MaXXXine – Review

“You’re gonna be a star of the church one day,” claims a father to his young dancing daughter in old film footage. She will not accept a life she does not deserve. This is Maxine.

In this business, until you are known as a monster, you are not a star, or so says the great Bette Davis. Maxine knows this at heart. After escaping her horrific farm porn and near-death experience, she now wanders into a large audition studio, ready to land a role. Her agent has gotten her plenty of adult film gigs, but she is looking for the next step of fame.

The film producers question her motives, but she knows porn only goes so far, and she wants a better life. Acting is acting after all. They give it a whirl. Maxine dishes her liens on camera as the casting directors watch the traumatic tearful monolog she delivers. They thank her, and appreciate her performance, and then ask her to take her top off. Acting is acting.

She strolls out knowing she has crushed it, hops in her convertible Mercedes and smashes off the lot. It is 1985. The news introduces the Hollywood backdrop, along with the Night Stalker killer, and a satanic panic.

So, yes, MaXXXine is a continuation of X, and Pearl, but again it’s mostly its own thing both in presentation style and story. We do get a true follow-up on Maxine’s character, so there is continuity there, but this still feels like a fresh and new beast, being in a new decade.

The story eventually winds through Hollywood sets, both movie and porn, and then adds in gruesome killings, tying into mysterious real life Night Stalker killings. This one has a bigger cast and scope than the more intimate first two films. Many themes are similar, and again it strives to present itself as an “of the times” feature, going for a gory 80s exploitation horror flick vibe. It has a glitzy L.A. scene with boppy tunes in the background, but it’s all a cover for the dark grimy streets and violence included.

Overall, I don’t think this picture is quite as strong as the first two, but it remains an interesting feature and a solid enough sequel to X. The beefing up of the cast is fine as the star power only helps the story. It definitely takes some swings, and winds up a dark mix of themes.