xXx2

Watching this film is like being with your current beau and yet constantly reminded of your ex. We all know that Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is not the xXx in this show, and he's being replaced by Darius Stone (Ice Cube). Heck, I think the producers make the mistake of killing Xander Cage - mentioned in the movie as being killed in action in Bora Bora, Afghanistan, because in my opinion his character makes an excellent action hero.

That's reminiscence number one - being reminded of what could have been if the charismatic Vin Diesel continued for this film. Throughout the film, we see some similarities with Xanda or scenes from the original xXx. Like a scene in a diner with Gibbons (good ol mo-fo Samuel L Jackson, who's given more screen time this time around), a sea-craft ride down a river, wisecracks on the moniker xXx ("I sound like a porn star"), the reluctance of being drawn into the game of cloak and daggers, and (mis)quoting one of my favourite lines in the original - "The things I would do for my country"!

But while Xander Cage's an extreme sportsperson, Darius Stone is more "in your face", given his military background in covert ops, with a penchant for some fries and a shake. The original film's delivery is more subtle, more elegant, while this one's more direct and in a way, nothing different from another action flick.

The action is standard Hollywood-blow-em-up fest, right from the beginning and never lets up throughout the film. Everything's bigger (M1 Abrams Tank, Aircraft Carrier, Choppers), noisier (guns and explosions everywhere) and faster (modified cars and humongous wheels). No doubt the movie looks good given that the action pieces looks expensive, and effects well done by Industrial Light and Magic.

Did I mention the girls? We get 2 in this one, but their roles are merely decorative, unlike Asia Argento's meatier and eye-"candier" chick role in xXx1. And the villains are your good old one-dimensional foes who tend to lapse into monologues, and I feel that Willem Dafoe is a bit underutilized.

My only gripe with this film is that xXx has to rely on his boyz n the hood - it's actually quite hilarious to see street gangs take on military might, "carjacking" a tank and actually winning. Not too credible, but hey, it's only a movie.

Did you know this film is called "xXx: State of the Union" in the US (referring to the President's State of the Union Address, which forms the finale), but I guess for those outside who don't care less about US politics, we're pretty ok with the dumbed-down title of "xXx2: The Next Level" - makes it sound like some arcade game.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride, and if this is proven as popular as the original, we might see xXx3 (given the setting up of a sequel at the end), and the possibility of seeing a new face as the new xXx. Now if the producers just stop killing them, I'd think it's pretty cool to see a couple of xXxs teaming up. Ooh... the potential for more mayhem!

"Wars come and go, but my soldiers are eternal" - 2Pac