MaXXXine - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Alien. Terminator. Star Wars. Rambo. The Dark Knight. Child’s Play. At this point, it could well be argued that the best trilogies should stop at two. Sure, there are exceptions, the recent Planet of the Apes films are all impressive. The Lord of the Rings gets a pass because it truly was just one long story spread over three films. But when you have a great first film and follow with an amazing second, there’s just too much pressure on the third to match let alone outpace the previous accomplishments. Such is the case for Ti West and Mia Goth’s MaXXXine. 

After escaping the incident at the Texas farm, Maxine Minx has been working hard in Hollywood rising through the ranks in the porn industry. But she’s got her sights sight higher. She’s aiming for the big time, a real movie. Landing the part in director Elizabeth Bender’s (Elizabeth Debicki) horror sequel, Maxine has her big break. But evil lurks in the shadows of Hollywood. The Satanic Panic is in full swing as the Nightstalker is making headlines with each killing. But the murders come too close to home when Maxine’s friends start dying bloody deaths at the hands of a black-gloved killer while a sleazy P.I. called Labat (Kevin Bacon) knows more about Maxine than he should. 

Overall, after three viewings, I like MaXXXine. But it did take me three viewings to get here. Twice in theaters and this latest on 4K disc, I finally cemented my feelings. While the story is interesting, there are some decent creepy pieces and plenty of gnarly gore, what holds me back from loving this film is how over-the-top it all feels. Considering the film takes place in the 1980s, excess is thematically appropriate, but it also goes too far with the ‘80s nostalgia bait. 

In X the film looked and felt like the 1970s. In Pearl the film looked and felt like the late 1910s. Those films felt like their respective eras without making a lot of noise about it. MaXXXine, on the other hand, is constantly reminding the audience the film takes place in 1985. From discussions about the rise of videotapes to the music and fashion choices to a cameo of a can of New Coke, this final entry feels very distracted. Thankfully it’s not a campy ‘80s throwback, but it still feels too much. When the film clicks, it works, but there’s a lot of too much other going on for a lean mean Horror/Thriller. And because there is so much other stuff going on, it makes the final reveal of the black-gloved killer an easy one to spot if you're even slightly paying attention. 

As I said, I like MaXXXine. It’s not perfect, it’s not the big grand finale that I was hoping for, but there are flashes when this film really cooks. Mia Goth once again delivers as Maxine carying through another great performance. Kevin Bacon is a lot of fun as our sleazebag detective with Giancarlo Esposito playing Maxine’s entertainment lawyer with connections Teddy. Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale drop by as our homicide detectives investigating the murders and their connection to our star. 

Ultimately there’s a lot to love about MaXXXine. I just wish it was a film with a tighter script and was a little less distracted with homages and needle drops could have been delivered. There are flourishes of the five-star film this trilogy ending chapter could have been, but they don’t always shine through as brightly as the Hollywood sign. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
MaXXXine takes 4K UHD by storm with a two-disc 4K + Blu-ray + Digital release from Lionsgate. The 4K is pressed on a BD-100 disc with a Region A BD-50 disc serving for the 1080p disc and bonus features. The discs are housed in an eco-friendly two-disc case with an identical slipcover. The disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options.

While I might not have been a huge fan of all the ‘80s nostalgia bombs, they sure do make for a beautiful image. Making visual references from everyone from Fulci and Argento to Brian De Palma, the film is sharp, and detailed, with a very bold and out-there color pallet. Shot digitally and finished on a 4K DI, the transfer shines on disc. Facial features, the gnarly gore makeup effects work, the period fashions, wood-paneled walls all look terrific. 

The Dolby Vision grade does a marvelous job managing the visual styling staying true to the bright whites, deep blacks, and bold color choices. The film likes to let the lights burn bright, neons have plenty of hazy spread on any given scene. There are some white blowouts but those look intentional (they were there in the theater). Black levels are deep and inky with creepy shadows while avoiding crush issues. Colors are as I said bold and vibrant. Primaries see plenty of attention, especially red, while skin tones are natural and human.

On the audio front, MaXXXine continues a franchise strength with an excellent Atmos audio mix. Between the screams, gunfire, and badass soundtrack, the mix gets plenty of playtime. Dialog is clear throughout. Much of the film keeps to the front/center channels but sides, surrounds, and height channels get to strut their stuff. Heights largely expand the space for certain sequences. Scenes on soundstages have a very cool slight echo effect that drifts upwards through the channels. The film often plays like that, the surround and height channels don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves but remain an immersive experience. That said, the film’s climax is wall-to-wall and a lot of fun!

On the bonus features front, MaXXXine sports some decent bonus features. A lot of it is a bit fluffy EPK material, but we also pick up some nice looks at various aspects of making the film, bringing the 1980s back to life, while also touching on some of the story aspects. The Q&A is the best slice of information for the curious. If/When A24 does their own shop-exclusive release, I’d be curious to see what other bonus materials are out there. 

• The Belly of the Beast (HD 9:39)
• XXX Marks the Spot (HD 11:21)
• Hollywood is a Killer (HD 8:14)
• Q&A with Director Ti West (HD 25:23)
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• Also from A24

I wanted to love MaXXXine. Instead, I just liked it. There are peaks in the story where this film fits beautifully with its predecessors, but it’s also frustratingly distracted by losing the forest for ‘80s nostalgia trees. But, the moments it works are enough to carry it through to a wild conclusion. It’s still Mia Goth’s show and if she and Ti West can cook up a great fourth entry, I’d be there to check it out, but then fourth films break trilogies and they're often worse than the third. On 4K Ultra HD, MaXXXine sticks the landing for a beauty of a 4K disc rocking an excellent Dolby Vision transfer with Atmos audio. Bonus features are a tad slim, but there’s some good stuff in there to look over. Ultimately, not the film I hoped for, but a fun ride after multiple viewings so I’m calling it Recommended