowboarding faster than an avalanche and the special effects of the avalanche are amazing, and lots more scenes like that will blow you away just like this one.

~ The stunts ~

During the film you will experience some amazing vehicle stunts featuring a snowboarding sky dive where he does barrel rolls, corkscrew twists and back flips, but some stunts are used too much such as jumping 100ft into the air on a motorbike while shooting drug dealers and trying to squeeze through a deadly barbed fence. That's not to say it doesn't look cool - all the stunts in the film are fantastic.

~ Verdict ~

Good film, Very farfetched but some good acting, the weapons are a bit too high-tech but it gives the film an edge to it. Some lines were extremely corny but some were funny and will make you laugh. The Director, Rob Cohen did an okay job but it was hard to do mainly due to the fact that the script was terrible. The writer, Rick Wilkes didn't want this to be a Sci-Fi film but it was too futuristic for my liking - still a good watch if you like rock music, stunts, nice cars and gadgets. A sequel is underway and should be released ever late this year or early 2004.

This film is violent, contains drugs and has quite a lot of swearing and for a 12 it's a bit under rated. So be careful who you let watch it, oh and it's 123 minutes long. Infact if there was an extra second of violence put into the film it would be a 15.

By
will r seymour

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