MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine looks incredible and keeps forgetting what it’s about. Ti West’s trilogy closer drips with 1985 Los Angeles style, and the mystery underneath is thinner than a video store receipt. Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx is an actress chasing stardom in 1985 Hollywood, and her big break is the starring role in The Puritan II, a studio horror sequel run by a British director, Elizabeth Bender, played by Elizabeth Debicki. Meanwhile the Night Stalker murders hang over the city, someone starts closing in on Maxine’s circle, and Kevin Bacon pops up as John Labat, a slimy private eye who will not take a hint. Labat chasing Maxine across the Universal Studios lot is the best stretch, pure old-Hollywood fun. Goth is magnetic, and Moses Sumney’s Leon, her friend from the video store, deserved more scenes. Critics gave it 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and called it uneven, which is fair. A 5.9 because Goth and the style do the work the mystery won’t. $44.27 says you hunt down a working VCR by the weekend.

What works: Mia Goth is magnetic, and the period style is so committed that critics loved the look even when the plot wobbled.

What doesn’t: The mystery is thin and the reveal barely lands, so the last act feels rushed next to all that atmosphere.

Who it’s for: Grown-up horror fans who loved Pearl and want to see Mia Goth finish the story.