Mia Goth, left, and Halsey in “MaXXXine.” Credit: Courtesy of A24 via TNS
“I will not accept a life I do not deserve!”
Such is the slogan of Maxine Minx, the titular character of “MaXXXine.” The motto was also screamed out by actress Mia Goth in her debut as Maxine in “X” — a March 2022 horror film marking the “X” trilogy’s beginning, with a prequel movie titled “Pearl” hitting theaters just six months later — as well as on the latest installment’s red carpet premieres.
Unfortunately, the phrase would more accurately describe “MaXXXine” if it were tweaked to read as follows: “I will not accept a sequel that did not deserve to be made!”
“MaXXXine” is set against the glitzy backdrop of ‘80s Hollywood, drowned in the neon bath of street signs. At first glance, these lights seem to promise bright stardom within the movie industry but, in reality, advertise the street-level sleaze of strip clubs and other unsavory ventures by which Maxine is employed.
A porn star, Maxine desperately seeks to become a “real” movie star and leave her tumultuous, violent past — seen in “X” — behind her. However, she can’t shake the prior films’ events as she’s stalked by an ominous private detective (Kevin Bacon), who works for a serial killer targeting Maxine’s coworkers.
Director Ti West’s “X” trilogy was built upon mimicking and twisting old Hollywood staples, with “X” putting a clever twist on famously cheesy ‘70s slashers and “Pearl” being reminiscent of early-19th-century melodramas.
“MaXXXine” is the most on the nose in this regard, clumsily delivering a heavy-handed message about golden-age Hollywood’s corruption and what women must give up to become shining stars.
“MaXXXine” simply lacks the clever subtext and dark humor of its predecessors, with most of the characters being disappointingly one-dimensional as they narrate the film’s themes.
There’s even a hilariously unnecessary scene in the film’s middle section that sees the strict director of the horror film Maxine is cast in take her to the famous Bates Motel seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film “Psycho,” during which he flatly drones on about what it takes to make it in the film industry.
And while Mia Goth is the least of the film’s major issues — delivering a perfectly decent performance — West’s overtly cliche script limits her in a way that renders her a shell of the character she portrayed in “X’’ or “Pearl.”
Part of the charm behind “MaXXXine’s” predecessors was seeing Goth’s unchecked feminine rage, a prominent reason behind the trilogy’s cult following.
At no point in either story did it seem like Goth wasn’t the film’s main attraction, in full control of her own story through whatever means possible. But in “MaXXXine,” Goth is too often a bystander, robbed of her spontaneous idiosyncrasies and stripped of any meaningful character agency.
Dismembered by West’s remarkably mediocre screenplay, which dulls the performances of a star-studded cast, “MaXXXine” ends a trilogy that had enormous potential with an underwhelming fizzle.
“MaXXXine,” you are not a star.
Rating: 2/5
