Ti West is back to present the last installment of his X movie series with the strikingly frustrating, MaxXxine. Mia Goth returns as Maxine Minx to seek out a life of fame and prosperity all while being targeted by a mysterious serial killer. It’s now 1985, and she’s ready to take her career to the next level. From porn star to Hollywood actress, Maxine will finally have the life she deserves.
Maxine’s story left off with her surviving multiple nights of turmoil and violence as her group of friends were killed by Howard and Pearl by the end of X. Ready to escape the trauma and seize all the opportunities in Hollywood, she’s ready to take her career to new heights.
In Los Angeles, Minx auditions and accepts a lead role in a new horror film, “The Puritan II” after she gets to demonstrate her exceptional acting skills in front of the director, Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). Her friends Leon (Moses Sumney), Tabby (Halsey), and Amber (Chloe Farnworth) all try to get her to celebrate at major Hollywood parties on different occasions, but she refuses. Maxine has to work her second job then catch up on rest if she wants to pay the bills and be perfect in her new film. As the story progresses, we come to realize that the Night Stalker (the infamous murderer) is targeting Maxine.
MaxXxine‘s unfocused storytelling results in a disappointing mess.
In uncovering the mystery of the serial killer while progressing Minx’s endeavors on set in her new film, MaxXxine loses all its steam and excitement. While there are several stellar moments sprinkled throughout, these entertaining ones are few and far between. I could blame the two storylines that are seemingly unrelated. Or I can even blame the ending, which felt unsatisfying to no end. Ultimately, the truth of the matter is that this film is boring. MaxXxine never reaches the heights of its predecessors, X & Pearl, in entertainment or value.
Not only does this installment not reach its potential, but it’s also quite a mess despite having the cinematography to support West’s artistic direction. Tonally, it’s unfocused to match the ongoing jumbled storylines happening at once. To make matters worse, these storylines feel like a clutter of ideas that should not have left the drawing board. I could tell West wanted to interconnect the previous films while installing new elements to the franchise with this latest addition. However, it is poorly executed. There’s no other way to say it.
Mia Goth is a gift to the X franchise.
With the ongoing problems that plague MaxXxine from being a decent story, it’s hard to fully judge the acting. However, Mia Goth does her damn best to work through the hurdles. She has this uncanny ability to demand both sympathy and disdain. Goth showed us her capabilities in delivering emotionally demanding monologues in Pearl. One movie later, she’s continuing to flex her skill while bringing new heights to her role. I cannot wait to see what Goth decides to do next. Much to my dismay, every other character is just an after-thought in the Maxine show.
I guess that’s what happens when the focus shifts away from good storytelling to capitalizing on momentum. In the case of West’s latest, it simply does not work.
