MaXXXine First Reviews: A Gnarly, Potent Satire with a Magnetic Mia Goth at Her Best

Mia Goth returns as the title character in MaXXXine, the third installment of Ti West’s hit horror trilogy involving a murderous adult film actress. This time, Maxine Minx has to deal with the threat of a real historical serial killer who terrorized Los Angeles in the 1980s: the Night Stalker. Following the acclaim of X (94%) and its prequel, Pearl (92%), does this sequel continue the critical success of the franchise? The first reviews of MaXXXine mostly say yes, though some are saying it’s still the lesser of the three. The main reason to see it remains Goth, who may deliver her best performance yet, while many reviews nevertheless agree that the movie falters in its climax.

Here’s what critics are saying about MaXXXine:

Is it as good as the first two movies?

West might have saved the best entry for last, with MaXXXine a neon-tinted Hollywood nightmare filled with ambition, cut-throat action, and an excellent depiction of the final girl.
— Kat Hughes, THN

Ti West goes three for three.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

Like its predecessors, X and Pearl, this is a gleeful dive into retro movie tropes with vivid period evocation, this time featuring a deluxe supporting cast.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Vibrant in sleaze, satire, and shocking violence, MaXXXine was on the brink of being the best West and Goth have made yet. But a bungled ending leaves a sour taste.
— Kristy Puchko, Mashable

MaXXXine [is] the least of the trilogy, [but] not a bad film in and of itself.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

It’s no Pearl.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

MaXXXine is not as good as Pearl, but it is better than X.
— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

(Photo by ©A24)

Does it stand on its own?

One has to give tremendous kudos for West’s ability to create a film trilogy where each installment is so different from the last one, which means you don’t necessarily have to watch the other two movies before seeing this one.
— Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior

The best part is that newcomers can enjoy it as a standalone, but watching X and Pearl beforehand exponentially enhances the experience, creating a nearly perfect sequel.
— Tatiana Hullender, Screen Rant

MaXXXine is as different to its predecessors as they are to one another. The constant reinvention of West’s work is to be commended with each film working as both a standalone project, as well as a cohesive whole.
— Kat Hughes, THN

It takes a while for MaXXXine to start feeling like a direct sequel to X. This is, surprisingly, one of its strengths; it tries to stand on its own before reaching into the past.
— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

Does it honor old slasher movies?

West and cinematographer Eliot Rockett have worked tirelessly to create a movie that feels of the era, and the end result is a sultry and dirty delight.
— Kat Hughes, THN

Pushing the showbiz homages further, West stages scenes on the Universal backlot and serves meta-exchanges about actors who got their starts in horror films. All this is fun, if slightly blatant in its nostalgia baiting.
— James Mottram, Total Film

The trick is this. West wants to pay homage to their utter junkiness — and, at the same time, to make a version of one of them that’s ironically “good”… MaXXXine is a grisly exploitation thriller set between quotation marks, with an anachronistically empowered heroine at its center.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

MaXXXine commits a bit too much to recreating the genre storytelling of the period… West has borrowed too much of the writing style of ‘80s slashers, which were not exactly known for being well-written.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

The movie is almost too much of a parody to work as a horror film in its own right.
— Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

(Photo by Justin Lubin/©A24)

How are the kills?

Gnarly.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

It delivers some of the series’ most extreme kills.
— Alison Foreman, IndieWire

There are testicles stomped on and heads exploded in scarlet-red, visceral detail.
— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

If you’ve come for the carnage — faces are branded, eyes are slashed, bodies crushed — then MaXXXine should satisfy your bloodlust.
— James Mottram, Total Film

MaXXXine’s one gnarly kill and its one instance of cartoonish violence aren’t nearly enough.
— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

What about the script?

West’s film is actually an abstract think-piece about women in cinema… MaXXXine has things to say about the objectification and humiliation of women in Hollywood, as actors and directors, and, alongside that, the belittling of horror as a genre too.
— Damon Wise, Deadline Hollywood Daily

There’s humor in the use of famous landmarks, from strategic action unfolding around the Hollywood sign to a splashy premiere at Mann’s Chinese Theatre, as it was then known.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Unfortunately, West’s storytelling is not as exciting here… It underwhelms, lacking the cleverness of the previous films.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

It’s more dramatically sterile, thanks to a story that quickly falls apart and mounting references that add up to very little (if anything at all).
— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

(Photo by ©A24)

Does it have a great soundtrack?

Nostalgists will eat up the soundtrack’s bangers, among them tracks by ZZ Top, New Order, Judas Priest and Kim Carnes, along with the indispensable synth-pop groove of Animotion’s “Obsession.” And Tyler Bates’ bone-chilling score helps ratchet up the suspense.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It is the soundtrack that cements MaXXXine as from the decade. Opening with ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin”, and featuring Frankie Goes to Hollywood, John Parr, Kim Carnes, and Animotion, this soundtrack couldn’t be more authentically ‘80s.
— Kat Hughes, THN

How is Mia Goth this time?

Goth is once more at the top of her game.
— Kat Hughes, THN

MaXXXine is Goth’s most well-rounded performance yet, blending elements of her mesmeric X characters with the modern villainy she brought to Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool for a singular genre role.
— Alison Foreman, IndieWire

She plays Maxine with a come-hither aggression that’s direct and compelling enough to let us wonder if Maxine could be hardcore porn’s hidden answer to Vivien Leigh.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Here, she takes the tender-hearted mania of Pearl and turns it colder, and more determined. As an actor, she’s very good at maintaining the separation between what she wants her audience to see and what she doesn’t.
— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

This is the Mia Goth show and fans wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s a magnetic presence who fortifies her command as a new breed of scream queen, tough enough to dish out punishment as well as receive it.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Watching her take center stage in this trilogy and grow from a promising up-and-comer to one of the all-time greats has been a thrill all on its own, but watching her take Maxine to ever greater highs of self-possessed ferocity is the kind of thing movies were made for.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

She is undeniable, unstoppable, and we should all consider ourselves lucky to even catch a random sighting of the formidable talent.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

(Photo by Justin Lubin/©A24)

What about the rest of the cast?

The movie gets plenty of juice out of its ensemble cast.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

MaXXXine boasts the strongest supporting cast of the trilogy… Giancarlo Esposito steals the show as Maxine’s cutthroat agent-lawyer Teddy Knight, and Elizabeth Debicki is an absolute vision as a no-nonsense director who is beyond done with the patriarchal playground of moviemaking.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

Giancarlo Esposito is the biggest standout, and he’s clearly having the time of his life playing loyal-to-the-core agent Teddy Night, but Elizabeth Debicki’s director role gives her plenty to chew on as well.
— Tatiana Hullender, Screen Rant

The film is almost stolen by the statuesque and charismatic Elizabeth Debicki in giant padded shoulders.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

In terms of the new characters, the real standout is Kevin Bacon as a sleazy private detective.
— Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior

Kevin Bacon… is on Wild Things level comedic gold.
— Kat Hughes, THN

Does the movie stick the landing?

West uses the final leg of Maxine’s story to imagine how a final girl’s trauma might fracture into a (wildly entertaining) vitriolic spray of revenge. The result is an outrageous display of toxicity with a bubbly appeal.
— Alison Foreman, IndieWire

The film’s last act is where things go a bit wonky… It may leave some viewers wanting because there has been so much proper build-up to a resolution that just doesn’t quite work.
— Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior

Something gets lost as West and Goth hurtle toward a climax that feels undeserving of the movie that leads up to it.
— Kristy Puchko, Mashable

The reveal of the killer’s identity is not only obvious but presented in a disappointingly straightforward way.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

When we’re finally hit with the revelation of who the killer is, it’s supposed to be the Babylon heart of darkness. But instead, you just think, “Sorry, I’m not buying that for a moment.”
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

(Photo by Justin Lubin/©A24)

Will it leave us wanting more of the X movies?

If they make another movie in the series, I’d still be on board.
— Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

You might find yourself hoping we haven’t seen the last of [Maxine].
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

At this point, we should all welcome as many movies as possible with Goth in the lead role. If Freddy, Jason, and Michael, are allowed massive franchises, no rule says we can’t have more of the X-factor.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

MaXXXine
(2024)
opens in theaters on July 5, 2024.

Thumbnail image by ©A24
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