xXx: Return Of Xander Cage (DVD) : Review

Film

Following a previous incident, Xander Cage (Vin Diesel – Guardians of the Galaxy, Furious 7, Riddick) is left for dead. However, agency many Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Legend of Tarzan, Avengers: Age of Ultron) is secretly recruiting more Triple X members. Following a new threat to the globe, Xander is brought back to chase down a device that can control satellites, and kill countless innocents.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage is an action film, where you need just sit back, and be dragged along for the ride. Dragged, excitedly, or screaming, as this is one movie that is more for the fans.

Rewatch value too, would depend on the fan level of a viewer, either of Xander Cage himself, or this type of action film in general.

Read the full SAMDB review of xXX: Return of Xander Cage.

Disc

The disc is of an okay quality overall. Some compression artefacts and colour bleed are visible in the main feature. The bonus features, the few that there are, are okay at best, with enjoyment of the main feature likely aimed squarely at fans.

Give some thought to purchasing the DVD of this installment, or go for the Blu-Ray.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.

Video

Video for the main feature is encoded at a high average bitrate, however there are some compression artefacts visible on screen, especially when scaled up to a larger screen. This is also a small amount of colour bleed visible. This is more evident with colour that contain more reds.

This does not interfere too much with the visuals of the film, especially as it is most visible on the more static shows, with no action, and when viewed from a normal viewing distance, becomes barely noticeable in most scenes.

The main menu itself contains more visible compression artefacts and colour bleed, with the still images on sub-menus showing this to an even greater degree.

Compressing the menus more does allow for more disc real estate for the main feature, and these don’t impact the viewing experience too much.

Audio

The main audio is encoded at a high average bitrate, with dialogue clear via the centre channel. There is ample use made of the surrounds, and given the genre, and type of film, this should be expected.

Audio is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. There is no 2.0 downmix available on the disc, so this would need to be provided by the player hardware or software.

Navigation

Navigation is simple, and easy enough to follow. The main menu has four text options to select. The menu has a motion background, with accompanying music. The background consists of some clips from the films stunts, but do not contain spoilers.

There are text links to play the main feature, setup, scene selection and bonus features.

The setup menu has a static background, with text links to further audio and subtitle sub-menus, allowing for a choice of language.

The scene selection sub-menus are also have static backgrounds, with four large, colour, still thumbnails per menu. While these are numbered, they are not labelled, leaving some guesswork when wishing to navigate to a particular part of the film.

The bonus feature sub-menu has text links to each of the three bonus features.

Bonus Features

Third Times A Charm: Xander Returns – A fast paced behind the scenes look at the latest installment of xXx and the life of character Xander Cage. Some fun insights from cast and crew, with a great deal of behind the scenes footage. One that fans and filmmakers alike will enjoy.

I Live For This Sh#T!: Stunts – The xXx series, and Xander Cage, would be nothing without the extreme stunts. This featurette takes the viewer behind the scenes on those stunts, and how they were filmed and performed. Keeping with the adrenaline kick, these are an action packed ride.

Gag Reel – A light hearted look at the shoot. Some outtakes, and laughs, from the making of the film.

While it is often the case to have a selection of trailers autoplay at the beginning of many discs, these are not present on this disc.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb