Why So Blu?

xXx: Return of Xander Cage (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

While I have been completely disgusted by what has been transpiring with the divided American public this year (rioting, violence, demonstrations, destruction, etc) since the Presidential Inauguration there’s no doubt about it, the women very much have the power in xXx: Return of Xander Cage.  Feminists and enemies of President Trump cannot argue that.  Without the many women players in this particular outing our titular hero would not have been the smashing success he is.  You hear that feminists? Equal opportunities are everywhere in this new Paramount outing, which if you’re keeping score is the third film in this wild xXx action franchise.  So now that I have my little political rant off my chest, as I too feel like a piece of meat at times, let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly in xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Film 

So here we are.  The year is 2017 and it has been quite a long time since the first xXx film in 2002.  Hell it has been quite a long stretch since the second outing starring Ice Cube in 2005, xXx: State of the Union.  Even better, whether you see it this way or not, Vin Diesel is back in the titular hero role, hence the title Return of Xander Cage.  This outing is directed by D.J. Caruso off a script written by F. Scott Frazier.  In addition to Diesel it stars Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Toni Collette and Samuel L. Jackson.  Now let’s chat about what all goes down.

This third outing is PG-13.  It feels great with the nonsensical violence and there’s one obligatory F-bomb, so I’ll roll with it.  It’s the action and the hot women that count anyway.  Oh wait!  I’m sorry.  That was not politically correct and very insensitive to say.  So here we are, the third explosive chapter of the blockbuster franchise.  I would say in addition to being a hardcore, testosterone driven film, the xXx pictures are very much spy thrillers too.   I guess it comes as no surprise that Vin Diesel’s character, Xander Cage, the extreme athlete turned government operative comes out of his self-imposed exile.  In other words he is not dead.  Alright let’s stop right here.  First off, this sequel has been in the works since 2006 so I’m not so sure how self-imposed this exile is.  LOL.  I kid!  Second, the way they reintroduce Xander is hilarious and I love it.  Move over Marty McFly.  We have a new infamous skateboarding scene in film.  Okay, I’m sorry for that small detour.  Let’s get back to summarizing things here.

So there’s this device called Pandora’s Box.  What is it you ask?  Well this box or device, which looks like a clamshell VHS case, has the ability to make satellites drop out of the sky and come crashing down to Earth.  Can you say BOOM?  Of course you can!  A satellite makes quite a carnage mess when it smashes down on our planet, at least in this movie they do.  Xander is recruited to retrieve said box from a deadly opponent known as Xiang (Yen), and I can’t believe how young he looks despite being in his 50’s.  However, before Xander agrees to go on this journey he wants his own entourage, not a bunch of generic Army mishaps.  So he assembles his small crew and they’re off to the Philippines.  Now since this is a xXx picture you just have to visualize with me how ridiculous and insane the action moments are throughout.  Yes, Cage eventually squares off with Xiang, but there’s more than meets the eyes here.  I mean it’s an action, spy thriller after all.  Let’s just say there’s a lot of double crossing and conspiracy going on here as Cage and his crew must rise to the challenge to the save the world for all of us, of course with a little help from the women in this one.

The women are what make this film a smashing success for me and the stunts are second.  Now I don’t say that to be sexist.  I say that because they are more than just eye candy here.  They are also deadly, dangerous and very bad-ass throughout.  And as I made mention of up above they are very much responsible for Cage’s success in his actions and moves within the story here.  Now let’s go to the extreme pacifist side and talk about my favorite leading lady here, Nina Dobrev.  I’ve always been a huge fan of her ever since I discovered her on Vampire Diaries.  She’s like the younger generation’s version of Alyssa Milano, at least to me she is.  She’s so cute, innocent and playful in here, but make no mistake she has her very devilish side too.  I wish we could have seen more of the latter in here, but I digress.  Her main purpose was to be Cage’s systems operative to keep him safe in the field, but she does a hell of a grand job when she has to go outside her comfort zone by the film’s wild end.  You’ll see what I mean, she’s an absolute doll in here.  I know because my fiancee laughs her ass off at all her onscreen cuteness.  Now let’s talk action.

Let’s be honest with ourselves.  The majority of you reading this are red hotblooded Americans and are here for the action.  Is it any good?  Well, it is a xXx outing so you can expect the action and stunts to be wild, zany, over-the-top and ridiculously insane (like motorcycles racing through the ocean insane).  Let’s just say it was enough to keep my attention throughout despite some really bad looking effects.  Some of them felt like they were filmed ten years ago when this sequel was first being discussed, but I digress.  For me it was all the female bad-ass moments, the skateboard tricks and like in Star Wars Rogue One, the mesmerizing fight choreography that only Donnie Yen can seamlessly pull off with convincing swiftness.  His fighting style is both fast and frenzy filled, but ultra effective in takedowns.  Once again it would have been awesome to see more battling moments between his character and Cage’s, but beggars can’t be choosers.  In the end I got exactly what I wanted out of xXx: Return of Xander Cage, an escape from reality and literally a mindless, popcorn action film.  What more do you want?  It’s not La La Land and it was theatrically released in the dreaded film month of January.  So just have fun with it!

Video 

The below video score and related critique of things here are based solely upon my viewing of Paramount’s 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of  xXx: Return of Xander Cage while comparing some notes in regards to its 1080p Blu-ray counterpart.

• Encoding: HEVC / H.265
• Resolution: 4K (2160p)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Clarity/Detail: Compared to the 1080p Blu-ray presentation the UHD one is a small uptick in detail.  It’s not night or day, but give me the UHD any time over the 1080p one.  I’m a detail whore!  The sharper the better in my opinion.  From increased facial complexions and stubble to incredible fine detail in all the sets you won’t be disappointed with what you see here with the exception of the following.  With increased detail you now make yourself susceptible to seeing all the little things that kill as I call them.  From horrible wig lines to some fake looking explosions and effects.  They are all clearly on display to see.  Nothing looks as bad though as when Diesel jumps from the plane near the film’s conclusion.  Oh my!  They could have fixed that up a tad better in my opinion, but I digress.  The image also suffers in part to the effects when sped up like racing through bodies of water on motorcycles.  Ha ha.
• Depth: Depth of field looks very healthy here thanks in part to the three-dimensional pop of the foreground characters.  Many fine examples of scenes come to mind, but two of my favorites take place within the constraints of the CIA boardroom and the vast sweeping streets set in the Dominican Republic.
• Black Levels: The black levels are deep and dark throughout here and perhaps the greatest use of HDR here makes itself prevalent in all the nighttime scenes.  They look beautiful and absolutely nothing is lost in the shadows.  Even Ruby Rose’s turquoise hair glimmers in the darkness.  Some memorable dark scenes include the rave in the jungle and talks in the church.
• Color Reproduction: Here’s where things are a bit weird, but it’s all okay.  For the most part the colors in this one are bold, bright and rich, but every now and then they do get murky and yellowish too.  However, there’s no denying how incredible the NYC skyline in the nighttime looked in the beginning with the contrast of all the lights.  Holy wow!
• Flesh Tones: The temperatures of the skin tones are all natural and authentic looking throughout.
• Noise/Artifacts: There’s absolutely nothing to complain about noise or ugly artifact wise. There’s some slight noise to be found within interior shots, but nothing at all to get your panties in a wedgie over.  This one is incredible to behold for the babe factor alone.  Ha ha.

Audio 

Like I mentioned up above in the video section, the below audio score and critical comments of such are based solely upon my viewing of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of  xXx: Return of Xander Cage.  However, rest assured that Paramount did not skimp in the audio department here.  Oh no!  Both the 4K UHD disc and the regular 1080p Blu-ray come armed with a Dolby Atmos surround track.

• Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD compatible), French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Audio Description
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
• Dynamics: xXx: Return of Xander Cage seems from the get-go it would be a no-brainer top notch audio presentation.  If you thought that going in, you thought right!  The score and soundtrack is both riveting and demanding and the surround track is aggressive, loud and in your face awesomeness.  In other words if you love it loud and rowdy, you’ll dig this potent dynamic mix.  However, if you listen closely you’ll also hear some lovely Spanish guitar and rhythms emulate from your left and right fronts.  It’s quite a mix, but best of all nothing gets lost in the shuffle of it all so you have to appreciate that too.  Dialogue is prominent, action is boisterous and effects and ambiance put you in the middle of it all.  What more can you ask for?  I know!  Perfection!  Well, read on you shall…
• Height: Everyone that has a glorious Atmos setup won’t be disappointed here either.  Moments like glass shattering with Donnie Yen jumping into it from overhead, airplanes and helicopters soaring above, soldiers repelling down, explosions, skateboarding and more prove this is an Atmos presentation worthy of your greatest home theater equipment.
• Low Frequency Extension: The LFE channel pounds throughout from moments like the boom of the killer soundtrack, rave scene and score, various pulsing effects, gunshots, crashes, explosions, satellites breaking apart, waves smashing down and so much more.  Need I go on?  You get the idea!  After all this IS a blockbuster action film!
• Surround Sound Presentation: The surround sound is just as stellar as the rest of the presentation with the deep immersion you feel from the score, gunplay, skiing through the jungle, the never ending insane action and so much more.  You’ll definitely be pulverized throughout and that’s nothing but a good thang!
• Dialogue Reproduction: For the most part the dialogue is loud, clear and intelligible.  Noticed I said for the most part?  I’m just checking to make sure you’re reading.  Ha ha.  No but seriously there is only one minor nitpick I want to make here in the middle of this perfect surround sound presentation.  About twenty minutes in there is a scene where Xander gets recruited and for some reason the dialogue sounds weird here, tinty and tiny I guess you can say.  Otherwise, the dialogue levels sound great.  Things that make you go hmm, huh?

Extras

The xXx: Return of Xander Cage 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Combo Packs are loaded with over an hour of action-packed special features, including in-depth  interviews with the all-star cast, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s incredible stunts, locations and much more.  The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack also features a redeemable code to watch the film digitally in both the iTunes HD and UltraViolet formats.  So without further ado let’s take a look at the supplemental features found on both the 4K ultra HD and 1080p Blu-ray discs.

• Third Time’s the Charm: Xander Returns (HD, 8:13) – This one is all about revisiting the character of Xander Cage.  In other words the filmmakers want you to buckle up and having fun.  In this extra we do learn that Ruby Rose growing up wanted to be Vin Diesel when she first saw xXx.  D.J. Caruso talks about how excited he was to bring back this character which he describes as a rebel who became a patriot.  They also talk about Xander’s team and how they realistically fit what his team would look like if they really existed.
• Rebels, Tyrants & Ghosts: The Cast (HD, 20:18) – If you’re reading this, then you already know this extra is all about this ensemble, fun cast.  Make no mistake about it’s a multi cultural global group.  The first team is there because of how many great times they had with Xander.  Everyone praises Vin Diesel for his passion in every aspect of making this movie and pride in the franchise.  They go into detail on each character in Xander’s crew.  Then we look at Xiang’s team (Donnie Yen’s).  Deepika rivals Diesel here as a female version of Xander.  Tony Jaa looks like a lot of fun.  He can even dance and do Michael Jackson steps.
• Opening Pandora’s Box: On Location (HD, 16:10) – This extra is all about the various sets, locations and preparations for the shoots.  It’s interesting to watch D.J. set and keep the pace while shooting in adversity to all the action that needed to be crammed within the constrained production days.  It was cool to learn how they heated the one stage for two months to keep palm trees alive.  Go figure and others are starving in the streets.  LOL.  I did love seeing the Dominican Republic up close and learning how they had to build their own roads to get into some of the locations.  It was also heart warming to listen to Vin talk about how he promised to bring a major film there ten years ago and so much more.
• I Live for This Sh#t!: Stunts (HD, 15:17) – This one is all about the action and stunts, duh!  The writer of the film talks about the ridiculousness of all the action sequences, but more importantly he’s excited that extreme sports athletes have all done these before.  This one covers the following action sequences in more detail as to how they were achieved: opening jungle skiing, taking out enemies with a motocross bike at the rave (motocross martial arts Vin Diesel dubs it), Ruby Rose climbing a tree, jumping through glass to steal Pandora’s Box, Donnie Yen’s smile and various fights and so much more.  This one also touches upon the choreography especially as it relates to that zero-G fight scene.
• Gag Reel (HD, 2:12) – They may only have one F-bomb in the actual film itself, but this one definitely makes up for it and pushes it into R-rated territory with all the actors flubbing their lines and cursing because of it.  If you ask me, this gag reel is pretty forgettable.

Summary 

Hailed as “a crazy, stunt-filled action spectacular” (our very dear friend Scott Mendelson of Forbes) and “a shot of pure adrenaline” (someone named Joey Nolfi at Entertainment Weekly), xXx: Return of Xander Cage x-plodes on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD May 16th from Paramount Home Media Distribution.  It’s non-stop stupid action that if you can shut your thinking brain off for a little bit, I truly believe you can have a lot of fun with this one on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.  From the bombastic Dolby Atmos surround presentation to the insane 4K visuals xXx: Return of Xander Cage may just leave you wanting more, at least of hotties like Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose.  After all, it’s the year of Ruby Rose.  Ha ha.  Enjoy!

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DISCLAIMER: This 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray review was judged and graded using the following 4K certified Ultra HD Premium television set found here and player here.  Make sure to check out all our 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray reviews archived here.

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Live Your Life To The Extreme 

With Vin Diesel and Mountain Dew in

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

May 16th

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