XXX
($28) is a fairly mindless, but super fast moving popcorn movie, plain and
simple. Anyone expecting any kind of depth from this particular action
movie, obviously popped the wrong DVD in his or her player. Personally,
what I liked most about XXX was how the film plays like a super
cool, super fast James Bond parody. As such, XXX doesn’t present
audiences with anything new, but instead this gives the filmmakers the
opportunity to take every one of the tired "spy movie" clichés,
and place an X-treme spin on it. The filmmakers even go so far to
introduce a James Bond-like character, only to off him in the first five
minutes of the movie.
XXX
stars Vin Diesel as Xander Cage (who goes by the moniker xXx), an extreme
sports daredevil and Internet counter culture hero known for his
outrageous stunts that are broadcast live on the web. After his latest
over-the-top antics, xXx finds himself drafted into the NSA by Agent
Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), who feel that an unconventional
touch is required for a particular assignment. With a threat of prison
hanging over his head, xXx chooses to take a trip to Prague for a
reconnaissance mission. Utilizing his online persona and well-known
reputation, xXx is able to infiltrate a particularly unsavory Russian gang
that deals in everything from black market cars to biological weapons. The
cast of XXX also includes Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, Danny Trejo
and Michael Roof.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made XXX available on DVD in a
2.35:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays (a separate full screen version is also available). The
wide screen version of XXX makes for another terrific looking DVD
release from Columbia TriStar. Almost everything appears wonderfully crisp
and exceedingly well defined. Only when the cinematography gets a bit too
artful does the resolution seem to come down a notch. Colors tend to be
bold and vibrant, although occasional stylization can wash them out a bit.
Still, all of the hues are cleanly rendered, without noise or smearing.
Blacks appear inky, while the whites are very clean; however, contrast can
be a bit variable due to how the movie was photographed and processed.
Shadow detail is generally very good, plus the cleanly authored DVD keeps
digital compression artifacts very well concealed.
It
should come as no surprise that XXX features a fully revved up
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. The sound designers have
complimented the film’s high-octane visuals with a highly aggressive
sound mix that fully utilizes all of the discrete channels. There is very
little of the film that can be described as quite or subtle, since sound
effects are almost continuously whizzing around the soundstage. The bass
channel is thunderous and ground shaking, so I recommend stowing the
breakables before popping this puppy in the player. Anyone looking for a
DVD to give his or her sound system a workout will find XXX
perfectly suited to the task. Despite the near continuous barrage of
sound, dialogue remains fully understandable, although I am not sure if
that helps or hurts certain performances in the film. Randy Edelman’s
score and the film’s pulse pounding incidental music are rendered with
excellent fidelity. A French 5.1 channel soundtrack is also encoded onto
the DVD, as are English and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a very solid supplemental section. First
up is a running audio commentary with director Rob Cohen. This is a very
interesting, enthusiastic and humorous commentary track that definitely
speaks to the target audience. Next is A Filmmaker's Diary-
a forty minute, two-part program that looks at the nuts and bolts of
making XXX. This is definitely no puff piece and I wish more DVDs
included this kind of behind-the-scenes programming.
Four
featurettes are also included on the DVD. Building Speed: The
Vehicles of XXX is a seven-minute look at the two of the
specialized vehicles created for the film. Designing the World of
XXX is a fourteen-minute tour of some of the film’s locations,
which provides insight into some of the challenges faced by the team
designing and constructing some of the sets. Diesel Powered
is a six-minute "love fest" for the film’s star. The GTO
is Back is a three-minute program that profiles the hero’s
vehicle of choice. Also featured on the DVD are Visual Effects How-To's,
which offer a six-minute glimpse into the creation of the film’s
avalanche sequence. There are also ten deleted scenes featured amongst the
supplements, which can be viewed with optional director’s commentary. A
theatrical trailer, bonus trailers, cast & crew filmographies and
Gavin Rossdale music video for the song Adrenaline close out
the supplements.
If
mindless action is your idea of a perfect movie, XXX is the perfect
flick for you. XXX is fast and furious popcorn entertainment that
looks and sounds great on DVD. On top of that, Columbia TriStar has thrown
in a great supplemental section making this disc the perfect choice for
the "boys and their toys" DVD fan.
XXX
($28) is a fairly mindless, but super fast moving popcorn movie, plain and
simple. Anyone expecting any kind of depth from this particular action
movie, obviously popped the wrong DVD in his or her player. Personally,
what I liked most about XXX was how the film plays like a super
cool, super fast James Bond parody. As such, XXX doesn’t present
audiences with anything new, but instead this gives the filmmakers the
opportunity to take every one of the tired "spy movie" clichés,
and place an X-treme spin on it. The filmmakers even go so far to
introduce a James Bond-like character, only to off him in the first five
minutes of the movie.
XXX
stars Vin Diesel as Xander Cage (who goes by the moniker xXx), an extreme
sports daredevil and Internet counter culture hero known for his
outrageous stunts that are broadcast live on the web. After his latest
over-the-top antics, xXx finds himself drafted into the NSA by Agent
Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), who feel that an unconventional
touch is required for a particular assignment. With a threat of prison
hanging over his head, xXx chooses to take a trip to Prague for a
reconnaissance mission. Utilizing his online persona and well-known
reputation, xXx is able to infiltrate a particularly unsavory Russian gang
that deals in everything from black market cars to biological weapons. The
cast of XXX also includes Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, Danny Trejo
and Michael Roof.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made XXX available on DVD in a
2.35:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays (a separate full screen version is also available). The
wide screen version of XXX makes for another terrific looking DVD
release from Columbia TriStar. Almost everything appears wonderfully crisp
and exceedingly well defined. Only when the cinematography gets a bit too
artful does the resolution seem to come down a notch. Colors tend to be
bold and vibrant, although occasional stylization can wash them out a bit.
Still, all of the hues are cleanly rendered, without noise or smearing.
Blacks appear inky, while the whites are very clean; however, contrast can
be a bit variable due to how the movie was photographed and processed.
Shadow detail is generally very good, plus the cleanly authored DVD keeps
digital compression artifacts very well concealed.
It
should come as no surprise that XXX features a fully revved up
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. The sound designers have
complimented the film’s high-octane visuals with a highly aggressive
sound mix that fully utilizes all of the discrete channels. There is very
little of the film that can be described as quite or subtle, since sound
effects are almost continuously whizzing around the soundstage. The bass
channel is thunderous and ground shaking, so I recommend stowing the
breakables before popping this puppy in the player. Anyone looking for a
DVD to give his or her sound system a workout will find XXX
perfectly suited to the task. Despite the near continuous barrage of
sound, dialogue remains fully understandable, although I am not sure if
that helps or hurts certain performances in the film. Randy Edelman’s
score and the film’s pulse pounding incidental music are rendered with
excellent fidelity. A French 5.1 channel soundtrack is also encoded onto
the DVD, as are English and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a very solid supplemental section. First
up is a running audio commentary with director Rob Cohen. This is a very
interesting, enthusiastic and humorous commentary track that definitely
speaks to the target audience. Next is A Filmmaker's Diary-
a forty minute, two-part program that looks at the nuts and bolts of
making XXX. This is definitely no puff piece and I wish more DVDs
included this kind of behind-the-scenes programming.
Four
featurettes are also included on the DVD. Building Speed: The
Vehicles of XXX is a seven-minute look at the two of the
specialized vehicles created for the film. Designing the World of
XXX is a fourteen-minute tour of some of the film’s locations,
which provides insight into some of the challenges faced by the team
designing and constructing some of the sets. Diesel Powered
is a six-minute "love fest" for the film’s star. The GTO
is Back is a three-minute program that profiles the hero’s
vehicle of choice. Also featured on the DVD are Visual Effects How-To's,
which offer a six-minute glimpse into the creation of the film’s
avalanche sequence. There are also ten deleted scenes featured amongst the
supplements, which can be viewed with optional director’s commentary. A
theatrical trailer, bonus trailers, cast & crew filmographies and
Gavin Rossdale music video for the song Adrenaline close out
the supplements.
If
mindless action is your idea of a perfect movie, XXX is the perfect
flick for you. XXX is fast and furious popcorn entertainment that
looks and sounds great on DVD. On top of that, Columbia TriStar has thrown
in a great supplemental section making this disc the perfect choice for
the "boys and their toys" DVD fan.
