MaXXXine

Der vielversprechend gestartete Abschluss der X/Pearl/MaXXXine-Trilogie erfreut durch seinen heimtückisch unheimlichen Ton, seine ekelhaften Horror-Elemente, seine audiovisuelle 80er-Jahre-Seite und sein Hollywood-Filmstudio-Setting, aber die Darstellung des satanistischen Kults und der Ausklang der Pointe stürzen den Film in eine drehbuchartig faule, billige Täuschung, die von den Fans der Serie nicht gewollt ist. Auch die Anwesenheit des berühmten „Night Stalkers“ (siehe den ausgezeichneten Netflix-Dokumentarfilm) wird vom Film nicht ausgenutzt, er wird nur in den Nachrichten erwähnt. [KVIFF] (07.07.2024)

Also hat Ti West seine offene texanisch-hollywoodske Trilogie geschlossen und jetzt ist darin eine solche Parabel zu sehen. Mit X hat uns West mit seinem sehr gelungenen Retro-Visuellen Stil geblendet, obwohl das einfache Drehbuch nicht gerade faszinierend war. Dann kam Pearl, eine ziemlich bewundernswerte Horrorkarakterstudie und das Highlight (oder die Anomalie) der gesamten Trilogie, beziehungsweise des gesamten Regisseurskatalogs. Mit MaXXXine kehrte West eher zum Anfang zurück, also zum Sieg der Form über den Inhalt. Auf dem Papier wirkt es etwas unvollendet, nicht ausgereift. Vielleicht hat der Regisseur sich ein wenig müde gefühlt. Es macht immer noch viel Spaß, hat ein großartiges visuelles Element und die Einbettung in die Mitte der 80er Jahre erscheint absolut glaubhaft. Ti West war nie ein starker Drehbuchautor, aber er liebt Film, liebt die Filmemacherei und zitiert auch gerne aus Genreklassikern. Nach dem großartigen Pearl eine leichte Enttäuschung, aber dennoch ein angenehmer Genuss. (06.07.2024)

Aus der Horror-Trilogie von West ist es der schwächste Teil, auch wenn es sich aus audiovisueller Sicht um eine wahrhaftige Delikatesse handelt, die die schmutzigen blutigen B-Movie-Slasherfilme der 80er Jahre nachahmt. Der Film spielt belehrt mit der zeitgenössischen Stilisierung (VHS-Verleih, praktische Gore-Effekte), mit dem Setting der Traumfabrik und der schlechten Unterhaltung (die Handlung spielt in Hollywood und in den Filmkulissen des Universal-Studios) und mit zahlreichen Verweisen auf andere Horrorfilme sowie Zitaten von Motiven und Klischees, die dem Genre entsprechen. Dem Drehbuch fehlt aber Raffinesse und Ausarbeitung wie im mittleren Teil der Reihe und es nähert sich qualitativ eher den alten einfältigen Horror-Schundfilmen an, die es pompös ehrt. (06.07.2024)

Ti West once again convincingly fetishizes the horror subgenre of yesteryear, unfortunately this time I have a bit of a problem with it, because this particular slice of horror (80s trash set in the streets of a big city) is not one of my favorites. I guess subjectively I would have much preferred if MaXXXine had a more prominent role for the giallo elements that it is partly based on. I can tolerate a sleazy thriller with a charmingly demented satanic panic twist, but it won't become my favourite. And even though it's pleasantly refreshing in specific moments, uncompromising and, for all its stupidity, nicely contrived, the various motifs fit together meaningfully. (16.07.2024)

MaXXXine Minx is an adult film star, but she wants to take the next step in her career and is aiming for the lead role in an upcoming horror film. But succeeding in a Hollywood filled with madmen, serial killers and violence won't be easy. Especially when her past comes to mind. Ti West has conceived the final installment of his trilogy as a great homage to the 80s and the brainy thrillers and horror films of that era, and has uncompromisingly subordinated everything to it. Anyone expecting a traditional thriller with light genre games is in for a bummer. MaXXXine isn't afraid to be a wild, ridiculous and bizarre B-movie. And it certainly doesn't try to be cute. But it's undoubtedly interesting not just to fans of what West is paying homage to here. (09.07.2024)

Ti West completed his trilogy of horror movies starring Mia Goth with a spectacular ultra-pastiche that in a certain respect not only tops off the series and the director’s filmography to date, but also the entire filmmaking tradition of decadent genres. Since time immemorial, all trash filmmakers have longed for acceptance and recognition, which means studio facilities and shooting in Hollywood. West’s trilogy about the alluring nature of filmmaking and promises of fame ends there. The director absolutely delights in the eclectic composition of allusions and references. His film radiates enthusiasm for the high and the low, thus setting side by side allusions ranging from porn to Chinatown, from American trash to giallo, and from Psycho to The Long Goodbye. Taking full advantage of the fulfilled dream of making his film under the wing of the celebrated Universal Studios, he stages a fannish tour of not only iconic locations in L.A., but mainly Universal’s outdoor sets. In so doing, he recalls the VHS era, highlights genre movies made by ambitious female directors and settles accounts with the religionists and moralists who protested against trash filmmakers and their works in the 1980s. However MaXXXine still primarily remains a hedonistic genre fantasy that doesn’t aim for historical accuracy (e.g. female directors were given room to work by Corman, not by the major studios). The main denominator here is the filmmaker’s own joy and, ideally, that of viewers having the same mindset. We could reach for the word Tarantino-esque, but that would be inadequate and limiting in any case. Because whereas Tarantino makes ultimate paraphrases of his favourite genres by ingeniously twisting iconic moments with his screenwriting, West outright composes an enthusiastic tribute that makes do with a fetishistic reconstruction that isn’t much more sophisticated than its inspirations in terms of screenwriting, but is joyfully informed by those films and enthusiastically revels in the possibilities that present themselves (which is perfectly confirmed by the closing vanity shot). (30.06.2024)

"In this business, until you're known as a monster, you're not a star." From the very first scene, with the gate to the studio hell and the thrown cigarette butt on the star Theda Bara’s spot on the Walk of Fame, it’s clear what kind of cult Ti West worships here. I don’t begrudge him the trashiness of the content, but rather the deviation from his usual storytelling pace, which might have worked better with Mulholland Drive vibes in terms of atmosphere, and also the sloppy finale with the cultists, where the pastiche dangerously started to verge on parody. But it’s pointless to lament over it when we’ve ended up in Pleasuredome and she’s got Bette Davis eyes. Would you like a slice of bacon? (15.08.2024)