A24 has finally lifted the review embargo for Ti West’s “MaXXXine,” and as expected, reviews are good not great. The film has a 71 on Metacritic (based on 16 reviews) and is 85 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
“MaXXXine” has such a killer set up, it really sucks you into its lurid ‘80s B-movie vibes, but the payoff, for me at least, just falls flat. I won’t exactly go into detail as to why the climax disappoints because spoilers would be needed to vent off my frustrations. However, I will say that for most of the runtime, I truly thought “MaXXXine” was going to be the best film of West’s trilogy. I was utterly absorbed by the mosaic of characters.
Set in 1985, five years after “X,” Goth’s Maxine moves to Hollywood to find the fame she’s been murderously craving. A big break in her career occurs when she gets a role in a cheapie horror sequel. Lily Collins is Maxine’s co-star and the lead of the film. Elizabeth Debicki is the director. A darkly hilarious Giancarlo Esposito is Maxine’s shady agent.
While Maxine focuses on conquering the industry, L.A. is being terrorized by the “night stalker” who is very eager to meet her, to the point where many of the people around Maxine turn up dead. Maxine’s connections to the murders alerts two detectives, played by Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan. A scene-stealing Kevin Bacon is the corrupt private investigator hired by an anonymous person to find Maxine.
“MaXXXine” is West’s most ambitious film of the trilogy, juggling multiple characters and storylines, but somehow making it all gel perfectly, until its disappointing payoff. No surprise, Mia Goth is excellent as the titular character, a sociopath hellbent in attaining fame, no matter the cost. However, Goth’s artfully attuned work in “Pearl” is still the zenith of her career.
The film embraces its sleaze. Some of the kills are absurdly gruesome. Many of the characters are despicable. I loved the vivid recreation of 1980s Hollywood, aided by DP Eliot Rockett’s grainy photography. “MaXXXine” can almost be seen a pitch-black comedy in the way in never truly takes itself seriously.
If anything, West’s trilogy will ultimately be remembered for being Goth’s triumph. Much like Maxine, she’s sealed her fate as an actress to watch in the years to come. Her work in West’s films has been nothing short of extraordinary. [B]
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