xXx 2 - The Next Level

Not really good indeed, but if you let go (and the movie allows you to do this), you can have fun! Ice Cube took over from Vin Diesel (who decided not to participate here). The producers said, that "xxx" could be a series, where in every movie they'd make, someone else will be the lead! There were also rumours that if a third installment would be made, than a woman would play the main role. But unfortunately (or for some fortunately) the sequel didn't make enough money to justify another movie!

But back to this movie: I did rate this higher than the previous movie, because the action here is much better staged (imho). And that's all to it. It's not actually a better story (there is none as there was none in the first movie), it's just a ... no brainer! (and for some even a little bit of a guilty pleasure ... ;o)

XXX: State Of The Union was a great action movie. I do not think it was as good as the first but still, very good. This movie was full of awesome action sequences. Some would say implausible but what action movie is realistic? I also kind of got the vibe that the producers of this movie were a bit mad at Vin Diesel but all that could be just part of the storyline, which I like. I guess the XXX will always be someone new, even more the opposite of James Bond.

Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) seems to be the main recurring character. We learn a little bit about his past, his scarred face in particular. He chooses an old military acquaintance named Darius Stone (Ice Cube) as the new, badder and meaner XXX. This time, they have to stop an evil Secretary of Defense, Gen. George Octavius Deckert (Willem Dafoe) from having all those in the chain of command above him assassinated. As Stone says, "the cleanest revolution in history". I kept expecting The Green Goblin to emerge somewhere. I guess there is a similarity between his two characters.

XXX boasts some of the greatest action scenes I have had the pleasure of seeing. The tank fight on the aircraft carrier was simply awesome. Sure, I understand this probably could not and will not ever come close to happening, but it is still fun to watch. No one in their right mind could argue that.

I knew well ahead of time that many, many people would put this movie down, much of them without even seeing it. While I do think that it does not have the same rebellious feel as the first XXX, it was a great movie in it's own right. Highly recommended if you liked the first one. If you did not, then why are you bothering?

Action without brains is actually a genre i have nothing against. As long as the action sequences are well made that is. "xXx: State of the Union" is a fair try in the genre but ultimately falls short.

The plot is as ridiculous as in the first movie. The NSA-agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) is once again looking in weird places trying to find a new agent that can break the rules and succeed. This time he finds Darius Stone (Ice Cube) in a military prison. Stone is an ex Navy Seal who will help Gibbons fight off a rogue part of the US Military trying to dispose of the president.

Seriously, no one watches these movies for the plot anyway. So that the plot is ridiculous and cheesy is beside the point. No one watches this for the acting either. So that Ice Cube is not as much an actor as a walking scowl is ALSO beside the point. He does about as good a job as Vin Diesel did anyway. What is NOT beside the point though is the fact that "xXx: State of the Union" employs the same method of action filming as many other Hollywood-movies of late. You know the method: "move the camera exceptionally close and shake it like if the camera-man was a spastic". I know that this is to hide the fact that Ice Cube doesn't know how to fight. Still it's incredibly irritating! Also the lack of logic is too evident at times. Like Ice Cube driving a sports car 360km/h on a train track with his tires torn off... Seriously.

Otherwise this had some potential. The technical quality is great, the movie looks really expensive. It has a lot of fun gadgets and crappy one-liners. And the speed of this movie is absolutely insane. Right from the beginning Lee Tamahori steps on it without ever looking back. So even though i can't say i really enjoyed this movie it was never boring, there is always something happening on screen. But the flaws in mostly the action department as well as the complete lack of logic disturbs the experience. It's still a lot better than the first movie though. I found the first one to be complete garbage, while this is still at least somewhat entertaining at times.

So in the end i think this "James Bond on steroids" will probably attract a lot of 15-yearolds that like when things keep moving and lights keep flashing. People who like to see a plot and at least some traces of logic might want to stay away though. It could have been the brainless action movie of the year, but it desperately needs some better action-directing for that. I rate it 3/10.

From the creators of "Die Another Day"! XXX: The Next Level as released on the Philippines.

Having said that, it wouldn't be a surprise that this movie was just one action scene after another. Although a lot of negative feedbacks are here about the plot and the characters this movie is sure to satisfy the typical action movie fanatic. True to the reputation of that aforementioned James Bond movie there never was a dull moment in the movie. The pace and the tension of this movie just keeps the story flowing with slight stops to help you catch your breath and ingest the movie if aren't trashing it already.

I admit that upon seeing Ice Cube as the one to play the role of the new Triple X I was skeptical about his capabilities. Having the typical role of a bad-ass, the attitude and situations really suit him. I wasn't totally disappointed. However, it was sort of a plot hole for them to consider Xander Cage as being less of a character than Darius Stone. I actually didn't like that idea. I'm still confused whether their mention of the previous Triple X being killed as a cover up or a fact. Hey, this is a gov't agency! One can never assume.

As usual for most action movies this is another marketing scheme for brand products from Ice Cube's backpack to his gadgets and, of course, the hot cars, which I admit are the top of the line.

If you're just another movie fanatic after a good rush this movie is for you - bang for your buck. But for the discriminating movie fan this will hardly satisfy you. I actually liked this movie regardless of the whole lame plot. Hey, you can't please everyone!

Saw a screening of it today,...and probably wished I didn't agree to watch it,.. Anyways, I don't even know where to begin so here goes: Plot/action: The usual cliché plot line that involves government agency coverups, bad blood, and conspiracies to kill the President. I thought the first 'XXX' was OK, but the plot of 'XXX2' is so unoriginal and narrow-minded it makes the first one seem like an epic. The action and stunts aren't even imaginative,.. seems like even money can't buy a good movie because even the fight scenes are uninspiring,..kind of reminds me of Steven Seagal movies where you're even hoping that the main character gets his ass kicked Characters: Ice Cube playing his usual badass self, although the release of this movie is in such close proximity to 'are we there yet?' that it almost seems like him and Vin Diesel (The Pacifier) have teamed up secretly to harm America with such bad movies. Overall, I think that Ice Cube's character lacks the edge of Vin Diesel in the first installment. The other characters in this movie including the main badguy (Willem Dafoe) are cardboard thin leading you to wonder as the movie goes along if the plot development will be just as bad.

Overall Entertainment Value: 4/10,..I feel that the movie would have been better if they eased up on the whole government agency conspiracy aspect and focused more on stunts, which made the first one much more easy to watch