MaXXXine - Review Thread

Both X and Pearl felt like such assured and confident entries in their own right into this whole "X Trilogy" conceived of by writer/director Ti West, and I very much like them both. Which makes the ultimately more middling third entry, MaXXXine, both surprising and somewhat disappointing. Now, to be upfront, this is a movie I'm still willing to give another chance, and maybe it'll grow on me like Pearl did. But at the moment, I can't deny that this is the weakest of the trilogy. It's not for lack of filmmaking prowess, because Ti West evokes 1985 Hollywood as vividly as he did the late 70's in Texas with X and the 20's in Pearl, giving MaXXXine a certain undeniable vibe. From the costumes, overall tone and the violence, this is a film that does manage to get you pretty wrapped up in the vibes. The performances also help, too. Mia Goth remains excellent, even if the movie itself may not flesh her out a whole lot more, Kevin Bacon revels in his role as a sleazy private investigator, and the flm populates the rest of the cast who also know what level to dial in at. But it's ultimately the script that kind of lets the movie down, in comparison to its predecessors. For one, I think it's clear that West is trying to make a point about Hollywood in this era, but what his message is never comes through all that clearly. Also, the Third Act has a revelation that works in theory, but it lacks impact because there isn't a whole lot of proper establishment of the context behind it beforehand. That's not to say I didn't find the film to still be somewhat entertaining overall, because I did. But I also can't help but feel like Ti West approached MaXXXine more as just another showcase for Mia Goth's talent than he did a more fully satisfying end to this trilogy.