X Movie Review

X (2022)

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Written by: Ti West
Directed by: Ti West
Starring: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.

Verdict
It's a strange slasher with a promising premise, but it doesn't do enough to stand out in the genre. This had potential, and I thought it was going to make some connections and provide some motive but it falls short. It's fun enough as a mindless slasher, but I thought it might make the motives more psychological.
Skip it.

Review
I liked West's take on westerns in In a Valley of Violence, and I was curious what he'd do with horror. A prequel film, Pearl, was released within the year also starring Mia Goth and written by she and Ti West.

You've got a producer and his girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth) as well as a director that wants to make a "good dirty movie" and his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) and two others making a budget adult movie. They're renting a farmhouse from an elderly couple who have no idea what's about to happen. The old guy seems a bit unhinged, but this movie also started with the how we got here trope, so we know something goes wildly wrong. It's just a question of what and when.

Mia Goth plays Maxine

This is great at creating tension because we know something goes awry. Some of the editing plays right into jump scares, but that's what this movie is after. This does a nice job with the interplay of the movie itself with the movie this group is creating as moments mirror.

The frail old lady starts to appear all over the place, like some kind of ghost. She seems envious of Maxine's youth. At one point this old lady is spying on the filming and imagining herself in one of the role. While there seems to be some kind of obsession on the old lady's part with Maxine, I really thought this would play it up more. Mia Goth plays both roles. That seems like a motive for this old lady to not just want to be like Maxine, but become her by taking her spot. Surprisingly the movie doesn't go there, not like I expected.

Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Owen Campbell, Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson

The movie starts to get long. Lorraine wants to film a scene which is strange since she was unaware this was an adult film and didn't like that. They only reason to have her join in is this movie being indulgent, especially since it's starting to feel like the plot is delayed. Cutting this sequence would get us into the plot quicker, and the movie needs that. Once this embraces the slasher genre, I wondered if we'd get a motive. Is the old lady jealous or crazy? Since both members of the old couple are killing, I began to doubt if this was just the old lady's jealousy.

The old lady is a trip, and that makes her scarier. I wanted this to delve into her motives. Is she obsessed with youth or just her own age. I really wish this took it further. At one point this tries to humanize the elderly couple, but I wanted a motive for the madness. The writing does a great job of connecting plot elements and providing foreshadowing. I wish it pinned down the motive better.

Mia Goth plays both Maxine and the old lady Pearl. I thought the movie might play that up as Pearl is obsessed with Maxine and jealous of the others as a reason for the murders in an effort to isolate Maxine for herself. While they have a few interactions, the motives aren't more than this is a slasher and that's just how it goes.