It’s 1979 and Porn is going mainstream. Leading lady Maxine (Mia Goth) has it, the “X-factor” and is on the cusp of being a star and a household name. She’s got a coke addiction, morality that lets her act out her fantasies on film while still being committed to her boyfriend / manager Wayne (Martin Henderson) and a desire to do anything to make it big. Wayne arranges a shoot at a remote farmhouse owned by Howard (Stephen Ure) and Pearl (Also Mia Goth), and they set out along with second couple Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson (Kid Cudi) along with auteur cinematography wannabee RJ (Owen Campbell) and his mousy girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega). Worlds collide as Howard and Pearl’s views clash with the crew. As they say… “There will be blood”.
The Production: 2/5
Spoilers: I’m loathe to truly trash a movie because I know how difficult is to get any made in normal times and just how much harder it is during the COVID pandemic. But X made me deeply angry as it toyed too much with tropes, failed to say anything interesting or original, and its villains motivations made zero sense on any level. I get what they were -trying- to say, with the duality of morality being what you make of it, with the crew’s free love pitted against the bible belt backdrop, and the horror built in to aging, with Pearl’s decline and Howard’s helplessness to do anything about it. But then they go and mix it all up with Howard and Pearl’s own morality not aligning with anything Christian, their past violence, and sexual proclivities making their murderous motivations all the more dumb. The sex scenes weren’t sexy, the slasher scenes were gratuitous and without reason, and having Goth play both young starlet and aged killer didn’t amount to anything at all. Meh.
Video: 4/5
3D Rating: NA
X used modern tech to put on a late 70s period sheen. It’s fine for what it is, neither showcasing the potential of the bluray format nor being too beat up to distract from the film itself. Per IMDB it was shot on Sony CineAlta Venice with Hawk Lenses and the porn scenes are 1.3 and the movie itself is 1.9.
Audio: 3.5/5
The DTS HDMA is best used in a cozy cabin rendition of Stevie Nicks’ Landslide.
I’ll give them credit for the soundtrack, which also includes Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult and Foghat’s Slow Ride among other late 70s tracks. Other than that the sound is nothing spectacular.
Special Features: 2/5
A couple of measly extras, including a brief featurette “That X factor” and a sexless porn video for The Farmer’s Daughters.
Wholly unsatisfying. But hey at least you get the digital copy and a DVD to use as a coaster.
Overall: 1/5
X is a frustrating mess stuck trying to think of something original to say about the connections between porn and horror and about the tension resulting from youthful looks and passions fading as we age. Failing to do so on both fronts without even giving a good scare or titillations along the way.
It manages to fail while still hitting a list of tropes that must be some kind of record.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/X2022
Pass.
Sam is both a moderator and reviewer at Home Theater Forum and is the voice behind Home Theater United, the Home Theater Forum Podcast which he started with cofounder Brian Dobbs. Sam has long advocated modest, best “bang for the buck” theater components and is loving every minute of this golden age of home audio-visual magic. Sam is a software engineer, a former volunteer firefighter, a current planning commissioner, leader of a large board gaming group and the personal servant of two tuxedo cats.
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