Hello everyone, Matthew here with something I've been pondering about for a little bit. When I do a review, I have a tendency of shooting from my hip. Sometimes that can be a good thing. But sometimes it can be a bad thing. I know that there are some people that may have said I was a bit harsh on The Exorcist. So that's something that may have led to Films Revisited.
To kick off Films Revisited, I had the pleasure of watching Ti West's X. For those that haven't heard yet, X was released in March of this year. It's something that definitely blew up in such a good way for the community. (Unlike a certain Reborn film that I've heard blew up in a completely disastrous dumpster fire way. When I have a chance to check that out, believe me I'll be giving it an attempt.) I did a review for X with my initial thoughts. But when I had the chance of revisiting it with my partner, I was ecstatic. How did it hold up? Well, let's find out.
For those that are interested about the plot of X, I'll sum it up below: A group of actors set out to make an adult film in rural Texas under the noses of their reclusive hosts. But when the elderly couple catches on, the cast finds themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
Ti West's X is a complete breath of fresh air. It was something that I had an inkling that was going to be solid. Or at the very least, I hoped that it would be. I really dug Ti West's The Innkeepers. That was something that I never saw coming either. X is a film that when I went in originally, I was expecting something in the vein of Texas Chain Saw Massacre. That was a bit of an unfair expectation. And I will admit that it tempered my initial viewing. However with this rewatch, I definitely got what they were going for. This is a complete love letter to 70s horror at its finest. The way that the opening captures the 70s aesthetic is fascinating. My partner looked at me and questioned if it was going to be a 4:3 format. But then the slow pull in happened and we were moving out of the barn.
I will say that one thing I vastly appreciated about X was that it's a film that breathes. It allows us to spend some time with our characters, not just one or two of them but all of them. It gives us time to spend with the group of actors as well as a few moments with Pearl and Howard. We aren't immediately thrown into blood flying as the killing begins. So everyone is able to have a personality and actually be a character. It's something that is nice after seeing some modern day horror films where it's hitting the ground running from moment one. And allowing us to have character moments, I know I found myself caring for the characters.
The biggest standout character in the film, of course, is Pearl. Everyone always has something to say about her. I know my partner found themselves really able to care for Pearl. I appreciated the performance before, but now seeing it through my partner's perspective - it is utterly fantastic. I was able to see that, in a sense, Pearl is a tragic character. At the time of this writing, I haven't seen Pearl yet and honestly don't know if I'll get to before he hits blu ray/dvd. So I can't attest to actually seeing the backstory unfold. But just the moments that we are given in this film, Pearl is tragic. She's at a point of reflection in her life. She feels like she's not good enough for Howard anymore. She's unhappy that life seemed to gone by and now she's seeing her younger self again in Maxine. If Pearl was able to reclaim that youthfulness, I fully think that she would.
Now, I said it before and I'll say it again, everyone in this film acts their asses off. Each and every one of them. Of course, Mia Goth owns this movie with her double performance as Maxine and Pearl. When I had initially watched the film, I felt like something was off with Pearl. But after discovering that it was Goth under makeup, I was floored. It also made a lot of sense when I had thought there were some moments where Pearl and Maxine's voice sounded similar. Martin Henderson's Wayne is also great. He's very pompous and full of himself. I would love to see more of this character cause he comes across very much as a man's man. He is so sure that whatever he spouts off, anyone will listen to. It honestly left me wondering what it is exactly that makes the character tick. And Owen Campbell's RJ does listen to Wayne's advice. RJ wants to be a filmmaker. Unfortunately, that comes at the cost of his relationship. He is a bit of a push over though. He lets Wayne push him all over the film. He just doesn't realize it. And he does try to help, sadly at the wrong time. Jenna Ortega once again delivers a rock solid performance. By this point, its becoming very clear that the genre is definitely her thing. Very much so like Jamie Lee Curtis I would dare say. Then there's Brittany Snow and Kid Cudi as Bobby-Lynne and Jackson. Bobby-Lynee is exactly the character we'd expect. She seems to have gotten by in her life by certain aspects. She also is extremely overconfident in her looks as well. Hell, there's a moment between her and Pearl where I found myself rooting for Pearl. Kid Cudi's Jackson is so damn underrated. He literally steals every scene that he's in. I cannot wait to see him in more films. And then there's Stephen Ure as Howard. Howard is someone that compliments Pearl so beautifully. He's trying his best to look after her any way he possibly can. He wants her to be happy. The banter between him and Jackson is also amazing.
Going back to talking about the opening of the film, it appears that it's an interesting wraparound as we see more at the end. I love this sequence as in a way, it foreshadows that some serious shit is going to go down. It's very much reminiscent of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre '03 moments with the police investigating the Hewitts. The way it's able to tell the story visually was nice. The only downside is that I still find myself completely forgetting that opening moments when our group of actors arrive on screen. I am so caught up in their story that I forget that we have seen so many bodies covered up in that opening sequence. So when shit goes down in that third act, I was surprised every time.
Nothing in this film felt overlooked. Everything felt very carefully placed. Definitely no filler in this movie as it is extremely well paced. It feels like a roller coaster. By the time we got to the end, I was surprised that it was already over. The one thing that definitely caught my partner by surprise was the Preacher performing his sermon on the TV. I also had completely forgotten that it tied into the film's story. After hearing that we are going to be getting a third film in this trilogy with Maxine, I am hoping that it ties into that as well. Maybe Maxine does return home? X is such a fantastic film that has managed to jump start a trilogy with one fell swoop. I know that there's been some films that were very strong when they were released, but over time have been considered to be overhyped. I can safely say that's not the case.
If you haven't seen X yet, I highly recommend it. If you have the choice between DVD and Blu Ray, I would recommend DVD. This watch was on DVD and it just added to the experience as the picture was a little on the soft side.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
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