MaXXXine
★★★
As a big fan of X and Pearl, I found MaXXXine to be a letdown, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to appreciate in Ti West's conclusion to his X trilogy.
What West dared to accomplish with these three films, using Mia Goth as his muse to weave together interconnected themes and characters while allowing each film to stand on its own, is something I have a hard time imagining another filmmaker replicating.
MaXXXine is West's love letter to the '80s slasher genre, and the cinematography, editing and costume design are a lot of fun to take in. Throw in yet another behind-the-scenes look at the film industry, and there's plenty for film geeks to gawk over.
The problem with this third installment is that it never kept me on edge the way the previous two films did. I was never particularly nervous or scared, although perhaps that's more of a criticism of the slasher genre itself. There's a stronger crime-solving element to this film, and while the story unfolds in a natural direction, the conclusion doesn't deliver the same shock or satisfaction that West so brilliantly pulled off in the previous films.
I'm also not convinced MaXXXine holds up as well on its own if you haven't seen the other two films. That's particularly disappointing because part of the trilogy's appeal is how stylistically different each installment feels while still belonging to the same cinematic universe.
Mia Goth is once again wonderful, and you can tell the success of the previous films helped West attract an impressive supporting cast, including Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon. Everyone seems to be having a blast, but unfortunately, that enthusiasm isn't quite as infectious as it should be.
Still, MaXXXine makes for a great Halloween watch if you're looking for a little gore without too many scares. It may be the weakest entry in the trilogy, but there's something to be said for a filmmaker who can make three movies that feel so distinctly different while remaining unmistakably his own.
