MaXXXine (Ti West, 2024, USA/UK/New Zealand)

MaXXXine is the latest and final installment in the X film franchise. While X paid tribute to 70s grindhouse films including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Pearl owed equal tribute to The Wizard of Oz and Hitchcock, MaXXXine owes a great deal to the exploitation films of the 1980s. Set against the backdrop of LA's adult film industry during that period, as well as the infamous "Night Stalker" case, MaXXXine traces our protagonist's rise to fame. As is the case with most third entries in a franchise, MaXXXine hasn't received the same level of critical accolades as its predecessors, but it also has received a somewhat decent reception.

Despite its salacious setting and influences, MaXXXine is relatively tame. It has little sex, nudity, and gore. This might be surprising to some viewers who expected something a bit more extreme, even based on the film's title alone. Mia Goth reprises her role here as Maxine Minx. Goth herself has become something of a muse for the weird films of the 10s and 20s, though her performance style is perhaps something of an acquired taste. The film traces Maxine's transition from the adult film industry into the mainstream film industry, with a role in a horror film titled The Puritan II.

West's film is clearly a tribute to the video era in which he grew up. Of all the films in the trilogy, MaXXXine leans the most heavily into pastiche and lacks some of the originality of - for example - Pearl. As such, it is the weakest film in the franchise. The plot elements are all quite silly and the final conclusion of the film feels more like a Scooby Doo episode than a giallo. Overall, the film has some interesting elements but leans a bit too heavily into the pastiche and tribute.

5/10