Following the praise and commercial success of X and its prequel Pearl, writer and director Ti West had become the new type of horror world builder, akin to the James Cameron of the 1980s. Like Linda Hamilton or Sigourney Weaver, West has the incredible good fortune of having a power house performing in Mia Goth leading this franchise.
X perfectly encapsulated the 1970s slasher films whereas Pearl was arguably more twisted and offered Goth more opportunities to stretch herself in multiple roles.
It’s ever harder to write now about MaXXXine, which is a crushing disappointment stemming from the flawed screenplay penned by West (who also serves as editor, producer, and director). West’s trademark and engrossing style remains present as we take a tour into studio life in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s… it’s Hollywood decadence on full display. West balances the neon-tinted nightlife with studio backlots and a pitch perfect score in the syth stylings of 80s icons, this time provided by Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, Daedpool 2).
The visual aesthetic, captured by Director of photography Eliot Rockett, is on blazing display in the trailer below and is one of the film’s strongest elements to hold your attention in a rather lengthy runtime.
The Night Stalker is terrorizing the town amid the rise of a young starlet who is dealing with her own terrorizing — namely from conservatives that blame films for the devolution of America’s youth into Satan-loving hell-raisers.
That starlet is Goth’s Maxine Minx, who has landed in Hollywood with dreams of stardom and putting her near fatal adult film career behind her (X took place roughly six year before MaXXXine). Unfortunately, women to the left ans right of Maxine are falling victim to bloody deaths and the police detectives from the LAPD (played by Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan) think tracking down Maxine will help the investigation. There’s also a P.I. from out of town, Kevin Bacon, on the trail… his motivations and inclusion in the film only serve to add pressure to the protagonist and better character development could have minimized the pursuing figures.
The lengthy back lot chase by Bacon’s character could easily have been cut entirely from the film. The thing most absent from this installation is the swagger of Maxine, which seems to be another victim of not take by the Night Stalker but West’s screenplay.
Elizabeth Debicki is another A list name given little to do as the director of The Puritan II, the film project within the film. Although Goth remains a singular screen presence, her performance is limited by the character on the page who is simply reactionary as we move to the climax. Oddly, the conclusion arrives and there is little tension or interest from an audeince’s persepctive. West seems to have been detracted by a myriad of references without cohesion, much like many of the scenes that could be excised by any editor other than the writer/director.
Despite everyone’s best intentions, the singular vision of West (who wears far too many hats on this film) fails to connect on this third outing.
Letter Grade: C-