--- title: "MaXXXine: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/maxxxine/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/maxxxine" critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # MaXXXine (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 57 from 16 reviews: 7 positive, 4 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews split widely on MaXXXine, and the split is not about Mia Goth. Almost every critic, admiring or not, singles out her performance, and several say it is stronger than the film around it. The praise clusters on the recreation of mid-1980s Los Angeles, the soundtrack and the gore, with the more enthusiastic notices calling it the breeziest and most entertaining of the three. The reservations cluster on the script: a thin plot, a shortage of tension, and little to say about fame or violence that Pearl had not already said. Film Comment goes further and argues the film shifts attention from its heroine to its director’s own rise, while RogerEbert.com finds Maxine turned into a passive figure in her own story. The Times calls it the flabbiest instalment. Most critics land somewhere between fun and forgettable, with a smaller group at each end pulling hard in opposite directions. ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2024. The critic praises Mia Goth's standout performance as Maxine Minx in this entertaining conclusion to Ti West's trilogy. The film is celebrated for its gleeful gore, memorable cinematic flourishes, and rampantly entertaining schlocky noir style. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mia-goth-maxxxine-review-ti-west-b1168374.html) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2024. The critic views MaXXXine as a strong, intense woman-fights-back thriller that caps the trilogy with plenty of eye-popping twists and surprises. It singles out the vivid recreation of 1980s Hollywood atmosphere, needle drops, and Easter eggs as particularly effective. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/maxxxine/) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2024. The review concludes that MaXXXine delivers satisfying carnage and bloodlust for fans of the slasher genre. It highlights the strong mid-80s atmosphere, soundtrack, and Mia Goth's fun, roaring performance as the title character who gives as good as she gets. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/maxxxine-review/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2024. The critic finds it diverting and fun at times as a retro 1980s sex-and-horror schlock pastiche with a compelling Mia Goth performance, but it is less ambitious and more conventional than 'Pearl'. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-ti-west-1236047926/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2024. Notes that Mia Goth's performance is more coherent and triumphant than the film overall, which demonstrates the trilogy never had much depth and feels more like a genre conversation than a story for the audience. Singles out Goth's feral ravenousness for the limelight. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-mia-goth-is-great-but-maxxxine-has-nothing-to-say.html) ## Film Comment — Nathan Lee Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2024. The critic argues that MaXXXine undermines the strengths of X and Pearl by shifting focus away from Mia Goth's lead character toward the director's own industry ascent and flashy resources. It offers rich 1980s LA sleaze but feels thematically thin and less invested in its protagonist. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/everything-is-terrible-a-quiet-place-maxxine-longlegs-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 July 2024. The critic calls it a flimsy thriller that does not deserve Mia Goth; it offers stylish 1980s references and a strong lead performance but lacks eroticism, thrills, tension, or meaningful substance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-07-04/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-halsey-elizabeth-debicki-ti-west-horror-a24) ## RogerEbert.com — Christy Lemire Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2024. The critic finds it a crushing disappointment despite the stylish recreation of 1980s Los Angeles, as the film lacks substance or depth beneath the lurid style and turns the protagonist into a passive figure. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/maxxxine-film-review-2024) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2024. The review finds MaXXXine the weakest entry in the trilogy, criticizing its self-congratulatory cleverness, flimsy plot, and lack of new insights on fame or violence. It singles out Mia Goth's vicious, dynamo performance and the copious gore as highlights amid the disappointment. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/maxxxine-review-3131051) ## Financial Times — Jonathan Romney 4 July 2024. The film is a glossy, gore-splattered entertainment that completes the trilogy ambitiously but falls short of Pearl's boldness. Goth is brazenly likeable as the lead pursuing stardom in a deranged 1980s Hollywood. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/9b8c5183-0d45-4a67-aee9-4d590df2c617) ## IndieWire — Alison Foreman 26 June 2024. Praises the dazzling and disgusting final chapter as the defining film of Brat Girl Summer where Ti West and Mia Goth crush it. Highlights Goth as A24’s favorite scream queen out for blood in 1985 Hollywood. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/maxxxine-review-ti-west-mia-goth-1235020110/) ## Sight and Sound 4 July 2024. The third chapter in Ti West’s X trilogy bleeds the franchise dry with a cynical giallo-esque 1980s-styled thriller. It is a witty, gory, coke-fuelled exposé of the Hollywood machine at its most cynically exploitative, where implicit in the rise of every star is an eventual fall. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/maxxxine-gory-self-consciously-derivative-expose-hollywood-machine) ## Slant Magazine — Ryan Coleman 30 June 2024. Calls it a well-made but forgettable ’80s pastiche that improves on the prior films tonally but fades into the wallpaper compared to horror history or West and Goth’s best work. Singles out Goth emerging unscathed with her best performance since High Life. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-ti-west/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 26 June 2024. The critic finds the film an outrageously watchable episode in Ti West's franchise, praising its pulp, gore and self-aware set pieces along with strong supporting performances. Mia Goth returns triumphantly as the ambitious lead. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jun/26/maxxxine-review-a-horribly-watchable-hollywood-tale-of-sex-death-fear-and-gore) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 26 June 2024. The critic calls it a glorious paean to 1980s sexploitation and horror that completes the trilogy on a delectable note with vivid period evocation and a deluxe cast. Singles out Mia Goth's magnetic presence as a new breed of scream queen and the loving homage to filmmaking aesthetics. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-ti-west-slasher-trilogy-1235930595/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★☆☆☆. 5 July 2024. The film is the flabbiest instalment in the franchise, with too many elements thrown together that fail to cohere. West over-relies on the 1980s Hollywood setting without sufficient payoff. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-vkt9bzrr5) ## Time Out — Lou Thomas Rating 4 out of 5 stars. 26 June 2024. Writer-director Ti West concludes his Mia Goth horror trilogy with a thrilling slasher that’s both fond neon tribute to the genre’s ’80s gory heyday and a brisk, smart look at the role of women and power in Hollywood. Goth again steals the show as the eponymous wannabe on the rise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/maxxxine-review-2024) ## /Film — BJ Colangelo Rating 8.5/10. 26 June 2024. The critic hails it as a transformative feast with an erotic cataclysm of gnarly kills and a powerhouse performance from Mia Goth, praising the authentic 1980s sleaze, strong supporting cast, and Goth's control of the screen. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1610041/maxxxine-review/) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating 8/10. 26 June 2024. The review praises it as a loud, bombastic, sexy, bloody farewell to the trilogy, highlighting Mia Goth's star turn and visual flair, though noting the script is straightforward. [Read the review](https://collider.com/maxxxine-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4/5. 3 July 2024. The review calls MaXXXine the frothiest and most breezily entertaining entry, a decadent love letter to 1980s Hollywood sleaze and genre excess that revels in its indulgences. Mia Goth delivers a steely, ruthless performance that anchors the film as its not-so-secret weapon. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/maxxxine-review-ti-west-and-mia-goth/) ## NME — Paul Bradshaw Rating 4/5. 3 July 2024. The review praises MaXXXine as gloriously frenetic, with West embracing silly, over-the-top 1980s sexploitation vibes and gore while dissecting film, filth, and feminism. Mia Goth gives one of horror's greatest performances as a ball-stomping survivor. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-3771763) ## Digital Spy — Mireia Mullor Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2024. The critic finds MaXXXine a bloody and messy Hollywood satire blending elements of the prior films with 1970s/80s references, delivering glorious moments alongside chaotic energy and more vibes than substance. Mia Goth remains a consistent force of nature with an astounding performance. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a61483167/maxxxine-review/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthing Rating C. 1 July 2024. The critic finds MaXXXine a clumsy and limp close to the trilogy, struggling to cohesively blend its many 80s pastiche elements despite some fun moments. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2024/07/maxxxine-review-ti-west-mia-goth/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2024. The critic argues the film is overly reliant on pastiche, making it not scary or impactful, with set pieces that hit marks but don't transcend, though Goth holds the screen. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2024/07/05/movies/maxxxine-movie-review-mia-goth-maxine-pearl-x-ti-west) ## Deadline — Damon Wise 26 June 2024. The film serves as a satisfyingly bloody conclusion to the trilogy and functions as an abstract think-piece about women in cinema. It singles out Mia Goth's creepily compelling audition performance for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/06/maxxxine-review-ti-west-mia-goth-horror-trilogy-comes-to-a-satisfyingly-bloody-conclusion-1235983531/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila 26 June 2024. The critic finds the film an uneven but stylish close to the trilogy, praising Goth's magnetic performance and the authentic 80s recreation while complaining about uneven dramatic tension and lack of commitment to horror elements. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/maxxxine-review-an-uneven-but-stylish-close-to-ti-wests-ambitious-trilogy/) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating B-/C+. 26 June 2024. The review sees it as a love letter to 80s Hollywood that's fun but emptier than predecessors, praising the meticulous recreation of the era and authentic costumes while noting it's not scary and Goth's role lacks depth compared to Pearl. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/maxxxine-review-ti-west-mia-goth-slash-a-love-letter-to-80s-hollywood-20240626/) ## The Wrap 26 June 2024. The stylish throwback is a violent but affectionate ode to 1980s sleaze with an impeccable style and impressive cast, but it is only mildly interesting overall. It singles out Mia Goth's ferocious, star-making performance for praise while noting the lack of depth compared to prior entries. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/maxxxine-review-mia-goth-a24/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/maxxxine.md