A lacklustre conclusion to the trilogy
The third in the X trilogy, MaXXXine follows the lone survivor of, as the film refers to it, the ‘Texas Porn Star Massacre’ as she heads to Hollywood to finally become a star. But, with the Night Stalker on the loose and working in a killer industry, the past is not done with Maxine yet.
Much like the Maxine character herself, the X trilogy has been a star-making vehicle for Mia Goth. She doesn’t get to do anything as interesting as what she did in 2023’s Pearl, but she does firmly establish herself as a bona fide scream queen and one of the best ‘final girls’ out there. Now more than ever, Maxine takes control of the situation, similar to Jamie Lee Curtis in 2018’s Halloween, especially now that she’s strutting her stuff around the dark, smoky streets of '80s Hollywood while the Night Stalker is at large. The film does a good job of capturing the timely aesthetic and creating a sense of danger around every corner.
Each entry in this trilogy has been refreshingly different while tackling a different horror sub-genre - X a 70s slasher, Pearl a '50s/'60s technicolour psychological horror - and the same is true for MaXXXine, but with diminishing returns. Focusing less on gory kills and creepy killers, despite constant references to the Night Stalker, and more on foot chases and a basic mystery, MaXXXine feels more like a thriller than any familiar horror sub-genre. The longer this went on, the less point there seemed in continuing Maxine’s story past the satisfying ending of X.
MaXXXine is not a bad film, but this unexpected closer to one of the better horror series in years makes this reviewer reassess how he’s been enjoying these films. It would appear the main thrust of this series has been the message about the corrupting power of fame, and not the tackling of different horror sub-genres. It’s fine on its own, but a lacklustre conclusion to this trilogy.
Rating: 5/10
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