‘MaXXXine’ Movie Review: Ti West’s Horror Trilogy Ends With A Low-Key Final Chapter
Photo from A24
From Jeff Nelson
Ti West reached for the stars with the ambitious endeavor of a horror trilogy that delves into a different sub-genre corner with each installment, all of which were brought to life within a staggeringly short timeline. Mia Goth is the centerpiece of this franchise, elevating characters Pearl and Maxine Minx to incredible heights. X brings us to a grisly world reminiscent of Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, while Pearl thrusts us into a twisted technicolor world. MaXXXine draws inspiration from 1980s Giallo horror in an entertaining, albeit small-stakes conclusion to an otherwise formidable trilogy.
Set in 1985 Hollywood, 6 years after the events of X, Maxine (Goth) is looking to move from adult film actor to mainstream movie stardom. She finally earns her big break, while a mysterious black-gloved serial killer stalks the latest up-and-coming Hollywood starlets. The trail of mutilated bodies tracks back to Maxine’s past, forcing her to confront her demons in a deadly cat-and-mouse game.
Maxine’s fame obsession tracks back to a home video from her childhood, where the quote, “I will not accept a life I do not deserve” holds its deepest meaning. Now, she’s in her 30s, believing it to be now or never for her career. Maxine’s dreams are within reach when she’s cast in a sequel to the hit horror movie The Puritan with well-respected director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), who is still fighting to make her own mark on the industry. This sub-plot has plenty of potential to merge with Maxine’s fight to fame, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. Elizabeth mentions the producers’ disapproval of Maxine’s casting, repeatedly questioning the actor’s “ruthlessness” and determination, which are never explored in the context it suggests.
Hollywood’s backlash on violence and sexuality rears its ugly head, as the media and outspoken activists act as a backdrop to the studio lot sets Maxine finds herself on. MaXXXine paints a critical picture of censorship’s dangers rooted in transitional culture shifts between generations. She’s trying to pave her unique path within the Hollywood system, determined for the world to know her name beyond her pornographic origins. This fight for survival becomes an all-out war between fame and infamy, as new and old demons become known.
X’s Texan carnage initially appears long behind Maxine, but the trauma’s impact becomes increasingly clear. Pearl remains omnipresent, acting as a specter that haunts her present. West’s screenplay doesn’t dive back into the specifics of the trilogy’s introduction, although Pearl’s warning that “it’ll all be taken from you” permeates Maxine’s desperation to achieve her dreams. This arc extends from one character to the next, connecting the three films across various locations at different periods defined by varying circumstances.
MaXXXine injects the least horror of any installment in the trilogy, functioning more as a thriller. West still embraces a couple of gross-out moments, but the mystery components are underwhelming. The faceless killer hires a sleazy private detective named John Labat (Kevin Bacon), who shamelessly stalks Maxine. The third-act reveal isn’t very difficult to figure out and the stakes don’t feel particularly urgent, even despite the deaths in such close proximity to Maxine. The murder mystery brings two homicide detectives into the fold, Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and Torres (Bobby Cannavale), who don’t fit into the story with a running gag that feels tired the moment it begins.
West’s direction and Eliot Rockett’s cinematography capture the 1980s aesthetic while infusing the picture with plenty of Giallo-tinged imagery and neon-red lighting. It matches the story’s distinct differences from its predecessors, delivering a look and feel that fully embraces its seedy Hollywood setting.
Goth once again delivers a magnetic performance as Maxine. It isn’t as flashy as her masterful turn in Pearl, but it’s clear that she’s having fun with the part in developing the character’s inner warrior. Meanwhile, Bacon goes balls-to-the-wall as John, offering an uneasy presence, although it drifts into overacting. Debicki, Lily Collins, Halsey, and Giancarlo Esposito add more impressive names to the cast list, but this is undoubtedly Goth’s film through and through.
MaXXXine doesn’t have the commanding intensity of its two predecessors, operating better as a conclusion to a captivating character arc than it is a particularly impressive film. West’s final installment wraps this journey of self-fulfillment to stardom in a big, bloody bow that ultimately satisfies in characterization, even if it falls short on its thematics. There are several plotlines at work, yet they don’t mesh into a cohesive whole. Even so, this Giallo-inspired thriller is another beguiling West/Goth collaboration.
Rating: 3/5
MaXXXine hits theaters on July 3rd, 2024.
