The Big Picture
MaXXXine
is a visually stunning and wild ride through the dark streets of Los Angeles.- Packed with cinema references, it's a movie lover's dream, displaying Ti West's visual flair.
- The fantastic cast led by Mia Goth delivers, with a standout performance from Elizabeth Debicki.
Ti West has proven to be one of the most versatile horror filmmakers working today. Even before he launched his X trilogy, he showcased his astute minimalism in his 2013 found footage cult film, The Sacrament. He took his experiences making The House of the Devil and turned it into a haunting supernatural chiller in The Inkeepers. And then, in 2021, he surprised everyone when his homage to ‘70s grindhouse movies and slashers, X, ended up being a launching pad for a whole franchise. It was quickly followed by the prequel, Pearl,again starring Mia Goth in a much more muted in terms of horror but still stylish and entertaining melodrama. West has no issue in balancing thematic subtext and style. He can craft a tribute to a specific time in horror history while exploring ideas such as female sexuality, satanic panic, obsession, and what one will do to achieve their dream.
MaXXXine is the summation of all West's styles and ideas. It’s a loud, bombastic, sexy, bloody, and unapologetic farewell to one of the best horror trilogies of all time. It brings back Mia Goth’s Maxine from X and, just like the film itself, she is bigger and badder than ever. The similarities between MaXXXine and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are undeniable. From Los Angeles being a main character to the constant movie references to the incorporation of a real-life serial killer, West takes Tarantino’s love letter, smothers it with more blood and debauchery, and brings it to the neon-lit moral dilemmas of the 1980s.
What Is 'MaXXXine' About?
MaXXXine takes place in 1985 and an opening montage fills in the cultural shifts that have occurred in the six years since the events of X. Clips of Ronald Reagan pontificating about moral fiber and news reports of satanic panic and the gruesome murders of the Night Stalker set the stage. It’s a new decade and Maxine, now living in sunny Los Angeles, has taken all her trauma and turned it into armor, carrying herself around with impenetrable confidence. She’s still hellbent on becoming famous and a star of “straight pictures,” but she’s even more determined than when we saw her in X. She lands the lead role in “The Puritan II,” a sequel to a horror movie that found success on video. Directing the film with an iron fist is Elizabeth Debicki’s Elizabeth Bender, who resembles a mashup of Margaret Thatcher and Orson Welles.
Maxine still does adult films and peep shows to make ends meet and she claims she can handle the seedy, dark alleys of LA on her own despite the Night Stalker, a vicious serial killer preying on young women, remaining at large. When two of her friends wind up dead after going to a mysterious party in the Hollywood hills, the two detectives leading the Night Stalker case, Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and Torres (Bobby Cannavale), are desperate to talk to Maxine. It seems everyone close to her is destined to die a bloody death which leaves two questions: How does Maxine connect to the murders and will the killer come after her next?
At the same time, Maxine’s past is catching up with her. Someone anonymously sends her the adult film she recorded back in Texas, “The Farmer’s Daughter,” before the massacre. She is being pursued by private investigator John Labat (Kevin Bacon) who’s been hired by “a very powerful man” to track her down. Just as Maxine is about to achieve her lifelong dream of everyone in the world knowing her name, it seems danger lies behind every corner. Between evading a notorious serial killer, keeping her grisly past at bay, and trying to make it as a Hollywood star, Maxine barely has the time to do her daily lines of cocaine! (She still manages to find it though.)
'MaXXXine' Expands on the 'X' and 'Pearl' Universe
Right from the offset, West wants you to know that the universe he has built in X and Pearl has just gotten a lot bigger. Even details like Maxine’s massive pot of cocaine by her dressing table in comparison to her small bottle in X show you that the movie itself is the coked-out wildcard of the trilogy. West doesn’t hold back in painting 1980s Los Angeles as a loud, eccentric, dangerous, but bright and exciting place. “Obsession” by Animotion makes for a perfect score to a montage of Maxine driving her Cadillac through the highways with the plethora of neon lights advertising everything from dirty movies to St. Elmo’s Fire. If this trilogy is about any two things, it’s sex and cinema, making the City of Angels the perfect setting for its final chapter.
Genre lovers will be salivating throughout MaXXXine’s runtime. It pays tribute to the slashers that defined the 1980s, yes, but it goes beyond this subgenre and really ends up being a love letter to horror and cinema in general. A chase scene brings Maxine right into the home of Psycho’s Norman Bates on the Universal lot. Elizabeth Debicki defends her seemingly schlocky picture by saying it’s a “B-movie with A ideas.” There’s also an undeniable Hitchockian and ‘40s noir atmosphere throughout. The aforementioned chase scene feels like a journey through cinema in the mid-20th century with notes of classic ‘40s and ‘50s movies from The Big Sleep to Vertigo.
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Just when you think it might feel derivative, underneath all these tributes is West’s distinct style. Those looking for tons of gore and blood should be satisfied but not overly so. In terms of scares and horror imagery, X still comes out on top. MaXXXine winds up being more a mystery noir than an out-and-out horror film, but there are still scenes (one in particular when a man picks on the wrong woman down a dark lane) that will satiate all your bloodthirst. Don’t expect a ton of kills, but West makes sure that the ones we do get count. While X basked in the violence and bloodshed perpetrated by its deranged slasher, MaXXXine uses its kills to drive forward its mystery. Again, think Raymond Chandler but with a guy getting his balls stomped to smithereens.
'MaXXXine' Puts Style Before Story
Now that the trilogy is complete, it feels like the three installments all have their own strength. X's is gore and atmosphere, resulting in a genuinely terrifying horror movie full of great kills and even better tension; Pearl is all about character, diving head-first into the wicked fantasies of a deranged person’s quest for fame. MaXXXine focuses on visuals and style. What stops it from reaching god tier is the straightforward and fairly predictable script. This is mostly felt in its climax. West packs the first half with so much action and intrigue that he effectively creates the tension and stakes needed to carry us to the final 20 minutes. But when the finale arrives, it feels rushed and overly simplistic.
Don't expect the character studies or thematic subtext of the previous installments. MaXXXine opens with a quote from Bette Davis "In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star." While this might have you thinking that this is Pearl 2.0 and we're about to watch the titular character fully transform into a beast in her pursuit of stardom, her character growth ultimately gets lost in the shuffle. It may seem like a major downside but it's very hard to care about the movie's disappointing script when West is constantly throwing visuals at you to be horrified at and in awe of simultaneously. It's a case of not style over substance but certainly style before substance. There's still a compelling tale here, it's just nothing we haven't seen done before in horror (or Tarantino).
The Cast of 'MaXXXine' Is Electric
Mia Goth does an incredible job of tracking Maxine’s character progression from X. She’s clearly traumatized and the "Texas Porn Star Massacre" has only hardened her, making her more determined and unapologetic in her pursuit of stardom. When the detective pleads for her help in the case in order to save the next girl, Maxine retorts “Maybe she should save herself — I had to.” Maxine has closed herself off from love, friendship, and connection, and the film sees her come to realize that women need each other in the face of so much danger. Goth is asked to wear a lot of hats, from cocky to terrified to vulnerable, and she never misses a beat.
There’s no denying that this is Goth’s film but Elizabeth Debicki is close to stealing the show. She plays Bender with the imperial authority of a Roman guard, chewing up every last bit of scenery. She’s a Shakespearean villain with her nose firmly in the air as she defends her artistry. It might seem out of line in a pretty wacky horror film, but Debicki always knows when to dial it back from becoming a caricature. Every member of the supporting cast fills their roles to perfection. From Lily Collins' idealistic young actress (with a Welsh accent despite being from Yorkshire) to Kevin Bacon’s sleazy PI to Giancarlo Esposito and Moses Sumney as much-needed allies, the casting is one of the MaXXXine's biggest strengths.
MaXXXine feels like the movie that Ti West has been champing at the bit to make. It’s the type of film that directors and writers want to make and cinephiles want to watch. Sure, the story isn’t groundbreaking, but it makes up for it in its tribute to why we love cinema, specifically horror, so much. Even though it wasn’t needed, MaXXXine secures Ti West’s trilogy as one of the best in horror history.
REVIEW
MaXXXine
Maxxxine is a visually stunning wild ride through the dark streets of LA, closing out Ti West's horror trilogy.
- Ti West packs MaXXXine with a ton of cinema references, making it a movie lover's dream.
- MaXXXine puts Ti West's visual flair on full display, making it a feast for the eyes throughout its entire runtime.
- The cast of MaXXXine led by Mia Goth is fantastic with a standout performance from Elizabeth Debicki.
- MaXXXine's finale is an ultimate letdown, feeling rushed and overly simple.
- Compared to X and Pearl, MaXXXine doesn't feel as packed with ideas and themes.
MaXXXine makes her way into theaters in the U.S. on July 5. Click below for showtimes near you.
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