MaXXXine ★★★☆☆

As a huge fan of the first two Ti West films in this trilogy, I was extremely excited to see MaXXXine when they announced years ago. Upon release, I saw many mixed reviews which made me worried, however the film wasn't too bad. The story picks up after the events of X, in which Maxine Minx wants to put her pornography life behind her and become a movie star. Set in the 80s, a killer known as the Night Stalker has been terrorizing the city for a while, and when some of Maxine's friends show up dead, she is now on the police radar. Trying to stay out of trouble while balancing her movie life, she takes matters into her own hands after being told she was on the Night Stalker's list. I will say, this movie is the lowest of the trilogy, but it was not bad at all. I'll start with the entire aesthetic as the 80s film grain and cinematography choices helped set the mood of the film really well, something A24 is great at doing. The visuals for the most part were impressive and kept me engaged the entire time, and the practical effects were gory and fun! The theme of achieving your goals and stopping at nothing to reach them were still portrayed similarly to the previous movies, with lots of gore and plenty of great acting from Mia Goth. Speaking of the acting, I of course loved Mia Goth's acting in this film, but I was surprised at how well Kevin Bacon was at playing the role of the detective. He added some humor, and sometimes relief, but was a balanced character that helped during slower scenes. That being said, this movie was predictable in terms of the plot. While the visuals and acting were great, I did guess the killer not even halfway into the film, and the ending sequence is definitely a little rushed for me. The entire film until the end felt like an 80s slasher and drama, and the ending ruined the aesthetic with some unusual cliche dialogue and a 'mid' ending. The very last line of Maxine Minx, while it was on brand with her character, was a bit underwhelming due to the rushed ending, and if it was dragged out a bit more and less predictable, it could have easily been a 4-star movie.