5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Xander Cage is left for dead after an incident, though he secretly returns to action for a new, tough assignment with his handler Augustus Gibbons.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby RoseAction | 100% |
Adventure | 63% |
Thriller | 16% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Xander Cage jumps off an antenna tower, flips off law enforcement on his way down, and skis through the jungle (yes, the jungle, as in "no snow") to safety. Yup, it's definitely a xXx movie. The first xXx proved that extreme sports athletes make great Action heroes. They're natural fits: they already have an endless supply of testosterone, plenty of raw ability, and no fear. While dirt bikes and skateboards might not equate to knowing how to shoot a gun or run covet ops in enemy territory, that foundational go-get-'em attitude already has them halfway home. But even just a decade-and-a-half later, Vin Diesel's xXx (and State of the Union's Ice Cube, for that matter), almost seem like fossils. Today it's all about svelte millennials and parkour, not macho guys with bulging muscles and huge tattoos. Enter xXx: Return of Xander Cage, a lean, action-packed hybrid in which Xander Cage is sort of like the (still young and buff) fatherly relic whose skills still rule the day but who recognizes the need for a little more youth, agility, and know-how in his quest to fight the bad guys du jour.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage makes for a rather fun 3D presentation. The movie offers everything in good working order, a harmonious balance of depth and quality of presentation that makes this, arguably, the best way to watch the movie between the three releases, which also includes the standard-issue 1080p 2D Blu-ray (included in this bundle) and the good- not-mind-blowing UHD. The movie makes a habit of offering a satisfying level of natural depth. Whether high up on a tower or racing down a freeway, the image shows plenty of back-into-screen depth that extends the play area by quite a bit and opens up the movie nicely. Distance never seems forced and even up-close the sense of space is obvious. Xander climbing that tower at the beginning is a good example, with the terrain stretching far back behind him and the tower's own little open construction also making for some interesting juxtapositions. Objects are shapely and even in fast-moving action scenes the image doesn't struggle to retain its spacing. Just as impressive, the image appears to lose very little, if any, detailing or color saturation under the 3D constraints. The palette is very lively through a fairly diverse set of lighting conditions, locations, and other circumstances. Details are sharp and pleasing. Black levels hold fairly deep, perhaps not quite as much as the 2D Blu-ray. Noise isn't a serious issue even in lower light. The only real blight on the 3D image is the amount of aliasing present throughout. It ranges from trace to fairly heavy on a few occasions.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage features a booming Dolby Atmos soundtrack. This is one of the best Action soundtracks on the market and, by extension, one of the best, period. It's full-throttle, a perfect compliment to the movie, a track that never relents or fails to deliver anything but the finest, fiercest, most aggressive examples of sonic excellence. Score is huge, playing with effortlessly large front-side width and fully saturating, but still balanced, surround structure. A satellite enters the atmosphere at the beginning, and the big, high-speed, rattling sensation pushes through the listening area with incredible efficiency and detail. Action scenes are terrific. Every scene is distinct, but every one shares the same basic qualities: intense music, aggressive punches and crashes, deep explosions, heavy popping gunfire, plenty of bullet zip, and a general din of action madness engulfing the entire soundstage. Gunfire is a great strength, offering very lifelike depth, punch, and movement. It emanates from every speaker and it's literally hard to fight off the urge to duck. Just don't return fire. The track's overhead component is a strength and the top end engages regularly as the situation demands. Shattering glass, roaring overhead helicopters, skateboards sweeping down the street, and huge crashing ocean waves (which offer truly monstrous bass in addition) are amongst the glorious top-layer highlights. The track's only flaw comes during a brief moment when Xander's dialogue seems to go a little scratchy and tinny around the 19-minute mark, but dialogue is otherwise perfect in placement, prioritization, and clarity. This is an epic soundtrack.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage contains four fairly in-depth featurettes and a gag reel, all on the included 1080p Blu-ray.
No unique 3D bonus
content is included. A voucher for a UV/iTunes
digital copy are
included with purchase.
Forget the plot. xXx: Return of Xander Cage works as a no-frills, comedy-laced Action flick that offers a nice balance between throwback and contemporary. It's hardly a great film in the traditional sense, but as a big, loud Action flick that just leaves a smile on the face, they don't come significantly better than this. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D offers very enjoyable 3D video, reference Atmos audio, and a decent array of bonus content. Recommended.
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