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When Ti West released his 70’s horror homage X back in 2022 you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking that the last thing this film needs is to be part of a trilogy. “X” a film that this critic considers one of the best horrors of the decade felt like it was a case closed scenario. West’s gruesome and hyper sexual throwback to 70’s Texas horror felt complete in its story while also giving us a glimpse into the director whose mumblecore upbringing seemed to be reaching for bigger heights. So perhaps that’s why when “X” started to grow with its subsequent film “Pearl” (also starring Mia Goth) there started to become a clearer picture that West wasn’t satisfied with just a grimy slasher film. No he wanted his little tribute to cinema to continue in other genres. If “X” was 70’s drive-in then “Pearl” becomes 40’s matinee sprinkled with the usual West chaos that had Goth at the forefront taking on two women who will stop at nothing to be a star. Maxine in “X” and “Pearl” in her own self-titled film Goth got to show her range to a wider audience and become a film twitter obsession and lifelong meme with her “but I’m a star” attitude. So while maybe “X” showed little signs of continuation (that is until an after credit surprise) West and Goth may have had clear intentions that the story of Maxine was always meant to be larger than what the screen could hold. Perhaps that’s the biggest letdown of their latest (and possibly) final outing MAXXXINE. A film so immersed in cementing a fictional star in the zeitgeist but in doing so feels like a big stumble and just a mockery of itself.

Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) still wants to be a star. After escaping the Texas bloodbath at the hands of the evil and very old Pearl back in 1979, Maxine has found her way into 1985’s Sunset strip Hollywood scene. A dangerous but exciting time full of heavy metal, video rental stores and for better or worse enough adult entertainment to define an entire city. Maxine herself has made a name for herself starring in adult entertainment, but she knows she is destined for more which leads her to an audition for an upcoming horror sequel “The Puritan II.” West wants to remind us of a time where horror films pushed out sequels left and right, but while most of these films ended up on the shelf of a video rental store becoming just one of many there were the rare occasions when one was held in higher regards and in West’s mind this is due to the director. In this case “Puritan II” is directed by Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki) who sees something in Maxine. Perhaps it is that star quality Maxine sees in herself. But as exciting as it is for her to be in a new Hollywood film Maxine’s past is far from done with her. West using the real life serial killer the night stalker sets up Maxine’s life to be in turmoil when several of her friends become victims to what the police believe to not just be the night stalker, but also believe Maxine may be under the killers hood. While the idea of Maxine going from farm girl to murderer isn’t that far stretched the film always believes itself to be cleverer than it is. West is clearly channeling DePalma with his set up but even DePalma knew how to just let loose and not attempt trickery for shocks sake.

MAXXINE wants to be an 80’s movie to tis core, but instead ends up feeling like one of the many poor episodes of American Horror Story. Even down to its casting of a pop singer to use as a dead body with Halsey (a self-proclaimed Jersey girl) delivering a dreadful accent that would be comical if it wasn’t clear she was so serious about the voice. MAXXINE delivers a large ensemble from Giancarlo Esposito as a shady but loyal lawyer named Teddy Night, and then there is Maxine’s friend and video rental store co-worker Leon (Moses Sumney), but even with throwing in maniacal private detective John Labat (Kevin Bacon attempting full ham) the film never knows how to fully utilize its cast. Instead it is focused on giving characters like Leon the stereotypical “knows everything about film” nerd role without ever letting that go to use. It is nice to see Esposito not be straddled with a serious role and try to get to have some fun, but even he as Teddy Night is just another loose plot that finds itself being cut short not in death, but rather screenwriting ability. Most of the 80’s cosplay can be ignored when it comes to West’s directing but this time around his screenwriting abilities feels shortsighted. West clearly wanted to make his video nasty tribute (it didn’t work) but it becomes clear that Maxxine and the X universe is just a vessel so he can make the homages he wants to rather than add one to the genre.

As Maxine’s life starts to unravel and she must figure out who is truly behind the killings the film sidelines its best weapon. Mia Goth has been able to create Maxine and Pearl using her wonderfully chaotic energy to show a woman who refuses to back down. Its maniacal, brave and all around entertaining, but MAXXXINE sidelines this energy (save for a scene involving heels and a man’s testicles) to give us a final girl whose energy does not seem alive. There are some great moments where Goth gets to show genuine fear and have to eventually evolve into rage, but its peculiar for such a set back when the character has been defined. This is perfectly fine if we are just learning or getting to know Maxine or even a new version of her but West in his need for this to be a trilogy ahs already set up the pieces so to re-introduce them feels redundant and wasteful. Most of MAXXXINE’s runtime feels wasted in introducing new characters when its Goth that should drive the story, not have her thrown into everything. Scenes involving Maxine and her director Elizabth work best as Goth and Debicki discuss an industry that welcomes young talent but casts them aside at the sign of any mistakes they deem immoral, especially women. Also introduced into the cast to keep these ideas going is Lily Collins as Molly Bennett the star of “Puritan II.” Collins steals her scenes showing us an actress that knows in an industry this rough it is women sticking together and employing one another that will help them survive. But even with these women knowing they can be thrown out at any “wrongdoings” the ultimate irony is it is an industry full of immoral people and even more so immoral dangerous men. This is not a revolutionary statement and even West may not be the best director to take a full stance on the ill treatment of women in the industry. Thankfully though Goth can more than deliver these ideas, which makes it a shame that the film introduces it but has more attention on giving A24 fans Halloween costume ideas than actual storytelling.

MAXXXINE does show the struggles with making a trilogy of any kind, especially original ones. There is the question after leaving the film that if this was ever intended to be a full series or if they got luck. “Pearl” was basically completed once “X” was released and the teaser for MAXXXINE was attached to Pearl’s credits so maybe this was the case. However each film still feels like West’s attempt to make a genre homage he loved while also shoehorning in ideas that this is a long legacy of a woman in different forms. Not a bad concept and one that would be quite intriguing had the director been able to contain these ideas throughout. Instead the “X” universe slowly is becoming a parody of itself. After all this is a trilogy that began with a group of filmmakers desperate to make the next big thing in their respected genre. They knew what they had on their hands could be bigger than what came before all for them to be killed off with no trace of their film in sight. MAXXINE while finding moments of entertainment becomes dangerously close to becoming like that film in “X.” A self-made movie that believes it can be the next best thing only to have it end on such a sour note that you practically feel like killing off the rest. Goth the constant in a three becomes this film’s biggest savor from damnation showing that it can be both just its own thing and a series all focused on the talents of one actor. But how far can that take you, in Maxine’s eyes it means she finally became her star, but for everyone else its just another movie on the shelf that gets thrown on in the background before it becomes lost forever.

C

MAXXXINE IS IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE FROM A24