Mia Goth and Ti West are back with MaXXXine, the third installment of their and A24’s X trilogy. The story follows Maxine Minx, who we met in X as the lone survivor of the farmhouse massacre. It’s not 190s Hollywood, and she’s trying to cross over from porn to more legitimate acting work. Her goal is to be a star! However, someone else has other plans for her. On the brink of booking her break-out role, there is not a mysterious killer murdering her friends and coming after her.

The film has an all-star cast from Horror Icon Kevin Bacon (Friday the 13th, Tremors, Stir of Echos), Musician Moses Sumney, Popstar Halsey, Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), Giancarlo Esposito (The Boys, Better Call Saul), Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher), Michelle Monaghan (The Family Plan), and more!

With an impressive cast, MaXXXine set in the beloved 80s era, and the storyline crafted by Ti West, I was excited about this thrilling journey. However, despite the exceptional performances, the film unfortunately remains in the realm of disappointment.

MAXXXINE GIVES INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES BUT FAILS AS A WHODUNIT NOIR

Mia Goth consistently delivers an outstanding performance as Maxine. Her portrayal in X was exceptional, and her powerful monologue in Pearl I believe should’ve given her an Academy Award Nomination. In MaXXXine she continues to prove that she has more to prove and is the star her character dreams of becoming.

Kevin Bacon’s gumshoe private eye is perfect. Seriously. Everything from his accent, gold teeth, and Louisiana drawl. It’s one of his best roles to date. Halsey and Moses Sumney also shine in their limited scenes. I loved Giancarlo Esposito as the willing to do anything Agent with a bad wig. This said, do not go into this film for most of these performances. MaXXXine pulls a Drew Berrymore in Scream if you know what I mean.

As far as MaXXXine itself, I found the film as a whole to be incredibly flat and underwhelming. At this point, West has built this character as the lonely church girl wishing for stardom who survives almost being murdered while filming her first dirty movie. Now, she is living in Hollywood scraping for her big break trying to do whatever it takes to create the life she feels she deserves. However, she overlooks the danger lurking around her, as her friends fall victim to a mysterious killer, despite the imminent threat at her doorstep.

WHERE IS THE SUSPENSE?

The inclusion of Richard Ramirez, also known as The Night Stalker, in the MaXXXine trailer piqued my interest. I wondered if Ti West would take a creative approach by rewriting history or using this as a clever red herring for viewers less familiar with the case. The answer is no. The Nightstalker is taken off the “list” of suspects almost immediately making me wonder what was even the point.

MaXXXine tries hard to build suspense, along with a pseudo detective story, while giving us strong character moments like Maxine ball stomping a would-be assailant. However, it leaves out crucial moments. First, and probably most importantly, anyone trying to figure out what’s going on. It doesn’t need to be a detective. It could’ve been Maxine herself. Instead, Maxine is burying her head in the sand and letting all the people who matter to her be murdered without a care or worry in the world. By the time she goes to her Agent (Esposito) for help, there’s no time to jump on the who done it train.

I wanted to love this film, but in the end, it’s my least favorite of the franchise.

KEEP READING

‘Horizon’ Is A Promising Western Epic That Doesn’t Quite Land As A Standalone Film [Review]