Some of the best horror movies in recent years have come out of A24, and Ti West is responsible for two of them in X and its prequel Pearl. Two years later he’s back with a third offering in the franchise, MaXXXine, with Mia Goth reprising the role of the aspiring actress. MaXXXine’s release date is July 5, and critics have had the chance to screen the film before it slashes its way into theaters. First responses to the sleazy threequel were positive, and much of the critics' praise for the upcoming A24 movie seems to be centered around its star.
Mia Goth is, naturally, the star in Ti West’s latest project, but this time she’ll be surrounded by some new faces to the franchise, with Halsey, Kevin Bacon, Giancarlo Esposito and others filling in the cast around Maxine as she strives for stardom while trying to avoid the Night Stalker. In the CinemaBlend review of MaXXXine, Eric Eisenberg says this movie cements Goth’s place as a standout Final Girl. He gives the film 3.5 stars out of 5, writing:
It’s not difficult to look past the issues in the plot mostly because Mia Goth is so ridiculously compelling in the lead role that you’ll follow her through anything. The purpose and confidence that Goth projects is spellbinding, and it becomes powerful when blended with aggression, fear, and pain. The actress has some notable horror cred beyond this series thanks to her excellent work in Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake and Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, but MaXXXine helps her cement a special place in the genre’s history.
BJ Colangelo of SlashFilm gives it an 8.5 out of 10, saying that just as X and Pearl before it perfectly captured the worlds in which they were set, this upcoming horror movie is full of 1980s lusty, electric sleaze. This supporting cast is the strongest of the trilogy, but Mia Goth owns the franchise with another powerhouse performance. Colangelo says:
As is the case with the entire trilogy, this is Mia Goth's movie. All of the seeds planted in X are bearing fruit, and she's finally reached her final form. It's shocking to hear Mia Goth speak in her natural voice — a sweet, diminutive pitch… — and then to see the unstoppable power she brings to Maxine. She vibrantly gives herself over to this live wire, another transformative triumph. A lesser performer would be swallowed whole by the glitz and scum closing in on this world, but not Mia Goth. She is in total control of every inch of film and feels like horror's Angelyne in that she is undeniable, unstoppable, and we should all consider ourselves lucky to even catch a random sighting of the formidable talent.
Alison Foreman of IndieWire gives MaXXXine an A-, saying they feel the vibes of Charli XCX’s “Brat” as the hyperviolent threequel delivers the most extreme kills while doubling as a social lambasting. Mia Goth gives her fullest performance of the trilogy, the critic says, writing:
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. Giving the chameleonic actress more scene partners and set pieces to encounter than ever before in the City of Angels, 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 that could very well inspire a Charli XCX song all its own.
David Rooney of THR echoes other critics in lauding Mia Goth’s magnetic presence. He says she's paving the road for a new breed of scream queen, and by the time the credits roll, audiences will be praying Ti West comes through with a fourth offering in the series. Rooney continues:
In the space of just two years, the actress and her director have cooked up a highly entertaining slasher trilogy that nods back to the past while striding forward into the meta future, deliciously skewering the pursuit of fame and the lure of desire with an outpouring of love for the craft of moviemaking. As Maxine carves up a line of coke with her SAG card, you might find yourself hoping we haven’t seen the last of her.
Siddhant Adlakha of IGN also praises the lead actress, with her “chilling, unbroken stares,” but says that’s not enough to make up for what it lacks everywhere else. The critic rates MaXXXine a “Mediocre” 5 out of 10, saying:
MaXXXine's one gnarly kill and its one instance of cartoonish violence aren't nearly enough to justify its meandering 104 minute runtime. Mia Goth shines as usual, and Ti West's third slasher entry feels more visually polished than its predecessors, but it's also more dramatically sterile, thanks to a story that quickly falls apart and mounting references that add up to very little (if anything at all).
As expected after seeing MaXXXine's trailer, it sounds like 1980s sleaze permeates through this movie, and many critics are crediting the trilogy's satisfying conclusion to Mia Goth and her embodiment of the title character. MaXXXine hits the big screen on Friday, July 5.
