Lost in the shuffle of Diesel’s other action franchises, Triple X is a perfect snapshot of what Sony thought was cool in 2002.

It’s hard not to commend Vin Diesel for finding a way to construct a career out of hilarious self-insert characters. Aside from Groot, his most iconic performances are built like his embarrassing teenage OCs. Dom Toretto, Richard B. Riddick, and his actual Dungeons and Dragons character Kaulder seem to exist primarily because they bring out something Diesel likes to imply about himself. Add Xander Cage of Triple X fame to the list.

Spy movies live on a wide spectrum. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Mission: Impossible – Fallout don’t comfortably fit into the same genre. Triple X is closer to Mission: Impossible, though it likely falls off the end of the scale by focusing far more on extreme sports than on any form of espionage.

What is Triple X about?

Triple X follows Xander Cage, Vin Diesel’s take on James Bond. He’s an extreme sports celebrity in seemingly every imaginable competition. There’s no vehicle he can’t drive. No Olympic event he couldn’t bring home the gold in. No X-Games challenge he couldn’t pass with flying colors. He speaks in one-liners, most of which are barely complete sentences. He’s covered tattoos, most of which tie into his goofy nickname. He’s a political radical wanted by the FBI for protest actions against a corrupt conservative politician. He stole a senator’s car and drove it off a cliff, earning him a criminal record. He’s bound for federal prison, but high-ranking NSA agent Augustus Gibbons offers him a way out.

A deadly bioweapon called Silent Night has been acquired by a Russian terrorist group called Anarchy 99. The NSA’s mole is discovered and executed, leaving the intelligence apparatus helpless. Gibbons determines that he’ll need someone without ties to the government to infiltrate Anarchy 99. Cage, a famous athlete with known anarchic sentiments, is the perfect candidate. He reluctantly joins the NSA team in Prague and meets Yorgi, the leader of Anarchy 99. He and Yorgi bond over cars and women. With the help of the tech wizard Toby, Cage infiltrates the terrorist group. Xander Cage will have to use his stealth, skills, and stunts to defeat Anarchy 99 before they can unleash an all-consuming plague upon the world.

What is Triple X‘s Rotten Tomatoes Score?

Triple X has a 48% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is slightly more generous at 58%. The average critical score sits at 5.6 out of 10. Interestingly, the negative reviews share opinions with the positive ones. Almost all critics acknowledge the film’s lack of intellectual depth. It’s a silly thrill ride with little to make it stand out. Critics are broadly in agreement that the film adds nothing to the spy genre, borrows most of its narrative, and relies entirely on action set pieces. The scores vary based on how seriously critics take those issues. Triple X isn’t tricking anyone. It’s refreshingly clear with its intentions. The film advertises Vin Diesel pulling off ridiculous stunts and delivering one-liners and delivers nothing more.

Triple X was never going to be a critical darling. Its target audience is made up of 12-year-olds, mostly at slumber parties. It’s a hilarious watch for anyone trying to take it seriously and a brainless treat for anyone willing to meet it on its level. There have been countless films filling this niche since the 80s. Fans of the genre will have fun with Triple X, but there are many better examples. Its greatest asset is as a time capsule of the early 2000s. Look at Dominic Toretto in Fast X, then at Xander Cage in Triple X. The differences between them should accurately express every major difference in the corporate definition of cool across 21 years.

Are there other Triple X movies?

Triple X: State of the Union came out in 2005. Diesel and the first film’s director Rob Cohen signed on for a sequel before the first film launched, but both parties dropped out when they discovered they couldn’t agree on the script. Instead, Die Another Day director Lee Tamahori stepped in to bring some James Bond experience to the franchise. State of the Union was a box-office bomb that was despised by critics, largely for abandoning the practical effects that made the first entry watchable. Twelve years later, a different studio would release Triple X: Return of Xander Cage. It was the highest-grossing film of the franchise, but its critical reception still lagged behind the original. For the first time, Triple X was on the wrong end of comparisons to the Fast and Furious saga, ironically demonstrating its pointlessness.

Triple X demonstrates the relentless march of time and its savage effects on trends. The only aspect of the franchise that has aged well is its stunts, which were the only enjoyable aspect of its runtime in 2002. Of all of Vin Diesel’s self-inserts, Xander Cage is easily the funniest to look back on.