Watch MaXXXine (2024) Become a Fucking Movie Star

Title: MaXXXine

First Non-Festival Release: July 4, 2024 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Ti West

Writer: Ti West

Runtime: 103 Minutes

Starring: Mia Goth, Elzabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Halsey

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

Actors are often stereotyped as pathologically fame-obsessed. The fickleness of Hollywood mixed with the over saturation of aspiring talent, means any move can make or break a career.

At the height of the Satanic Panic, this is all that’s on the mind of Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) after escaping the hell farm from X. Working multiple jobs to make ends meet while maintaining a steady stream of auditions, Maxine is feeling the pressure of aspiring to stardom while suppressing the trauma of surviving a massacre. Just when she thinks she gets a lucky break in the leading role of Pilgrim II, Maxine is visited by a specter of her past. Forced to confront her demons, Maxine will have to decide if her grit and determination is enough to be a star.

Although it doesn’t reach the heights of its sister films, MaXXXine is a thoroughly enjoyable slice of Satanic Panic cinema.

Interweaving the Satanic Panic into the narrative, MaXXXine continues the franchise’s commentary on the evolution of film and the way society and individuals connect with it. With Pearl showcasing the advent of film, and pornography, the idea of being a star is introduced during a global pandemic. In X, adult films are seen as the gateway into a steady life, and eventually stardom, echoing the time when film is readily available to consumers and mirroring today’s availability of pornography. In MaXXXine, this is true too with the added caveat that horror is now thought of as the new pornography, which makes it a perfect transition for Maxine. In the current culture of banning books, decrying nudity and sexuality in film, and the canceling of artists championing transgressive art, we are at the apex of a new conservative movement. All of this to say, the franchise has done a wonderful job of mimicking trends in film and reflecting them back to us.

The Los Angeles setting serves as a natural progression for Maxine’s story of triumphing over trauma. Hollywood sleaze permeates through every frame. Each design choice and set piece evokes a feeling of nostalgia overcast a sweaty and scandalous LA. A low budget film set, a mom-and-pop video store, and plenty of wild after parties give MaXXXine the veneer of grime it deserves. Even though it has its faults, and life isn’t exactly what she expected it to be at this moment, Maxine is undeterred.

Mia Goth’s striking performance allows Maxine’s star power to shine. Taking Maxine’s trauma from the previous film and channeling that into something even more hardened and determined, Goth commands the screen, daring the audience to not support her rise to fame. Goth’s steeliness is more restrained this go-around, indicating that Maxine’s resolve has solidified now that she has proven herself. Maxine has more moments to herself of inciting terror rather than being directly confronted by it. For most of MaXXXine, she is a direct agent in shaping her life. While the events of X happen to her, Maxine is in the driver seat this time. Goth is all too capable to slide into the more confident version of Maxine. Snarling with power rather than desperation, Goth lets viewers know that Maxine has made it long before her name is up in lights.

Unfortunately, with all of these promising elements MaXXXine doesn’t fully piece them together in the end. Once everything is revealed, the film suffers from too many ideas at once, both thematically and story-wise. While it does tie the franchise together in a neat bow, more could have been done to facilitate a better flow to the story progression. Its implementation of the Night Stalker and Satanic murders is especially in need of development.

An overall excellent experience that trips up mainly with its story’s final threads, MaXXXine is a satisfying ending to the Ti West slasher love letter trilogy. Despite being the weakest entry in the series, MaXXXine holds its own by carving a stylistic niche within the trilogy. Goth’s excellent performance, as usual, leads the strong ensemble cast to victory in wrapping up all the loose ends in Maxine’s journey. Sex, horror, and film go hand in hand, if you haven’t already experienced the show-stopping allure of MaXXXine, what are you waiting for? She’s a fucking movie star.

Overall Score? 8/10