5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
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 | 62% |
Thriller | 16% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: 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
4K Ultra HD
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.
Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage's 4K/2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation marks an incremental improvement over the excellent 1080p release. The movie was reportedly shot at 3.4K and finished at 2K, making this, presumably, an
upscale from that source. The image looks fine, very good, in fact, and offers razor-sharp details and deeply saturated colors. Neither one is expressly
improved by leaps and bounds over the Blu-ray, offering instead a very minor, but noticeable, improvement. In fact, it's in areas away from basic color
punch and detail that the UHD sees its most obvious improvements. Take warmer, lower-light shots. A good example comes at a sequence that begins
around the 47-minute mark. The UHD offers far better defined black levels and shadow details, a noticeable reduction in noise, and a more naturally
progressive sense of color transition between the shades of orange, red, and yellow that dominate the scene. In those other general areas, though, the
deeper saturation, firmer color foundations, and improved color depth and nuance improve most every scene. Details are finer, to a much lesser extent
than some of the more extreme examples so far found on the UHD format, but the uptick in skin texturing, environmental sharpness, and the like, is
appreciable. Still, the image isn't so much better that Blu-ray-only fans should lose any sleep over missing this one. It's a good UHD image,
just one that's far from the top of the class.
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 included on the 1080p Blu-ray disc. No unique 4K
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 UHD delivers good, upscaled 4K video; reference Atmos audio; and a decent array of bonus content. This isn't a monster upgrade from the Blu-ray, but the differences are enough that 4K fans may as well splurge on this version. Recommended.
2017
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