Savage Cinema Reviews – Maxxxine 2024
Maxxxine, the third film in Ti West’s “X” Trilogy had a lot of expectations to live up to for me since I am a huge fan of both of the previous films in this series (X 2022 and Pearl 2022), and also a fan of the man, himself. My fandom extends outside of this trilogy, I really enjoy his catalog. The main standouts being Sacrament (2013), The Innkeepers (2011), and House of the Devil (2009).
This film is drenched in the style of De Palma’s 80’s. We get a montage of the current events of 1985 set to ZZ Top’s Gimme All Your Lovin’. Setting the stage for a film dripping with that 80’s elegance. That style is consistent throughout the film, and it creates a perfect canvas on which to tell this story.
Saturated in the miasma of Satanic Panic and The Night Stalker, the story itself revolves around Maxine Minx. A spirited porn star (who we were introduced to in Ti West’s X), bound and determined to break into the mainstream film industry and become a star! Just as she finds a little success by being cast in a movie called The Puritan II, she receives a police evidence VHS tape which contained a porn movie she starred in, but was never released because of the events of X. It was left anonymously in front of her apartment door. This is the beginning of Maxine’s true test. The world starts falling down around her. Her friends are being murdered, she’s being followed and harassed by a private dick (played by Kevin Bacon), and being hunted by a killer. This begs the question… Will all of these distractions get in the way of Maxxxine taking the first step in her rise to stardom? Will this be too much for her to overcome to finally be a star? Find out by watching Maxxxine!
The film is a great whodunnit which contains wonderful performances by everyone involved. However, I happen to think it’s much more than a plain thriller. Since we are already familiar with Maxine’s character, we know there is something else beneath the surface. Mia Goth has been amazing playing both Maxine Miller and Pearl Douglas in previous entries to this series. Mia Goth, as an actor, is very interesting, as well. There is no denying that she is a beautiful woman, but she’s so unique looking, that it makes her stand out. What else stands out, are the types of films that she’s starred in. From A Cure for Wellness from 2016, to Infinity Pool from 2023, she chooses to be in very eccentric and dark films. I like this about her. That’s why she is so suited to play Maxxxine. She expresses desperation while simultaneously displaying a kind of neurosis and obsession with “making it” in Hollywood. It’s a very interesting mix that makes this character really shine. It’s this intensity and lunatic drive at the heart of the story, that really makes this more than a plain mystery thriller.
I will not even come close to spoiling this film, and will not talk about the ending at all except to say that it’s a satisfying way to end this trilogy. All in all, Maxxxine is a worthy entry to the “X” Trilogy and a great time.
