The Verdict
This is the closer of your A24 X trilogy, West, a direct sequel to X, and you gave Maxine Minx the 1980s Hollywood ending she clawed for. Mia Goth returns as Maxine and reminds everyone why this whole thing was built around her face.
Setting Maxine's stardom chase against the real Night Stalker serial-killer panic is a sharp period instinct: an era that was already eating itself alive on the news. The texture is there even when the plot wanders.
Reviews landed generally favorable, with Goth's performance the loudest applause line, and a 64 is a fair grade. It is the most uneven of the three, but it is still a confident sign-off.
What it nails
- ▲Mia Goth as Maxine Minx, a performance so committed it props up the entire film.
- ▲The 1980s Hollywood sleaze aesthetic rendered in full neon and grime.
- ▲Threading the real Night Stalker panic through the story for genuine period dread.
- ▲Completing the X trilogy as a coherent, intentional finale rather than a cash-grab.
What it botches
- ▼Stacking the ensemble with Debicki, Bacon, Esposito and Halsey, then underusing most of them.
- ▼A plot that meanders when the period atmosphere is doing the real heavy lifting.
- ▼The slasher mechanics taking a back seat to vibe, which dilutes the scares.
- ▼Resting on Goth so heavily that the film stalls whenever she steps off screen.
Who it's for
Fans who rode out X and Pearl and need the trilogy finished, plus anyone who would watch Mia Goth read a phone book in neon lighting.
Who should skip
Slasher purists who want kills over mood, and newcomers who never met Maxine and will not care that this is her goodbye.
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