A group of conspirators plotted a coup d'etat. The situation can only be saved by Darrius Stone - a superagent who is selected by Augustus Gibbons on the Three X program.
Failed spy action filmed on the wave of success of the first part. The script is delusional, and the first film is not a model of drama. Worse, Ice Cube doesn't play the lead role at all. No comparison with Vin Diesel can not stand. Samuel L Jackson and Willem Dafoe do not save the situation, playing very hard. The other actors are even worse.
Director Lee Tamahori tried to fill the action with action, but it all looks too gabby. The explosions and stunts are very mediocre. Humor in the picture and did not sleep, and the apogee of idiocy looks the storming of Washington on pumped jeeps from the MTV program “Pumping Car”.
Despite the fact that the first film is far from outstanding, but against the background of the second part looks almost a masterpiece. So the picture naturally collapsed at the box office.
America is once again in danger, and this time the trouble came from nowhere: the blow to democracy came from within! A group of high-ranking conspirators in the White House stage a rebellion to seize power. The security services are powerless – the rebels defeated the National Security Agency.
Expectations were high, after the first amazing film with the sparkling Vin Diesel, I expected to see something similar with the same actor. But as soon as I started watching, my hopes dashed because of the plot and the changed lead actor. Ice Cube is a good actor, he plays cheerfully, sparkly with his soul, but absolutely did not approach the brutal and tough action movie. As far as the other actors are concerned, everyone played well. They did not shine, but they did not pull the picture down.
The storyline was noticeably weaker than the first film. The first film ball is template, but overall interesting with cool special effects and spectacular scenes. The second film is also template, the theme that the creators touched on could not pull the picture and alienated viewers who wanted to see a regular action movie rather than a political thriller.
The atmosphere has lost its charm, the special effects are ordinary, which is amazing because the film with a multi-million budget. Despite all these shortcomings, the film looks interesting, if you forget that this is a continuation of the Three X and consider it an independent film.
5 out of 10
If we recall the previous part, then there we see extreme, but extreme close to reality. Immediately too much implausible, which sometimes the picture cuts your eyes. For a video game, that’s fine, but for a movie, I’m sorry. Although, if we take into account the latest "Fast and Furious", it will turn out the same, only in the racing franchise it comes out cooler and more interesting, and better quality, what to hide.
According to the plot of Augustus Gibbons, played by Samuel L. Jackson, someone breaks into the secret headquarters of the NSA. He is forced to hide and resort to the help of a former associate of Darius Stone, who should become the new Three X, instead of Diesel's wine. The role of the new agent went to Ice Cube, it was unusual to see him in a serious role, but he was not bad. The plot is a bit reminiscent of "The First Avenger: Another War", where Jackson played Nick Fury, the head of the organization S.H.I.E.L.D., and there he collected Avengers.
Ice Cube made it clear that Three X is not only Xander Cage, but anyone who will be recruited. This is the case with Darius Stone. He's cool, he's brutal and he's not gonna throw words around. If he can help his country, he will. The actor is good in himself, but he did not save the film by doing so, because it is both in the plot and in the effects.
We were also pleased with the presence of Willem Defoe, who turned out to be an unambiguous hero. He is closer to the president than anyone else, only the president himself does not share his views with the hero Defoe. This is why conspiracy on a national scale begins. The acting of this man can be watched forever, because his talent can not be overlooked. And the appearance of Willem Defoe in any film, whether he is a bad character or a good one, still causes a pleasant smile.
In general, the film is for one time. There may not be enough for you, but it is better not to try.
A typical case where the sequel is worse than the original
The creators of the sequel went a very predictable way! All those moments in which the first film overdid, namely the unreasonably cool protagonist, violation of the laws of physics and logic, excessive luck, they elevated to the absolute, I am absolutely sure without suspecting that these are minuses. They were not in the truest sense of the word. In the first film, they were fun and did not interfere with the viewing. Here they interfere and while watching you wonder. Can he still fly without a parachute? Or lift a few tons? The film has gone downhill.
The story turned into outright mediocrity. Let the first film also did not shine, but still it traced interesting finds and director's moves. It's empty in this movie. The main character is completely one-sided and clichéd. Xander Cage from the first film was original and interesting in contrast to this African-American. Of all the characters, the main villain did not cause rejection, and the character of Samuel L. Jackson did not anger. And how many scenes in this film that fall under the genre of “fiction” is difficult to count. What is the cost of driving on the rails on the car.
Despite the absence of Vin Diesel, the film has a good cast. A couple of rappers lit up in particular the main character Ice Cube and Exzibit. I was very pleased with the presence of Willem Defoe, who is undoubtedly good here, both for himself and for the game. Well, at least the cast did not fail the creators and thank you for that.
As a result, the film turned out to be bad and does not compare with the first film. The film is stupid and clichéd, the main character is not interesting, the script is weak. Of the pluses, I would only note the presence of eminent actors. The creators elevated the unrealism of the first film just to the astronomical level and unfortunately this approach did not work.
5 out of 10
I want to say right away that if the movie wasn’t called xXx, or if Ice Cube hadn’t appeared in the trailer for the third part, I would never have watched it. Ice Cube and Xzibit starring – it’s more like a bad clip than a movie. After Vin Diesel, they certainly look cool - like an understated Lada Priora after a collectible Ferrari. About the live performance of “Rammstein” I even remember painfully, thank you for doing without rap concerts. Continuing the analogies, we can say about tuning, but it is more “The Fast and the Furious” than “The Fast and the Furious”; the costumes of special forces are similar to the films of the “G.I. Joe” series, but even against their background everything here is extremely mediocre.
Scott Speedman and Willem Dafoe are doing well, and I really feel for them as professional actors, and I hope the royalties have paid off. I agree that in the first part there were many conventions that departed from realism in favor of entertainment. That's just extreme sports - it's not gopniks interrupting numbers on stolen cars, and some fiction in the script - not a bunch of black bandits in tuned jeeps, stealing tanks and storming the White House against US special forces. I heard that there was a second version of the script about pirates... it’s a shame that they chose Washington.
Liberals might say I'm just racist and don't like black people, and I don't really love them, except it's one of the most racist and sexist movies I've ever seen. There are no good blacks, black heroes (the only white guy deserves a medal). Instead, there are Negroes who are defending the President of the United States only on the grounds that the new one will not allow them to interrupt the numbers on stolen cars, and for their help they demand ... the release of justly arrested migrants who were going to be expelled from the country. Sunny Mabri is beautiful, but she is not a woman. It is a deep cleavage that attracts eyes and a cute face that is used as a punching bag for “cool black guys.” In general, I think this film can only cause disgust!
3 out of 10
The first question, like most people who have seen this film, is of course related to the pseudonym of the new agent - "X", according to the plot, such a name suits the agent, it is sonorous, and there is already a tendency in the NSA to call undercover agents that. But in fact, for more viewers, and as a result, more money. After all, apart from the title and Samuel L. Jackson, from the first film there is absolutely nothing left. Well, a few references, such as the phrase “what for the sake of your country will not do”, and about the first X a couple of phrases. But, by and large, this is a different movie, and there is no point in comparing them. Even not the atmosphere, here made more typical, and simply, initially it is clear who is good who is bad, and actually watching the beginning and end of the film, you will not miss anything, there is no adrenaline, cool tricks, and the wrong dynamics.
Replacement of the actor is not that bad, Ice Cube does not pull on the type of former agent (Although in the film “Travel Together” he plays a policeman, and there he fits into the role very well), and there is something missing, he seems to be on the contrary some kind of bandit, but overall he is not bad as it could be. And in general, in the acting plan in this film, no one stands out.
Soundtracks, although not as bright as in the first part, but also always in the theme. Special effects are clearly saved, especially at the end, when you watch the film you want to believe in what is happening, and when you see obvious computer explosions, buildings, train, you lose impression.
And of course, the script itself is not very good. There is no adrenaline, there are no tricks like in the first part, much less dynamics. We immediately reveal all the cards, in terms of who with whom and for what will fight. The viewer is shown that Gibbons is alive, it might be better not to know, for the surprise of the event. Next, there’s a few empty dialogues, Darius’s experiences, maybe that’s important for the film’s balance, but those scenes shouldn’t bother, and that’s where it happened.
I really hope that part 3 will be worthy, at least in the trailer there are tricks and adrenaline.
5 out of 10
- I don't know who is more pathetic - the one who plays chess with himself, or the one who doesn't see that he has already lost?
The politics of Hollywood producers have puzzled me more than once. Why, you ask? Well, because I often encounter a situation where the film either fails at the global box office, or is a high-quality and quite self-sufficient project, but in both cases, the film gets a sequel in which it essentially does not need. While films that just ask for sequels, this sequel does not get, well, or get 5-10 years later, when the film is the source of all successfully forgotten. Today’s guest is a good example of that. Oh, no, this is not a continuation of the masterpiece that everyone has been waiting for for many years, this is a continuation of the picture, which would be better not to appear at all. So this is "Three X: The New Level."
The story begins with the fact that a secret NSA base is attacked by people armed with the latest technology. Naturally, no one can give terrorists a decent rebuff and the head of this NSA cell, Gregory, remembered to us from the first picture, is hiding in an unknown direction, and the agent nicknamed “Three X” – Xander Cage – is completely killed. What do we do? After all, if the attack was completely on a top-secret NSA facility, then someone from a high position in the White House is behind the terrorists. Oh, idea! If the first agent was killed, let's find another one! And Gregory turns to his old friend, serving his sentence in places not so remote, asking for help.
In situations like this, I usually say that the writers had an interesting idea that could have shot, but for such and such a reason it didn’t. Usually it is, but today I will follow the example of the writer of this film and move away from my usual role.
So the movie is bad. Not in the sense of a bad script, bad special effects, the actors do not want to play or do not know how, or the video camera was given into the hands of a drunken monkey, but that the picture is bad absolutely everything.
First, the writers hold the audience for idiots and absolutely not ashamed of it. In other words, we have a top-secret NSA facility that employs older people who appear to be under eighteen. Just think for a moment, a top-secret facility whose employees are supposed to keep the country safe is guarded by teenagers who still have milk on their lips and one professional military. Circus, that's all! Then there are terrorists who are armed, so don’t worry, and a professional hacker says that these guys in the level of their equipment ahead of American scientists for many years. And here there are two legitimate questions. The first is who provided the warrior with such equipment, and the second is why, in addition to the improbable-looking suits, and the flying video camera, nothing of high technology was involved in the film anymore? After all, if this operation was planned for many years, and how else to explain such technologies, then criminals should have Gauss rifles, and jetpacks. And it's not just nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. After all, if you are going to show a warrior equipped with the latest science and technology, then do not stop halfway and show something from which a simple viewer will exclaim – “Wow!” But that's not the worst part. The worst part is that the characters in the film don't unravel a government conspiracy. They do not need this, because they, and therefore the viewer, everything is presented on a silver platter and a character who appeared in the film well if for five minutes explains all the intricacies of the plot, and then with the feelings of accomplishment gets a bullet in the head. Very interesting.
Second, all the stunts, explosions and shootings were created using computer graphics, but there is nothing strange about it. And the strange thing is that all, absolutely all, special effects are poorly digitized and do not believe in what is happening. No, I understand that this is a movie and everything, but the fact is that world cinema creates the illusion of real life and the closer it is to reality, the better the viewer perceives what is happening on the screen. And here even there is no illusion, and what is happening causes boredom, and for films of this kind it is unacceptable.
Third, they are actors, most of whom either play disgustingly or first heard of acting. Exceptions are only Samuel Jackson and William Dafoe, but they did not try to demonstrate something extraordinary, but just worked their fee. But the point here is not so much in the actors as in the characters of the heroes themselves, which, drum roll, are absent. That is, there are more than a dozen characters in the film who do not affect the plot in any way and if they are thrown out of the film, nothing will essentially change. No, of course, there's Ice Cube, who's always looking in front of the camera to show what he's capable of as an actor. And yes, Ice is only capable of performing at children's matinees as Barmaley. Eh, it would be better if Dominic Purcell or Dwayne Johnson were invited to his role, it would be fun.
And fourthly, this is how the camera work is done. And the fact is that the first half of the film is going well, but then the picture begins to blur, especially in the fight scenes. And during the chase, the viewer is forced to see the faces of drivers, on which not a single muscle flinches, while the chase itself on cars, helicopters, boats is not really shown to us. I can only assume that by the middle of filming, the operator learned the amount of his fee and decided to repay the director with the same coin.
Summing up, I want to say that “Three X2” is a stupid action movie, the plot of which will not find a place even in the worst computer hater, for the simple reason that there are too many unnecessary conversations with unnecessary people and too little action, and it is put to shame primitive, thereby the film will not be able to please either movie fans or gamers. I recommend you stay away from this movie as much as possible. Good luck and all the best.
Conspiracies in the upper echelons of power and tastelessness
Started in Hollywood, the New Zealand director Li Tamahori quite well: the sympathy and love of the audience caused the pictures "On the edge" and "And the spider came", as well as "Die, but not now" - another series of immortal "bond" - but then there was a failure, which was due to several factors.
First, Li Tamahori took up the production of the sequel, removing the main character from his picture, thanks to which the first part fell to the taste of the audience. Agree that comparing the charisma and acting abilities of Diesel and Ice Cube is simply meaningless, the first will win with an undeniable advantage. The second one barely fits the image of some kind of super agent, a fearless soldier, trained and trained to get out of any bloody difficult situations. No, it is clear that Vin Diesel would have done more good for the sequel than his replacement.
Secondly, the director and screenwriters indulged in the effect of bombast and fairy tales that migrated from the initial tape, but could not connect it with reality. I agree that the first "Three X" were built little, as a possible accident, but here they generally aimed at such that comics can freely compete with . A new level in terms of the degree of fantasticity of what is happening, but the film did not make any effort to get the genre characteristic of “fiction”, and after watching you think that you should do so.
Third, the actors. If for Ice Cube was said above, then there are no claims only to Samuel L. Jackson, Scott Speedman (this generally outplayed even the main character, and it seems that it is easy and not even very trying) and Sunny Mabry, but the main antagonist failed. Rather, this is due to the fact that for a long time everyone has grown tired of the monotony of the roles of Willem Dafoe, who once gave great hopes, but it is such roles as, say, in the second film "Speed" that deprive him of progress further and search for new, interesting works.
Fourth are special effects. No, I do not argue that they are good here, but there is one convention: effectivity does not always turn into efficiency, it happened here “not always”. The spectacle is there, and the meaning is zero.
In general, in all respects, the film failed miserably. Probably the most ardent opponents of "i" These are fans of the first "Three Claims" and I must say that I understand them.
5 out of 10