MaXXXine (2024) spoiler free review
Hollywood is a killer. MaXXXine is a 2024 American slasher horror film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It is a direct sequel to X (2022) and the third installment in West’s X film series. The film had its premiere in Los Angeles on June 24, 2024 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, and was released by A24 on July 5, 2024 in the United States.
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. However, as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Los Angeles, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
Film synopsis
The cast includes Mia Goth as Maxine Minx, Elizabeth Debicki as Elizabeth Bender, Moses Sumney as Leon, Michelle Monaghan as Det. Williams, Bobby Cannavale as Det. Torres, Halsey as Tabby Martin, Lily Collins as Molly Bennett, Giancarlo Esposito as Teddy Knight, Kevin Bacon as John Labat, Simon Prast as Ernest Miller, Chloe Farnworth as Amber James, Sophie Thatcher as an FX Artist, Ned Vaughn as News Anchor, Uli Latukefu as Shephard Turei, and Charley Rowan McCain as young Maxine.
My opinion
Six years after the events of X (2022), Maxine is still in search of fame now in Los Angeles. In 1985 Hollywood, a serial killer stalks the streets and makes Maxine his next target, or so she thinks. Torn between her dark past and the bright future that awaits her, Maxine must be willing to do anything if she wants to finally become a star.
Ti West immerses us in the Hollywood of the 80s accompanied by neon, glamor and danger. The visual aspect is effective thanks to the makeup, costumes, production design, music, editing and practical effects that pay tribute to the horror films of the time. The weak link is the story and narrative. Various elements are introduced to the story that in the end lack importance or justification. The plot twist is predictable from the beginning, removing the impact when it is revealed, becoming anticlimactic. The cast offers the best they can with the material provided and the acting talents of actresses like Elizabeth Debicki are wasted.
MaXXXine closes the story in an unsatisfactory way while leaving the door open for a possible fourth film. It is not West’s worst film, but it is the weakest of the three that make up the X series, which was very close to being perfect. And just like that, MaXXXine becomes a horror film that can be enjoyed and appreciated but is not at the level of quality of its predecessor.