MAXXXINE (2024) – A lack-luster ending to Ti West’s trilogy
Rating: ⭐⭐ 1/2
This is the eagerly awaited conclusion to director and writer Ti West’s “X” trilogy. The first two films (“X” and “Pearl”) were released just months apart in 2022. “X” worked as a slick outright slasher movie while “Pearl” had a slower pace and an emphasis on characterisation and less on the gore. It also featured a monologue scene with Mia Goth that was chillingly unforgettable. In the follow-up prequel “Pearl” Ti West had seized our attention and left us craving for his third and final chapter. It also put a spotlight on the series’ star, Mia Goth elevating her to become a recognizable name and face in the industry.
With MaXXXine Ti West seem to have digressed from the trilogy’s horror theme, steering more towards a homage to the 1980’s, horror movies and Hollywood in general. There were lots of references and easter eggs commemorating famous horror movies and music of the era. However, he seems to have neglected the horror element here. The level of horror is down several notches although there were a few nasty kills. The story is also rather weak and left me feeling like there were too many loose ends or unsatisfactory answers to what was going on. The ending in particular was disappointing. It lacked the heightened level of excitement that we are expecting and dragged on for a bit too long. There was also little link to the earlier movies and this story could very well play as a standalone movie.
On the plus side, the whole movie has a very professional and slick feel to it. The visual effects from the sets, costumes, music and the use of split screen technique contributed to an authentic 1980’s feel. Mia Goth’s acting is as usual outstanding and the film’s main attraction. She had a good moment right at the beginning where she is at an audition for a new horror movie and the first 30 minutes of the movie set a solid tone. This gave us a heightened expectation on what’s to come next only to be disappointed by the increasing lack of logic in the plot. The supporting cast has a number of familiar faces like Kevin Bacon, Elizebath Debicki and Lily Collins. Unfortunately, they were wasted in a movie of this sort as the characters that they played were too one-dimensional and undemanding. In fact, the private detective that Kevin Bacon played felt kind of out of place and could have easily been excluded without affecting the whole story. We are not sure whether to treat him seriously or laugh. Only Mia’s Maxine gets to be on centre stage in the limelight.
For me, MaXXXine was a let-down and easily the weakest entry in the trilogy. While the common subtext of the porn industry in the trilogy is still there, MaXXXine fails to live up to the triple X’s in its name. But all is not lost as I still have faith in Ti West and Mia Goth and look forward for better things from them in the future.