It’s hard to write about Maxxxine as a fan of X and Pearl, the proceeding films in Ti West’s X Trilogy, without sounding like I’m trying to convince myself that I liked it. That’s absolutely not the case.
The thing is, Maxxxine needs to be looked at two ways: As the end of a trilogy, and as a standalone film in its own right. In this light, I found it much more successful as the latter. That’s not to say that Maxxxine doesn’t do its job as the final chapter in the trilogy: It continues the storyline, and it closes this chapter in the life of Maxine Minx; it also carries with it thematic and technical aspects from the other films: It’s as different from Pearl as that film was from X, it features a terrific performance from Mia Goth, it subtly (and sometimes less subtly) references elements from its predecessors, and it further explores the various interpretations of “X Factor”.
This time, West is evoking the vigilante films of the 1980s (with a little bit of Argento inspiration added), and my take away is that in this case, the X Factor is Maxine Minx's ability to survive. This is one of the things that I find most fascinating about this trilogy, this exploration of the X Factor. For the three characters that Goth has played in this series, and I would assume for most of the audience, the X Factor means star quality. West, however, knows that there are other aspects that make people stand out. For Pearl, it was her insanity, for Maxine, that survival instinct is her true outstanding quality.
Taken on its own merits, Maxxxine is a highly entertaining flick that, for fans of X and Pearl, may not provide the emotional connection to character that the previous films hold, but is still a satisfying experience. Could it be that the films it evokes are just not as fertile an inspiration as those that inspired X and Pearl? I guess I need to go see it again.
