Fluentiama
Perfect cast and a good story
Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
swilliky
The action spy sequel returned without its leading man as Xander Cage was reportedly killed. The NSA is under attack and Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) is a prime target as men from his old team are being murdered. He recruits a new member to the xXx program, Darius Stone (Ice Cube), a marine lieutenant from Gibbons old team that was imprisoned. After arranging an escape, Gibbons informs Stone of the new scheme. Stone uses his training and ability at extreme transportation to steal information and elude the authorities. Agent Kyle Steel (Scott Speedman) is on his tale as Stone finds himself quickly on the wrong side of the law and questioning of authority. A plot is revealed that the Secretary of Defense George Deckert (Willem Dafoe) is eliminated the team members and changing the direction of the country. These movies are never about the plot but State of the Union spends a significant amount of time on the political intrigue and Ice Cube's espionage. Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com
Leofwine_draca
I wasn't the world's biggest fan of the original xXx, mainly because I can't stand Vin Diesel, the biggest plank of wood to grace a modern cinema screen. When I heard he wouldn't be returning for this sequel, I was overjoyed; however, this film is much the same as the last one, and not in a good way. It's cheesy, preposterous and frequently unbelievable; if you don't mind these things you'll probably enjoy it. I know I did.Ice Cube is the miscast anti-hero of the film, and to be honest he's not a very interesting character; then again, his scripted lines are all cheesy. His only real outstanding scene is the bit where he breaks out of prison, where you get the feeling he's a real powerhouse. He kind of fades away after that. The rest of the film follows a pseudo James Bond-style plot, with lots of chases and stormings of buildings; there's a neat speedboat bit, some cool car chases and more. The flimsy plot involves a corrupt Secretary of Defence attempting to take over the White House with his own private army, and Willem Dafoe pops up, typecast once again as the sneering villain – but then he is good at it.This film's action pushes the boundaries of the low certificate, and there are some really brutal fight sequences with cracking sound effects – the kind you hear in a violent Jet Li flick. Samuel L. Jackson has always been good value for money, and he's given a slightly bigger role in this sequel, although he's still not in it much; still, he makes his character imposing and cool, as always. The ending, with the kidnapped president on the bullet train, is even cheesier than the ending of UNDER SIEGE 2! The CGI effects of the train and car make this look like a computer game, similar to weak moments in I, ROBOT. It's still fun, though; just disengage your brain, as, like TRANSPORTER 2, this is a modern Hollywood blockbuster that swaps integrity for excitement.
Hollywood_Yoda
True, it's nothing at all like the first installment starring Vin Diesel. However, viewed on its own, the film isn't at all that bad. It's actually a gritty political thriller about a deranged Secretary of Defense trying to become president of the United States through a coup d'état. Willem Dafoe plays the part of the Secretary of Defense mightily well. I have my thoughts and reservations about Ice Cube playing the new XXX. And Samuel L. Jackson as Gibbons was not his best role.Not the best political thriller around, and nowhere near the popularity of a Jerry Bruckheimer film, but if Plan 9 from Outer Space has a fan base, there's hope.
The Grand Master
The first xXx was very ordinary and far fetched with Vin Diesel. The sequel xXx 2: The Next Level is no better, in fact it is worse than the first movie. xXx 2 takes the series to a new level, that ends any chance of any further sequels. Despite the fact Vin Diesel (wisely) does not return, instead Ice Cube is the replacement lead. Though Vin Diesel has some charisma about him, Ice Cube is very unconvincing in the lead action role. He is better in supporting roles, and his character is repulsive and with an attitude problem. He spends the entire movie looking angry. Perhaps he was thinking what was he doing in this rubbish.Samuel L. Jackson and Willem Dafoe can't redeem this movie at all. Samuel L. Jackson seemed wasted in the first movie and although he gets more screen time in the sequel, he still appears to be useless. Willem Dafoe came across as an evil tyrant who is missing his trademark villainous laugh. It also looks as if they did this movie purely for the money.Although the first movie was meant to be nonsensical eye candy the doesn't bother with the story, the sequel was purely aimed for teenagers who get a thrill out of seeing stunts and explosions galore and to hell with the story and all logic.I was very glad when the movie ended, unfortunately that was a waste of 101 minutes. Looks like all hopes for a further franchise ended with this dud of a sequel. 1/10.
