With the release of MaXXXine, Martin Scorsese has once again praised Ti West’s filmmaking, calling the X trilogy ‘’something bold and thoroughly cinematic”.
Scorsese wrote to A24 in 2022 to say ”I was enthralled, then disturbed, then so unsettled that I had trouble getting to sleep. But I couldn’t stop watching.” about Pearl, the second of West’s X trilogy starring Mia Goth.
While MaXXXine has been the most divisive of the three, it hasn’t stopped Scorsese from professing his love for the whole trilogy when speaking to the New York Times.
”The first, X, is ‘the ’70s, the slasher era’; Pearl is “’50s melodrama in vivid, saturated color’; MaXXXine is ’80s Hollywood, rancid, desperate.’ Scorsese explained, “Three linked stories set within three different moments in movie culture, reflecting back on the greater culture.”
Scorsese goes on to say West had done “something bold and thoroughly cinematic” with the trilogy.
Martin Scorsese is a long time admirer of Ti West
The legendary director has repeatedly championed Ti West after seeing his 2011 gem, The Innkeepers. After watching the supernatural horror about a dying hotel and its staff, Scorsese told the New York Times, “I thought: OK, I want to see everything this guy does.”
”The amazing thing about The Innkeepers was that you could eliminate the ghost story, and the film would work without it, which echoes the way Val Lewton made his films: He always made sure that the core story had to stand on its own, apart from the supernatural elements.”
MaXXXine has debuted in theaters with a series-best opening weekend, but very mixed reviews from critics. ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim handed the sequel 5/10 and wrote ”This is a very different film from the first two in every regard. Ultimately, I respect it for taking a big swing while acknowledging that it does not work like the first two. It has a few good moments but ultimately goes out with a whimper. The ending goes on for too long, and the fate it leaves its titular character feels ludicrous. Gorgeously shot and phenomenally acted, MaXXXine is quite impressive in a few areas but loses its steam in others.”
