Review – MaXXXine (2024) – Spoiler Free

Mia Goth, the current apple of horror's eye, once again excels in her second time taking on the devilishly slick and meticulously deep character of Maxine Minx, an ex-adult film star who, after the deadly massacre in X (2022), takes Hollywood by storm. However, after a string of brutal murders by a mysterious killer strikes 'the Hills', Maxine is once again thrust into a world of terror. Ti West's now completed X trilogy has seen nothing but praise for his take on the dark side of the desire for fame, coupled with a tinge of meta-esque storytelling and a dash of sinister yet tremendously wicked violence.

Just like the previous films, X and the surprisingly dense character study Pearl (2022), MaXXXine has no qualms in showcasing West's dedication to all things 'big screen'. The 'X' series is akin to that of a love letter regarding filmmaking, performing and what it takes to be a star. In true West fashion, the constant nods to the 'golden age' and the sacrificial nature of stardom all collide to create a trilogy that espouses the stunning but dark side of excelling in a cutthroat industry. 

Previous films set aside, how does MaXXXine hold up without its cinematic counterparts? In a nutshell, it seems West intended to utilise Maxine's dreams of being on the big screen, leading her to star in an upcoming horror movie, The Puritan II, directed by in-movie filmmaker Brit Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). The result of this sees MaXXXine become a spiritual embodiment of a classic, ultra-nostalgic, kind of sleazy (but in a richly entertaining way) 1980s horror B-movie!

Keeping the spoilers at bay: essentially, the film is evocative of a distinctive hyper-stylised aesthetic, equipped with standard neon lighting, melodramatic acting, campy dialogue, and a sense of independent filmmaking. Top all this off with the brilliant settings featuring elaborate film sets, such as a loaded, cliched video store, then MaXXXine is worthy of its own bingo card to tick off all the retro facets that West crams into every crevice. 

The evidential giallo-esque vibes make the film lush with an air of mystery, reminiscent of lusty noir thrillers that stormed 1970s horror. Alongside the glaringly sensual plot, MaXXXine features many glimpses of phallic, pointed knives and leather gloves, yet all of the flashiness does not completely hide MaXXXine's fault. The mentionable downfall is the film's lack of tension; the villain is predictable, the next victim is obvious, and any sense of exciting pacing is lost. It is as if the film is so caught up in its animated styling and almost intoxicatingly graphic, flamboyant ambience that the narrativisation takes the backseat. The major snag here is that all of these factors are forgivable in the grand scheme of what MaXXXine offers, yet, with West's evidential eye for detail, it is more that the lack of attention is disappointing.

Despite the gripe over the 'what ifs and buts' of the plot, MaXXXine is still a rollicking time that manages to surge a pang of exciting boldness into every inch of the screen.

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