Maxxxine - Movie review by Shayen Unadkat

 Ti West is a great director, and ‘X’ & ‘Pearl’ have both showed this, but when his film that would top the trilogy, ‘Maxxxine’ was announced - everyone was excited to see how the titular character’s fate would turn out. Many months later, and the movie's release is upon us. So now, the question ponders - does ‘Maxxxine’ do a good job to close Ti West's unparalleled horror trilogy?

Mia Goth in 'Maxxxine'

There are some things that West has leveled up from his predecessors, including the aesthetics and overall production/set-design of the film. Both ‘X’ and ‘Pearl’ were fantastic at encapsulating the time period each respective movie was set in, but ‘Maxxxine’ does it even better. We really get an insight into the ‘Hollywood’ life from a female perspective in the early 80's, and this is done so in a realistic manner that catapults you into the time period through the visuals, score, and changes in camera-aesthetics that are on display.

Mia Goth has always been a powerhouse of an actress, and she proves this once more in ‘Maxxxine,’ bringing the emotion when needed, but also the fiery nature to her character when it is fair to do so. This is probably Goth’s best performance across West’s trilogy, playing a character that isn’t as eerie as Pearl, or as nuance-lacking as her younger self in ‘X,’ but is a redefined girl with a vision that has many emotions, and many obstacles, that will stop her from achieving it. Kevin Bacon also shines as one of these obstacles, and Giancarlo Esposito is fantastic as always, fitting into a role where he is, surprisingly, not villainous.

Giancarlo Esposito as 'Teddy Knight' in the film proves he can kill any type of role. 

The character work on display is also another talking point of the film. ‘X,’ as unique and engaging of a horror film as it was, lacked character insight and formation. ‘Maxxxine’ seems to have no problems with this. Its themes and realistic tackling of the titular character as she tries to navigate her way through the perplexing problems of Hollywood with a badass attitude, but also learning to move away from her past and not letting that catch up with her, adds another emotional layer to the film which is rare to see in horror movies nowadays.

As Maxine navigates her way to the top of Hollywood, she is tangled up in a murder mystery situation that is somehow tied to her past, as her closest friends are killed off. It’s some of the kills that are amalgamated into this storyline that gives us more of the audience-craved eerie vibes that should be expected from a film like this, and they are littered throughout the runtime. Though, and unfortunately, this is very inconsistent - allowing the film to fluctuate from the slasher that is fitting to West’s previous films in the trilogy, to basic, simple-plot murder mystery. All good murder mysteries should end up in a climactic, unpredictable reveal, but ‘Maxxxine’ only packs the latter. This is an unpredictable movie, and you will be curious to know how it ends. Though, you’ll also be questioning the pacing of it too. The third act is very off-vibe and anticlimactic, ultimately not ending the film in a way that should send off a trilogy. As well as this, the pacing is very inconsistent. You might at times be on the edge of your seat, but seconds later be snoozing off due to some prolonged sequences that provide nowhere near the levels of excitement the first two movies gave us.

Mia Goth killing it as the titular character

Though, criticisms aside, this movie does a solid job of closing off Maxxxine’s character - even though the narrative it withholds to do this is flawed. Ti West showcases a unique aesthetic, but it doesn’t withhold the charisma to act as a deserving end for such a great trilogy, even though this movie as a standalone is far from terrible. People will like this one in general, but if you’re looking for all the good stuff extracted from ‘X’ and ‘Pearl’ in a culminating finale, then hear me out - do not accept a movie you don’t deserve, because you aren’t getting that here.

OVERALL RATING - 7/10 - Recommend (But lower expectations..)