35/23
The prequel was later released in 2022
Scenario
In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to shoot an adult film on a rural Texas farm. But when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the crew must fight for their lives. The day after the premiere of “X” (2022) at “South by Southwest,” writer-director Ti West revealed that he had written a prequel called “Pearl” (2022) while in his New Zealand hotel for a mandatory two-week COVID-19 quarantine before production on that film could begin. A24 saw the script and greenlit the film before production on “X” had even wrapped. He asked star Mia Goth if she wanted to stay in New Zealand and shoot “Pearl,” and she readily accepted the offer.
There are no opening credits
When Lorraine enters the basement and turns on the light, there is a modern halogen lightbulb, which did not exist in 1979. Maxine: I will not accept a life I don’t deserve. The title only appears on screen at the end. Edited together to make MaXXXine (2024). Act NaturallyPerformed by Loretta LynnWritten by Vonie Morrison, Johnny RussellCourtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises.
The cinematography is fantastic and fits perfectly with the atmosphere and tone the film is going for
An interesting slow-paced film, but one that doesn’t hold its own against the countless other slasher films out there. It’s a good film, and another homage to the cult genre that made horror films so popular in the first place. Admittedly, I do enjoy watching slasher films from time to time – I really like films like Nightmare on Elm Street and My Bloody Valentine, but where X goes wrong compared to the others is in using a fairly familiar formula without a truly unique goal. Throughout the film, the characters often talk about an X-factor, something that makes Mia Goth’s character special and star-worthy – but unlike mentioned, this film just doesn’t have that. The acting is really good, I love the underrated Mia Goth as always – and Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson and even Kid Cudi did some pretty impressive work too.
It’s not the most memorable, but I bear no disdain for that
The music is entertaining and suspenseful and its pacing can be a little slow at times but allows for an interesting point of view. Its main problem lies solely in its script, which largely revolves around making a smut film but takes too many elements and formulaic tendencies from other horror films like Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, The Visit and most obviously Texas Chainsaw Massacre to really stand out and become something of its own. Ultimately, it’s not a bad film, I wouldn’t watch it again but I certainly didn’t mind checking it out. It could have been more, especially given the talent involved, but ironically they settled for less. My Rating: 5.8/10.
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