MaXXXine (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
I’ll come out with it right now at the beginning. I did not enjoy Ti West and Mia Goth’s X or Pearl. I could see the potential and the intention and could also appreciate the filmmaking as a throwback to the 70’s that felt authentic. I could not get past what I believe to be snails pacing and some out of place acting from the supporting players. Stylistically the films worked, but the substance wasn’t all the way there. I made the choice to see the films to be caught up on the story of Maxine Minx going into MaXXXine. What I didn’t expect was to find a gem of a serial killer thriller in the film! Read more about MaXXXine below and don’t forget that the cover art at the end is your link to purchase your own copy of MaXXXine on 4K UHD Blu-ray!
Film: 
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. The murderous finale of Ti West’s X trilogy (X, Pearl) also features a star-studded ensemble including Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, with Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon.
It’s 1985 – In LA, the Night Stalker is keeping all of Los Angeles and it’s close together towns and cities indoors at night. Since surviving the traumas of that horrible farmhouse incident in 1979, Maxine Minx has made a name for herself in porn. She’s not without instinct as we know, and she wants to transition into Hollywood films. The film begins with her flawless audition to be the lead in The Puritan II, which itself is a sequel to a late 70’s film within the film horror hit. The film is set to be a historical moment for not just Maxine, but the director Elizabeth Bender. It’s not a time where female directors make much of anything, let alone a horror film. Bender has her sights set on something special and in Maxine she sees someone who has the same vision and ruthless hunger to make it.
Besides the Night Stalker, another kind of evil is lurking in the Hollywood Hills. Two of Maxine’s friends are summoned to a party in a mansion and then disappear, only to be found dead in the Hollywood Forest Lawn Cemetery. There, Detective Torres (Bobby Cannavale) and Detective Williams (Michelle Monaghan) look to see if this is related to the Night Stalker or if it’s something else entirely. There’s also someone following Maxine, a seedy Private Investigator (Kevin Bacon) who is being paid to find her at all costs, but by whom? In all this horrible bleakness, Maxine confides in her friend Leon (Moses Sumney), who is as he says “the only man in LA not trying to F&*k her…” When Leon turns up murdered along with her two friends, Maxine takes matters into her own hands and goes on the hunt for the murderer with the detectives hot on her trail.
In MaXXXine, I am so glad to say I’ve found something special. The film which plays as a dark sleazy portrayal of 1980’s Hollywood feels so spot on. The music is excellent. The costuming and details on how people lived, what they drove, and that Night Stalker era are represented beautifully. Mia Goth goes the extra mile here delivering her most sincere portrayal of Maxine yet showing range and vulnerability. The supporting players here are fantastic too. Kevin Bacon once again shows his skills as a villain are equally fun and effective. This is the second film this year where he’s been the baddie and I hope he comes back to be bad again! Giancarlo Esposito also turns up as Maxine’s lawyer in what amounts to little more than a few moments, but all of which are capably performed. The big reveal in the film keeps things on the edge of the seat too, but I won’t spoil that for those who haven’t seen this yet.
The icing on top of the cake for me is the movie insider material. Callbacks to other films like Body Double and Psycho, and the use of Universal Studios as a main location for a lot of the film make it feel so wonderfully backstage! Stylistically it’s also a film that’s been clearly lovingly made. The look and atmosphere within also work so well. Is the film perfect? Not nearly, but it is still a wildly entertaining and first-rate thriller. Make no mistake, this is not a horror film, but one that will thrill fans of the thriller like me to the fullest! More like MaXXXine please!!
Video:
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Layers: BD-100
HDR: Dolby Vision
Clarity/Detail: MaXXXine looks excellent making its 4K debut. The other films in the trilogy have not made the jump yet, but this is a most satisfying transfer. Filmed and mastered in 4K, the film obviously was made for this format. Clarity is almost always exceptional, with moments intentionally VHS-like and grainy for some moments. This all works together with the natural UHD footage to marry some great looking scenes in the California sunshine or the dark alleys of seedier parts of Hollywood. Textures on faces and costuming are also sublime.
Depth: Depth in and out of focus is handled lovingly. The film has moments in the dark that can appear a little out of focus, but this is intentional, and everything overall looks very good depth wise.
Black Levels: There is plenty of the film in the dark, but without any crush in evidence no detail is lost in any way.
Color Reproduction: Colors look slightly washed out, but in a very intentional 80’s way. Greens and reds looks luscious and so do the sky blues on sunny days. Night scenes have some neon colors that really pop as well.
Flesh Tones: Flesh tones are fabulous throughout. Everyone’s made up in a decidedly 80’s way, but nobody looks cartoonish or overly tan or out of place.
Noise/Artifacts: Digital grain is apparent, but overall the look is clean.
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Dynamics: Dolby Atmos makes for an immersive audio experience for MaXXXine. Music and spookier sound effects dominate the lower end, with nice highs and immersive surround sound effects coming into play throughout the film.
Height: Studio echoes along with helicopters, music and city ambience come at you from above.
Low-Frequency Extension: 80’s needle drops have a deep punch of bass in every moment music is present. Punches, gunshots, helicopters and more also made a nice thump apparent when the actions appear on screen.
Surround Sound Presentation: Surround channels make nice use of the overall world of MaXXXine. You find yourself surrounded by crowd noise, studio echo, and other natural sounds as you watch the film.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is always perfectly intelligible.
Extras:
Extras for MaXXXine are quite nice overall. The release ships with a O-ring slipcover, a Blu-ray and digital code.
Belly of the Beast – Details the film as the third of a trilogy and the actors and crew enthusiasm in making the film.
XXX Marks The Spot – All about the overall look of the film – Grit, neon, and influences from Repo Man and Giallo horror are mentioned. Also, of course, all the Hollywood goodies that pop up in the film are described. This one is super fun!
Hollywood Is A Killer – This chronicles the makeup and digital effects of the film.
Q&A With Ti West – 25 Minutes with the director!
Trailers and more film trailers from A24 are also included!
Summary:
I am OK not being cool enough to see the appeal of X and Pearl. I am just happy I have seen, loved and will re-watch MaXXXine happily. Fans of the other two films will likely love this next installment, and thriller fans who can stomach a little more gore than normal are in for a treat too! The presentation from Lionsgate and A24 here is exceptional, and this is a must buy for fans of thrillers and the other 2 films in Ti West’s trilogy of Maxine Minx!
