MaXXXine

Maxine solving overpopulation one ball stomp at a time.

5.9 - a movie full of good moments that fall fairly flat overall. Ti West again captures the aesthetics of the chosen era well. The callbacks, Easter eggs, montages & neon lit settings, over the constant chatter of satanic panic & serial killers all set the scene perfectly for a gory Hollywood crime thriller of a trilogy finale. But the story falters down the stretch & is totally lost by the 3rd act. No development, no reckoning with the events of Texas, a messy but predictable climax, & only one good onscreen kill. Mia Goth has star power worthy of Maxine’s dreams but this was a firmly middling disservice to its predecessors.

Nice way to wrap up the trilogy but this was definitely the least slasher-y of the bunch. Ranking order would be X, Maxxxine, & Pearl. Kudos to the entire team for churning these movies out in a 5 year span!

Rated: 7.3/10

Being a massive survival horror fan, I honestly couldn’t wait to see how Maxine’s gritty journey finally wrapped up. I love this; it’s a sleazy, neon-soaked 80s trip that perfectly caps off her wild journey.

The Director's Eye (What Worked):
• Goth crushes it, giving Maxine fierce, unstoppable energy.
• Bacon as a creepy investigator is honestly so entertaining.
• The gritty 80s LA aesthetic and synth soundtrack totally pulled me in.

The Friction (What Didn't Click for Me):
• Weaving the Night Stalker murders into the background got messy and distracted me.
• The big villain reveal in the final act honestly felt rushed to me.

The Verdict:
I love it. Watch for a stylish 80s slasher. Skip if heavy sleaze turns you off.

Messy. Disappointing. Trope-y. It genuinely felt like a Pinterest board of 80’s vibes.

I liked this the least of the series but I still liked it.