Vin Diesel has put his heart and soul into the Fast and Furious franchise, which has helped make it a beloved action series. But if you're a big-time action star like Diesel, you can't repeat yourself and expect the same kind of success.
That's what makes xXx: Return of Xander Cage so exciting. From the looks of the first teaser, which dropped in July, Diesel and his associates appeared determined to make a movie that upped the ante, not only for the xXx series, but also for all blockbuster action movies.
Now the first full-length trailer has appeared online, and in the words of our own Erik Davis, who saw a preview of it over the weekend: "It's almost as if someone took the ingredients of the Fast and Furious movies, the Mission: Impossible movies and some crazy obscure action flick from the '90s destined for late night cable viewings and out popped this sequel."
Watch it right here.
For his return to action, Xander Cage rejects the "clowns" assigned to him and recruits his own team of people he can trust: "The good, the extreme and the completely insane." The cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Tony Jaa, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu and Toni Collette. D.J. Caruso directed; he's known for Disturbia, Eagle Eye and I Am Number Four.
For those of us who love this kind of over-the-top, ridiculous and fun action, xXx: Return of Xander Cage will kick off the new year in style when it opens in theaters on January 20.
