Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for ‘MaXXXine’.
Whether or notMaXXXineends up truly being the finale of the horror seriesthat writer-directorTi Westfirst began withX, it still marks an end of sorts to the journey for fame thatMia Goth’s titular Maxine threw herself into. Jumping ahead years into the future to take us into the sleaziest parts of 80sHollywood, this third entry is also regrettably the weakest of the bunch. Where the first two had plenty of references, this one leans into them hard and comes out on the other side with little to show for it. Nowhere is this more felt than in the ending where a twist is revealed that the film was practically kicking you in the head about for the entire runtime. Even as there is plenty of imagery that is lifted from classic films likeChinatownandPsycho,MaXXXineisn’t able to mold this into anything substantial by the time it arrives at its final curtain. It all ends less with a bang and more of a whimper.
To discuss the emptiness of all this, one must go all the way to the conclusion that comes after what feels like there are multiple ending points, even after we already know the identity of the shadowy killer and his plans that were all brought out into the open. However,The Lord of the Ringsthis is not, asMaXXXineis far too scattershot and superficial to create any lasting payoff. If this is all news to you, and you haven’t yet seen the film, best proceed with caution as this piece is going to spoil the entire thing. This is your final warning, so best either bookmark this page and come back after checking it out for yourself or be prepared to have every detail laid bare before you. Ready to take the plunge? Okay then, let’s go.
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally secures her big break. As she navigates her path to stardom, a mysterious killer begins targeting Hollywood starlets, leaving a trail of blood that threatens to expose her sinister past.
What Is the Big Twist of ‘MaXXXine’?
The first thing that must be said is that there isn’t any really effective reveal in the film that wasn’t telegraphed in the very opening scene. Namely, we see Maxine talking with her religious father from a young age who it turns out was the one who instilled in her the mantra of not accepting anything other than the life she deserves. Wouldn’t you know it, the mysterious man is this same father who has tracked her down after all these years and has been intending to kill her as well as those around her as part of his biblically-driven murder spree. This isn’t bad in theory as much as it is in execution, with the devil lying in the details of how this plays out in the ostensibly climactic scene. Basically,the pathetic patriarch ties up Maxine and seemingly intends to kill her on camera unless she plays along with his faux exorcism. This is then interrupted by the two cops played byMichelle MonaghanandBobby Cannavale, who had been roaming around in the film while doing very little actual investigating that didn’t involve them trying to get Maxine to help them. A shootout ensues and both are killed, leaving Maxine to face down her father alone under the glow of the Hollywood sign.
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We then flash forward to witness all about her fame and success that is presumably to come after this before we flash back for her to blow his head to smithereens with a shotgun. That’s the end, right? Nope, as we then proceed ahead again to see Maxine and her director Elizabeth (Elizabeth Debicki) back on set for the horror movie within the movie that they were planning to work on together. They hold a moment of silence for the former lead of the film, a bizarre yet potentially darkly comical dig at how this empty gesture papers over how little they seemed to care about the deaths before it was someone famous, before getting back to work quite quickly. We then get a look at the prosthetic severed head of Maxine’s character as she and Elizabeth talk together. The former then remarks on how she always wanted to be someone else before the camera pulls back and up,leaving the grimy world of Hollywood that we just spent the film trapped in behind. It’s a moment that seems to be trying to close on a more somber note, but it’s too forced in at the last minute to have much resonance.
Perhaps there is some symbolism to how Maxine became just another dead star on the screen in the form of the severed head, but it’s hard to give the film much credit for this considering how little care was given to the emotional journey she went on. Sure, she was given a one-note trauma narrative, but it hardly seemed like the film was ever deeply reflecting on the darkness of how this industry could chew people up and then spit them out beyond the broad strokes. As we all drift away into the vast reaches of space, the case could be made that this is how West is trying to say something about the real beauty of actual stars by juxtaposing the ugly world below and the quiet vibrancy of the galaxy. However, in execution, it just feels airless and with no weight.If only we’d seenNathan FielderofThe Cursefloating by in the midst of all this. Now that would have been an ending that’s truly out of this world.
MaXXXineis now playing in theaters in the U.S. Click below for showtimes near you.
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