Movie Review: MaXXXine

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Director Ti West’s first two films in his Mia Goth-led trilogy about fame found a compelling muse in the actress. 

X and Pearl were budget horror masterpieces — intriguing, largely thanks to Goth’s unique and captivating screen presence. In their latest collaboration, MaXXXine, Goth reprises her role from X. Set in 1985, Maxine is now a top porn star with dreams of breaking into Hollywood. Her aspirations are met with a sinister twist as a serial killer lurks ever closer to her.

The film opens with a frame-within-a-frame sequence, where Maxine walks into a Hollywood soundstage, believing she has what it takes to become a star. Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), the director of the anticipated horror sequel “The Puritan II,” shares her belief. 

This marks Maxine’s big break from the world of adult entertainment, previously characterized by the infamous “Texas Porn Star Massacre” from X and her time dancing in peep shows on Hollywood Boulevard. However, her rise to stardom is shadowed by the presence of the Night Stalker, a serial killer, and remnants of her past reappearing ominously.

As an erotic thriller, MaXXXine struggles to find its voice. It’s a film so fundamentally flawed that it highlights the shortcomings of its predecessors. The depiction of the era feels superficial and lacks depth, failing to enrich our understanding of Maxine’s ambition. Instead of adding layers to her character, it rehashes familiar territory, dragging Goth through repetitive emotional beats and scenes that worked in the earlier films.

The narrative is cluttered with multiple storylines, none of which reach satisfying or thrilling conclusions. The violence is flashy but uninspired, leaving a vague, bloody impression rather than a memorable impact. Despite its grand ambitions, the film lacks boldness and fails to deliver on its promise.

The supporting cast, featuring Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Bacon, and Debicki, provide some of the film’s few bright spots. They embrace their characters’ quirks and sociopathic tendencies, adding colour to the story. Yet, the film doesn’t give the audience enough opportunity to fully appreciate their performances, resulting in an underutilization of their talents. 

Even Goth, whose unique appeal lies in her eerie beauty and intense screen presence, isn’t spared. X and Pearl introduced mainstream audiences to an actress who had already made an impact in projects like Claire Denis’ High Life and Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness. Goth’s distinct features and haunting voice set her apart in popular cinema. 

However, in MaXXXine, she becomes a pale shadow of her former self. Her performance, while not inherently worse, lacks the freshness and innovation of her previous roles. Goth captures Maxine’s weariness and desire to escape her past, but this nuanced portrayal is overshadowed by the film’s lack of insight and creativity.

West’s homage to Alfred Hitchcock is evident in the structure of MaXXXine, where the setup seems banal before confirming with a twist. This formula, reminiscent of Psycho, creates a sense of encroaching doom as Maxine’s friends are found murdered by a stalker knowledgeable about her past. However, the film’s pastiche feels anachronistic, with characters like Leon (Moses Sumney), who works at a video store, exhibiting a self-awareness that breaks the 1980s illusion. 

Unlike Quentin Tarantino’s detailed homage in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, West’s broader influences make his film appear sloppy. This inconsistency detracts from the story’s functionality, making the references feel forced rather than seamless. While the film strives to be a grand Hollywood epic of exploitation and self-referential horror, it ultimately feels small and lacking in momentum. 

Overall, MaXXXine fails to live up to the potential shown in X and Pearl. Its shallow engagement with the era, lack of narrative coherence, and underwhelming use of a talented cast makes it a disappointing conclusion to the trilogy. Despite Goth’s best efforts, the film falls short, leaving viewers longing for the freshness and originality that initially drew them to the series.