In 2022 Ti West's throwback slasher X was a big surprise early in the year. The even bigger surprise however, was the prequel Pearl which was secretly shot at the same time and released later in the year. Now two years later we are treated to MaXXXine, the final film in this out of nowhere trilogy, taking the central character into 80s Hollywood. I was a big fan of both X and Pearl, so I had high hopes for this one, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.
I'll get this out of the way first, I liked the movie, it's a solid entry in what has wound up being a pretty strong trilogy. That being said, I think it could have been a lot better. Where the first two films were very clean in terms of tone and pacing, this is a bit of a mess. At times it focuses on Maxine's Hollywood career, at others it's a crime mystery thriller, and at others it's an 80s style slasher movie. While I enjoyed all of these elements on their own, West struggles to find a sense of cohesion between them leading to a finished product with flashes of brilliance brought down by inconsistent storytelling. The pacing becomes a victim here as the film loses steam pretty often as it teases horror only to then pull the rug out from under itself in servicing the other elements. I actually really liked the mystery element of this one, but it just doesn't feel like it had enough time to breath to fully reach its potential.
The narrative struggles are my only big issues with the film, as it offers a ton to love especially with the cast. Mia Goth proves herself as one of the horror genre's brightest stars, building on her work in the previous films to deliver a powerhouse performance in the lead here. I don't think Maxine as a character is quite as deep as Pearl was, but there's a sense of guilt and trauma based anger boiling under Maxine in this film that I think Goth nailed throughout. Similar to the different tones, there are a lot of different supporting characters here, many of which don't quite get enough time to shine. Michelle Monaghan, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Moses Sumney are all really good but I just wish they all had more time to shine. There are two big highlights from the supporting cast though. Kevin Bacon is playing a private investigator with a great southern drawl and it just seems like he's having a blast. He is without a question the most fun part of the movie and continuously pops up for a decent stretch of the runtime. Elizabeth Debicki is also a standout, only really appearing in the Hollywood focused scenes but having a truly powerful aura to her each time she shows up on screen.
From a technical standpoint I appreciated this a lot. Visually this is probably going to be one of if not the most vibrant horror films we'll get this year, with the 80s aesthetic making for a pretty stunning watch. I also loved the way West paid homage to the classics, especially in his use of the Bates Motel set from Psycho. While the film isn't as horror focused as X, it still nails the horror when it needs to, offering some gruesome kills sure to delight horror fans. The score and soundtrack are also both great in bringing to life the 80s vibe, adding to the film's energy quite well.
All in all, this definitely feels like it could have been better. A great cast and terrific visuals are hampered by a messy narrative that never feels like it knows what it wants to be. Regardless, there is tons to appreciate with this even if it doesn't quite stick the landing for this trilogy.
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