MaXXXine First Reviews: Critics Say It’s “A Whirlwind Joy Ride” but Has “Nothing Interesting to Say”

The MaXXXine first reactions called Ti West's new film "gutsy, gritty and grisly", but is that sentiment checking out now the review embargo is up, and the critics have had their say?

The third in the trilogy of films starring Mia Goth currently has 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, a notable drop off from earlier offerings X and Pearl, which received Certified Fresh scores of 94% and 92%, respectively.

Siddhant Adlakha at IGN Movies called MaXXXine "A dramatically inert pseudo-slasher with nothing interesting to say", and Christina Newland at iNews said, "If MaXXXine stopped basking in its own self-congratulatory cleverness for a moment, it might have had a decent film in there somewhere."

However, among the criticism was high praise, with Kat Hughes of THN saying, "West might have saved the best entry to last", and indieWire's Alison Foreman calling it "a whirlwind joy ride that doubles as a societal lambasting".

For the most part, critics have given the film positive affirmations while also being candid about why it may not be their favorite of the trilogy.

MaXXXine hits theaters on July 5.

MaXXXine Review Roundup:

• The Film Stage: Despite being a considerable step down from the Scorsese-approved psychodrama Pearl, there's an awful lot of fun to be had, from the gruesome kills to the delightfully over-the-top performances.
• Flickering Myth: Another great performance from Mia Goth and flashy production values aside, MaXXXine is a shapeless, structural mishmash that has nowhere near the thematic richness and insight of the first two films
• Inverse: West's final entry into the modern horror canon seamlessly comes to a confident and glorious close, a star immortalized in her bloody triumph of the self.
• ComicBook.com: West's X trilogy will likely go down in history as one of the most prolific horror endeavors of the decade. Everyone will undoubtedly have different favorites and, while MaXXXine may rank last here, it is guaranteed to have some hardcore fans.
• Slashfilm: The result is an erotic cataclysm of gnarly kills, an aesthetic to die for, and another powerhouse performance from Mia Goth.