XXX:
15th Anniversary Edition
(2002/Sony Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B Extras: B Film: C+
It's
hard to believe that XXX
(2002) is fifteen years old but low and behold here we are with the
15th Anniversary Blu-ray release of the film in the wake of its
second sequel XXX:
The Return of Xander Cage
(2017) hitting theaters. Released shortly after the success of the
first Fast
and Furious
film and his dark turn as Riddick in David Twony's Pitch
Black,
this is the film that secured Diesel's place as a big time action
star. 15 years later, Diesel doesn't look much different and
ironically is just about at the same level on the Hollywood ladder
now that he was back then.
Directed
by the first Fast
and the Furious
helmer Rob Cohen, who later went on to destroy Universal's Mummy
franchise with The
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,
XXX
is a big, dumb, and loud popcorn action film that takes the secret
agent formula (ripping many elements off the James Bond formula) and
mixes it with the X Games thrill seeking style. However, the biggest
draw to the film for me has always been Asia Argento (daughter of
horror film god Dario Argento) - who simply lights up the screen in
every scene she is in and really has never looked better than she
does here, though I do enjoy her turn in George Romero's Land
of the Dead.
This is also a fun character for Samuel L. Jackson to play, a half
scarred NSA solder who isn't too much different than his character in
Marvel's Avengers
films, but has good chemistry with Diesel in the scenes they are in
together. XXX
also stars Marton Csokas and Michael Roof.
Xander
Cage (Diesel) is untouchable and a man that truly shows no fear when
it comes to thrill seeking. When he gets recruited by Augustus
Gibbons (Jackson), a no-nonsense NSA agent, he is hired to infiltrate
a Russian gang where he meets Yelena (Argento) and quickly blends in
with the rest of the rag-tag group. Soon, his cover gets blown and
he finds himself the only man who can save the word from a harsh
biochemical threat.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and
a fantastic sounding English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1
track, this new remastered version of the film has a better look and
mix than the previous Blu-ray disc release. It's always nice to have
a disc with lots of explosions on to show off the home entertainment
system and this release is sure to fall under that category. A
digital UV copy is also included.
Special
Features...
"Origins
of A Renegade" Featurette (New feature)
+
Archival special features (from the previous release) include:
Deleted
Scenes
10
Featurettes
Audio
Commentary
Multiple
Music Videos
A
film that's a little dated nowadays but still entertaining, XXX looks
much better in this new release and will be a disc that fans
shouldn't overlook. For more on the first sequel, XXX:
State Of The Union,
go to this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7402/Sony+Action+Series+Wave:+Half+Past+Dead/Maxi
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
