The third film in Ti West’s trilogy, MAXXXINE, starring Mia Goth (as Maxine), Kevin Bacon, and Simon Prast, was… okay. It’s wonderfully shot, with a slick, totally 80’s, neon noir vibe. I was intrigued, fully engrossed by the seedy underbelly of 1980’s Hollywood. There’s porn stars, cocaine, some cool kills, and a great soundtrack. I liked it – until it all fell apart in the third act. Slight spoilers ahead, but I won’t ruin the film.
Maxine Minx is a long way from where we last saw her in “X.” Now a famous adult film star, and living in Hollywood, she finally lands a role in an upcoming horror movie. When her friends become the latest victims of a serial killer stalking the area, she runs into a shady, slick talking P.I., played by Kevin Bacon, who threatens to reveal her murderous past. Of course, as we all know, it’s a very bad idea to threaten Maxine Minx.
The set up here isn’t bad. The story starts taking shape and the mystery builds over the first two acts, as we wonder who this man’s boss is. Who hired him? Is it someone who was there when they were at Pearl’s farm, making the movie in “X?” Who’s killing all these girls in Hollywood, and what does it have to do with Maxine? It’s all quite intriguing. I couldn’t wait to find out what in the hell was actually going on. Until I finally did.
I’m not going to spoil the twist here, I don’t want to be that guy. I will say that when the twist is finally revealed, and the final curtain is pulled back, the movie takes a hard nose dive into pure and utter ridiculousness. As beautiful of a film as it is, the end is messy, awkward, and unsatisfying. Painfully left with more questions than answers, I actually yelled at the screen in confused frustration.
Adding to my frustration was the fact that this could have been a great film. It wasn’t scary, by any means. Hell, I wouldn’t even call it a horror movie. But, if this thing had stayed grounded, it could have been a damn good thriller. I think a re-write to tighten up the disastrous third act would have done wonders for its mixed reception.
Kevin Bacon, surprisingly, just didn’t work for me in this movie. An above average character actor, I was disappointed in how shallow and overly uninteresting his antagonist was. I’m usually a fan, but this was certainly not the man’s best work. In his defense, though, the character is just cringe to begin with.
There is one, very compelling reason to watch it, though. Two words: Mia Goth. Mia really makes this film with her captivating performance. An absolute powerhouse the entire runtime. This might be her best performance of the trilogy. Seriously, this girl is on fire!
Aesthetically, they nailed the 1980’s, and there was some really great camera work. It’s paced a little slow at the beginning, but the film does a good job bringing the audience into Maxine’s new world. In the end, we’re left with one hell of a performance from our star, in a fantastic looking film that manages to grab your attention, only to lose it during a trainwreck of a third act.
Over all, I did enjoy the film. Not sure I’d watch it again, though. Maybe.
A24’s MAXXXINE is in theatres now.
