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IRISH EXAMINER | January 25th, 201720 movieexaminer

Two Films Take You to

Emotional Extremes

By Brad Balfour
Two new films
couldn’t be more
opposite in style
and intent yet in an odd

way, they have a funny

kind of connection to

each other.

Though their genres and

narratives are very different,

A Dog’s Purpose and xXx:

Return of Xander Cage are

joined together in this

review for their effect on the

emotions.

Both employ overkill to

induce audiences to feel

emotion, to get you to see

them again and to recom-

mend friends as well.

Whether this kind of

overkill works depends on

your level of tolerance or

acceptance of provocation.

Director Lasse

Hallström’s “A Dog’s

Purpose” plucks the heart

strings, then threatens to

tear them by thoroughly

wrenching you by pouring But the dogs are cute, the carnated and then connected This is third “explosive” Without revealing all the
premise that they are rein- to a string of dog lives worth chapter of the blockbuster supposedly surprising turns,
on mawkish sentiment. pondering. And I am always franchise that redefined the the breezily paced film loads
glad to see craggy Dennis spy thriller finds extreme in the series’ signature witty
Quaid and Peggy Lipton athlete turned in the xXx moments, bad-ass attitude,
become the film’s final love saga. and so many ludicrous
interest. moments it almost seems
Apparently, the producers like a parody of the “Fast &
Based on the beloved best- persuaded Vin Diesel to Furious” series.
selling novel by W. Bruce return as government agent
Cameron, “A Dog’s Xander Cage who comes out While it unsuccessfully
Purpose,” Hallström had of a self-imposed exile and attempts to raise the bar on
done “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” collides with deadly alpha extreme action, it does suc-
as well as “The Cider House warrior Xiang and his team ceed in being almost comi-
Rules,” “Dear John,” “The as they race to recover a sin- cally excessive with sound
100-Foot Journey,” she ister device, the Pandora’s and images — yet somehow,
knows how to manage the Box, which turn satellites I wasn’t bored in watching it.
animals and makes the soul- into massive bombs.
ful story of a devoted dog So despite all these obvi-
(voiced by Josh Gad) breezily Xander recruits a crew of ous cinematic failings, both
move along. incredibly surly but endowed films provide the appropri-
cohorts, who gleefully ate emotional release for
The idea of an animal who destroy things and their ene- each of their respective audi-
mies. ences. C
finds the meaning of his exis-
A Dog’s Purpose
tence through the human
Directed by Lasse Hallström
lives he experiences serves a Starring Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, John Ortiz,

family film but not exactly Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad

great art. And it does enjoy xXx: Return of Xander Cage

the beautiful and comfort- Directed by DJ Caruso
Starring Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika
able presence of hot up-and- Padukone, Toni Collette, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev,
Tony Jaa, Kris Wu, Michael Bisping, Rory McCann,
comer Britt Robertson. Nicky Jam, Neymar Jr., Samuel L. Jackson

In xXx: Return of Xander

Cage, the action is

overblown, the plot works in

about every action trope

and the disjointed action sce-

narios that drive of the plot

ridiculous.