Even though nobody had great expectations for XXX: State of the Union, it has managed to disappoint everyone. It's a sequel to Vin XXX without the Vin Diesel -- he chose to star in The Pacifier instead.
In the second XXX film, Agent XXX is dead, so when danger threatens the White House, XXX's boss, NSA agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel Jackson) has to find another person to save the world. He goes back to prison -- where he got the first XXX -- and offers a former colleague (Ice Cube) a chance at freedom if he'll become the new XXX.
His mission? To stop the right-wing secretary of defense (Willem Dafoe) from usurping the centrist president (Peter Strauss) and taking over the world with his military group.
PHOTO: AFP
Ice Cube carries the movie with his attitude and angry stare, and his character goes from violent scene to violent scene, convincing everyone in his way that they will die. Besides too much mayhem, there is also too much noise, too much testosterone and far too weak a script.
Rich Cline, on British Web site "Shadows on the Wall," says this movie is around "only to exploit action movie cliches."
Unfortunately, as the action-movie antics are not wrapped together in a good plot or with well-developed characters, the "deeply corny, illogical mess," as Cline says, is not even funny.
Of course, true to the theme of excess, there are plenty of flashy things to keep you watching (and not thinking) from clip to clip: big biceps and bosoms, cars, weapons, Bond-like gadgets, crazy people, explosions, a lot of loud noises and Jackson's aura.
There is a lot of energy, and the actors seem to be having a good time, too. But even with this, the movie is not entertaining, nor is it worth one more word.
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