https://youtu.be/ALNV4mdHGEE?si=Kd1OeiOiPUG6HpkS

The above announcement teaser showcased following the end credits of one of 2022’s very best films emphasized a third installment within a prolonged story. An analysis of humankind and specific desires. This analysis became a trilogy of feature films, with each exploring specific associations within the genre of horror. At the same time, the trilogy served reminder of how the craft of filmmaking has the power to be something really special, while giving the viewer insight into different generations and styles. 

• The first chapter — an exploration into the element of grindhouse horror, and themes centered around the periodic rise in independent filmmaking. 
• The second chapter — an exquisite piece of cinema that takes the viewer back to a time of classical storytelling — a hybrid of sorts between technicolor and melodramatic projects. 
• The third chapter — a love letter to the world of 1980s cinema emphasized by the exploration into home video — specifically how the Video Home System overshadowed the Betamax cassette. 

Due to this, a significant amount of hype could melt into the mind of the potential viewer. Promotion of stories such as this remind the viewer that, regardless of how the final product turns out, they are in the midst of something special. It sits in the back of their mind between the time they originally witness the announcement teaser to the moment they find themselves seated in their designated seat — ready to witness their idea of a cinematic moment play out before their eyes. 

The story of Maxine Minx, taking her opportunity, and seizing that opportunity. Everyone else might as well go home, because she nailed it!

The opening moments of the third chapter from writer/director Ti West set the stage for the next phase within his story. Even though momentary tidbits are presented in a vein of flashback or the title character’s experience from previous chapters, West presents this chapter in a mannerism where the previous are not required viewing beforehand. From an opening pre-title scene that cued a memorable quote, needle drop, and opening credits, the viewer is set to embark on a journey of wonderment as the credits progress. 

Maxxxine plays off as a designated viewing experience that could be seen as matinee entertainment. As this story is set within the 1980s, one could feel themselves blasting off from both the aformentioned opening needle drop and its follow-up that introduced the setting. They feel alive and ready to thrive on the journey they have embarked on. 

As the story progresses, the viewer descends down a path where the rising action could be described by an adjective of operation and one of the last words expected to be utilized when describing Maxxxine:

Slow. 

While the viewer familiarizes themselves with the title character and their surroundings, the introduction of one specific character halts the story more than advance it. Other viewers may ride the rising action and find themselves enjoying the nostalgia in the comparing and contrasting of similar stories from the past. All the while, though the viewer could see the exercise as a continuation of West’s love letter to both genre and craft, it highlights an adjective that could wind up deviating the viewer’s experience overall: 

Unoriginality. 

Gone is one of the more original set pieces of recent memory in Powder Kegs Farm. Replacing it is the more broader landscape of Hollywood — while not a problem in the sense of horizon expansion in the vein of continuation, it begs for a reminder of when a classic independent staple of originality within the cinematic craft is granted a full-fledged studio backed sequel in a tale of quantity over quality.
Such is the case in the vein of the story West is attempting to tell. Though a slasher piece within the genre of horror, Maxxxine comes off more as a murder mystery rather than straightforward horror. With story elements and specific character introductions, if the filmmakers took out moments of gruesomeness and adult material enough for the Motion Picture Association of America to grant Maxxxine it’s R rating, Maxxxine could be the latter of a triple feature for the USA Network on a Friday Night. 

West’s screenplay further backtracks through cheesiness in specific revelations, and an unnecessarily left field plot development that makes the revelation of Scream 3 on par with the classic revelation from The Empire Strikes Back. For all buildup and pyrotechnics, it saw West’s story fall flat on it’s face with more frustration than enjoyment. 

It is a shame to witness such a fall from greatness. Maxxxine is nowhere near the caliber of its 2022 predecessors. Fear subsides in the sense that the performances of Mia Goth (who also produced), Elizabeth Debicki, Giancarlo Esposito, and Halsey (among others) will be lost through undertones in legacy that The Godfather Part III and The Dark Knight Rises had with the motion picture industry. The viewer will ultimately decide for themselves if Maxxxine will be enjoyable across it’s myriad of formats. In the vein of matinee screenings or utilization of theater passes such as those of AMC Stubs or Season Pass from the Alamo Drafthouse, Maxxxine is a prime example of what they were made for, as it is a feature designed to be experienced in theaters. Time will tell if this chapter within Ti West’s filmography will be as memorable as other horror staples of this decade. Yet a bookend moment centered around Maxxxine emphasizes the story’s theme. A need to push forward and not lose hope. 

While Maxxxine did, indeed, nail it, will her legacy ultimately live up to the request of Be Kind Rewind? 

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3 on a scale of 5

(Thumbs Up) 

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MaXXXine is now playing only in theaters.