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MaXXXine Movie Review

MaXXXine is a 2024 horror film directed by Ti West and starring Mia Goth. It’s the weakest entry in this trilogy, but still a solid, fun flick.

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“Do you know what happened

to the last person who tried to kill me?

I crushed her fucking head“

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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. I loved ‘X’ and it was one of my favorites from that year. ‘Pearl’ was less of a horror movie, but it worked as a thrilling psychological horror. MaXXXine closed off the trilogy with diminishing returns as it’s the least scary entry, one that belongs more to the crime thriller genre than the horror one.

The story continues from ‘X’ as Maxine is being threatened by some powerful men to reveal what happened to her during the events of the first film. Thus, this movie stands as a continuation of that original film and not the second one. The two should be watched together in succession. The movie is kinetic, fun and vibrant, but it lacked the thrills and scares necessary for this genre.

Mia Goth is once again superb in the role of Maxine. This isn’t her best performance in this trilogy, but she’s still fantastic throughout. She has a movie star look to her and evident charisma, thus she exuded so much star power in this undeniably juicy feminist role. The other characters and actors all served their purpose, though they weren’t particularly memorable with the exception of the over-the-top and wild Kevin Bacon.

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MaXXXine is at its best when it’s being purposely trashy while still being stylish and highly cinematic. The first half is where the movie excelled the most at being an homage to previous cult horror movies and a genuinely entertaining, though slight flick in its own right. Ti West’s directing is excellent and so is the editing. The 80s score is so much fun. I just wished that the third act had a better resolution. The villain was too silly and typical while the entire conflict and conclusion felt rushed, standard and immensely disappointing in comparison to the much more striking and engaging remainder of the film.