xXx has taken an unlikely path towards franchisedom. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that the franchise ended up in a radically different location than planned.
The series started in a downswing period for the James Bond franchise, and it seemed like someone wondered, “What if we made an American James Bond and combined him with the X-Games?” and then boom: new franchise.
They even found the perfect lead: Vin Diesel, fresh off the first Fast and Furious film. The only problem was, much like the sequel to Fast and Furious, Diesel refused to make it over script issues that they would not change on his behalf. Again like the Fast franchise, the studio eventually came back to Diesel when they knew it was better off with him and gave him much power over what happens on screen.
As a result, we have an endlessly uneven but sincerely fascinating in-progress franchise centered around one of the handful of new Hollywood stars from the 21st century.
3. xXx: State of the Union [2005]
Much like 2 Fast 2 Furious, Vin Diesel dropped out of this sequel due to being unsatisfied with the script. Also much like that franchise, the studio was eventually forced to bring Diesel back later on when they realized it just did not work the same without him.
With that in mind, let’s get into it. State of the Union was a financial failure but that does not mean it was without merit. My interest primarily lied in how the franchise transitioned from Vin Diesel to Ice Cube. In fact, in a post MCU era, it was actually shocking to see that the filmmakers recognize that Ice Cube and Vin Diesel are in fact different people, and the lead role needed to be tailored to Ice Cube’s persona instead of just repeating Xander Cage character beats.
Darius Stone is all about himself. He will only help others begrudgingly and when forced to. That makes for a similar but clearly distinct arc for him to go through. If Vin Diesel was a rebel, Ice Cube is the left behind. He is the man that is abandoned by society and now sees no reason to hope something better is possible. It is a less cinematic character. It is closer to a DTV persona. And that is really all that this film is: an extremely large budget DTV feature. It’s solid and fun.
2. xXx [2002]
xXx, aka X-Games James Bond, is most interesting to look at as a star-vehicle exercise for Vin Diesel. It came in the crucial years where Hollywood was positioning him as a major draw with a variety of potential franchises with him at the center. You can see how Xander Cage was tailor-made for Diesel.
Xander is an outlaw and a man of the people who is against The Man. He is cynical and outright hostile towards institutions and the elite. He is all-purpose, jack-of-all-trades badass who can drive any vehicle and do combat with any opponent.
Beyond that, this first entry in the franchise is also fascinating for just how pre-Jason Bourne it is. Xander Cage is downright giddy and gleeful about the life he gets to lead. He almost serves as an accidental bridge between James Bond and Jason. While he has Bond’s joy de vive, he is much more of a reluctant agent of The State. Unlike Jason Bourne, he is not completely on the outside of the system but he is just trying to survive.
1. xXx: Return of Xander Cage [2017]
After a decade of lying dormant, xXx returned to the big screen with Vin Diesel seemingly in full control and cooking. The film is predominantly an exercise in showcasing Vin Diesel in his full star persona and fast tracking a new series of films loosely modeled on Fast & Furious. And despite some of the cynical elements involved with that kind of decision-making, the film is largely successful at those goals. Vin is a generational star, and the movie has just enough going to never be boring. And the general, “don’t trust the government” ethos of the series helps a great deal. More Xander Cage, please.
The Reel World 