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'MaXXXine' review: Mia Goth would kill to be famous in Ti West's horror sequel


Mia Goth pointing a gun under a red light
A24

If you hear anyone referring to something as "X", you should assume that they're talking about a certain trilogy of horrors. You can ignore them otherwise, especially if they're a repulsive billionaire who contributes nothing of value to humanity. Anyhoo, writer-director-editor Ti West and aspiring star Mia Goth team up once again for MaXXXine, the third and possibly final instalment in the aforementioned series, following 2022's 'X' and 'Pearl'.


It's 1985 in Los Angeles and Goth's character Maxine Minx is looking to transition from adult films to Hollywood features as she's auditioning for a part in a horror called The Puritan II, which is to be directed by newcomer Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). Maxine's trajectory to stardom hits a bump when she and her acquaintances are targeted by a mysterious serial killer who has unearthed the porn film that she starred in during the events of X, while they also hire PI John Labat (Kevin Bacon) to tail and blackmail Maxine. Giancarlo Esposito plays her lawyer Teddy Night, Moses Sumney her friend Leon, and Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale appear as detectives Williams and Torres, respectively, who are investigating the murders and looking into Maxine's past as the only survivor of the massacre six years ago.


What MaXXXine shares with its predecessors is the thirst for fame and being seen, glorification of it and the willingness to do anything to achieve it, all these things driving Maxine on her self-serving journey. You might've wished for a deeper exploration of her identity considering that this could be the final act in the movie playing inside her head, but since her vanity and lack of any sort of real empathy are in control, that would probably be wishful thinking. Therefore, the film is fairly straightforward thematically. West also has fun riffing on giallo this time around instead of slashers or fantasy films; cinematographer Eliot Rockett, music supervisor and the hair and makeup teams being on the same wavelength as well, it seems. Cast members like Bacon, Debicki and Esposito also add interesting neon colours with their performances, despite none of them getting enough juicy material in the end to create something truly unique.



That dilemma is really the main problem of the film as it is indeed an eventful, quickly moving and technically reliable production, but the different elements don't quite fuse together because West's writing lacks cohesion. The movie's own final act is not only rushed but it's also incoherent, eventually fumbling the somewhat fun yet bizarre vibe that the first 30 minutes had as I had lost interest in Maxine and her fate by the point she's in peril. Sure, the behind-the-scenes Hollywood stuff is intriguing (despite using touristy sets seen in 'Psycho' and whatnot), but mixed with a generic procedural and a mystery that isn't intriguing in the slightest, the ambience dissolves eventually into nothing. Goth as an actor also doesn't remedy the fragmented storytelling as her acting is merely adequate in this one, which is a noticeable fall into obscurity since she reached extreme heights in Pearl after doing great work in X.


While nothing went horrendously wrong here, it is sadly a textbook case of diminishing returns with the series as a whole. MaXXXine earns a quick shrug and you'll likely forget it sooner rather than later. Maybe it's just a healthy reminder that regardless of the cast and crew's intentions, not every horror sequel will have the defining role of your career.


Smileys: Nothing stands out


Frowneys: Screenplay


Australian Emma Stone gets another shoutout towards the end.


2.5/5


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