Audience verdict: X is generally well liked, but it is far from a consensus crowd-pleaser. Viewers most often praise Mia Goth’s performance, the film’s 1979 atmosphere, its confident visual design, and its bloody second-half escalation. The recurring objections are equally clear: a long setup, substantial sexual content, familiar slasher mechanics, and a story that some viewers find less inventive than its presentation.
That makes Ti West’s 2022 horror film a strong match for viewers who enjoy stylized, adult-oriented slow-burn slashers—but a risky recommendation for anyone seeking immediate scares, minimal sexual material, or densely developed ensemble characters.
What is X about?
Written and directed by Ti West, X follows a group of young filmmakers who travel to rural Texas in 1979 to make an adult film. They rent space from an elderly couple, but the production soon becomes dangerous as the hosts’ interest in the visitors turns threatening.
The film stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi), Martin Henderson, and performers playing the elderly hosts. It premiered at South by Southwest on March 13, 2022, opened theatrically in the United States on March 18, and runs for approximately 105–106 minutes depending on the listing. A24’s official synopsis establishes the film’s central premise.
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This article focuses on audience reception rather than presenting a spoiler-heavy plot breakdown.
Audience scores: positive overall, but not unanimous
The available audience data points to a consistent broad conclusion: X has generally favorable reception with a substantial minority of viewers who find it slow, overpraised, or too conventional. The numbers should not be compared as though they measured exactly the same thing.
| Platform | Audience snapshot | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | 76% Popcornmeter from 500+ verified ratings | A solid majority of favorable audience ratings, alongside sharply divided individual reviews. |
| Metacritic | 6.5/10 user score; 62% positive, 27% mixed, 11% negative | Generally favorable reception, but with a meaningful mixed-response group. |
| IMDb | 6.5/10 from approximately 226,000 user ratings | A weighted average showing moderate-to-strong approval rather than near-universal enthusiasm. |
| Letterboxd | Substantial fan and review activity with a wide range of reactions | Strong engagement, particularly around the performances, period style, sexuality, and genre references. |
Rotten Tomatoes reports the percentage of favorable ratings, Metacritic displays an average user score and sentiment breakdown, IMDb uses a weighted rating, and Letterboxd combines community ratings with written reviews. Taken together, they support “generally positive but meaningfully mixed,” not “everyone loves it.”
What audiences praise most
1. Mia Goth’s dual performance
Mia Goth is the clearest recurring point of audience enthusiasm. Viewers frequently single out her work as Maxine, the young performer trying to build a career, and Pearl, the elderly antagonist. The contrast between the two characters gives the film one of its most discussed performance ideas.
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Goth’s dual role is not a universal cure for the film’s slower passages, but it is the safest prediction about what supporters will remember. Even viewers who consider the plot simple often regard her performance as a major reason X stands apart from an ordinary slasher.
2. A convincing 1979 horror atmosphere
Supportive audience reviews often describe X as stylish, eerie, and carefully controlled. The rural-Texas location, period production design, lighting, music, costumes, and filmmaking texture all contribute to the impression of a movie deliberately rooted in late-1970s exploitation and horror cinema.
Rank #2
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This atmosphere is central to the viewing experience. The film is not designed only to move from one scare to the next; it spends time establishing the farmhouse, the production, the social tensions among the filmmakers, and the unease surrounding their hosts. Viewers who value mood and visual texture are more likely to accept that investment.
3. A stronger and bloodier second half
Many audience reactions become more enthusiastic once the film’s violence accelerates. The later set pieces, kills, gore, jump scares, and sustained tension provide the payoff that the extended opening is building toward.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThat does not mean X is a nonstop jump-scare movie. Its horror works through a combination of gradual unease, sexual provocation, dark humor, genre references, and graphic violence. For some viewers, that mixture makes the escalation more satisfying; for others, the payoff arrives too late to justify the setup.
4. Charismatic ensemble chemistry
Goth receives the most attention, but viewers also respond to the ensemble. Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, and the supporting cast help give the filmmaking group enough personality to make the danger matter.
The reactions are not uniformly enthusiastic about every character’s depth. Still, even mixed reviews often acknowledge that the cast is watchable and that the group has a recognizable social dynamic rather than functioning only as anonymous slasher victims.
5. A familiar slasher with an unusual framework
The adult-film production setting, the tension between youth and aging, and the film’s relationship with older exploitation and Texas-set horror give X a distinctive identity. Viewers can recognize its inspirations without reducing it entirely to imitation.
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Rank #3
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The important distinction is between premise-level originality and plot-level originality. Many viewers find the setup and themes fresh while still considering the underlying survival story familiar. That explains why one audience member may call X inventive and another may call it a conventional slasher with excellent presentation.
What audiences criticize
The setup can feel slow or uneven
The most repeated criticism is pacing. Several mixed and negative audience reviews describe the first half as slow, padded, or insufficiently tense before the major horror events begin.
Calling the movie simply “slow” is incomplete. X uses an extended setup as a deliberate stylistic choice: it builds a period world, establishes the sexual and generational tensions, and lets the location become familiar before turning it into a threat. Some viewers experience that as suspense; others experience it as waiting for the film to start.
The sexual material is substantial
Sexual content is not incidental to X. The story is built around the production of an adult film and includes nudity, sexual situations, and sexual themes. Prime Video’s content advisory also lists violence, substance use, smoking, foul language, and flashing or strobing patterns.
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The story can feel more conventional than expected
Some viewers argue that X promises a more radical story than it ultimately delivers. Once the premise is established, the film still relies on recognizable slasher dynamics, predictable danger, and familiar survival patterns. A few audience reviews also find that not every member of the filmmaking group receives equally deep characterization.
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That criticism coexists with praise for the movie’s concept. Its identity comes more from the combination of setting, subject matter, performances, and style than from a plot that constantly overturns genre expectations.
The tonal blend will not work for everyone
X moves among horror, exploitation, dark comedy, mystery, and thriller elements. It can be lurid, playful, uncomfortable, and violent within the same overall design. Viewers expecting a relentless modern scare machine may find the character-building and humor disruptive. Viewers who enjoy stylized genre hybrids are more likely to see the tonal shifts as part of the appeal.
Who is likely to enjoy X?
It is a good fit if you want:
- A slow-burn setup before the major violence begins.
- 1970s and 1980s slasher or exploitation-film influences.
- Strong period atmosphere and deliberate visual design.
- Graphic gore and memorable horror set pieces.
- A performance-centered genre film, especially one built around Mia Goth.
- Adult themes, sexual provocation, and dark humor alongside conventional horror.
You may be dissatisfied if you want:
- Immediate scares and a fast-moving first act.
- Little or no nudity or sexual material.
- A completely new set of slasher mechanics.
- Extensive psychological development for every ensemble character.
- A consistently serious tone without humor or exploitation-film excess.
Content notes before watching
Audience-sensitive viewers should know that X includes nudity, sexual activity and sexual themes, graphic violence and gore, profanity, substance-use references, smoking, and flashing or strobing imagery. The adult-film premise means the sexual content is woven into the story rather than confined to a brief scene.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to watch or own X
A24 lists digital viewing paths through Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and Fandango, as well as DVD and Blu-ray purchase options through Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Prime Video separately lists digital rental and purchase options and displays physical-media purchase paths. Availability, regional rights, prices, and stock can change, so check the listing for your country before buying or renting.
For a permanent copy, the documented physical release includes DVD and a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combination package released on May 24, 2022. If you collect modern horror, X Blu-ray is the most natural format to consider; it is a purchase option rather than a claim that Blu-ray is superior for every viewer. Prices and inventory vary by seller.
For households using older or mixed playback equipment, X DVD is the simpler physical-media alternative. The DVD is not necessarily the best choice for viewers prioritizing image quality, but it may be the more compatible option. Confirm the exact edition and included discs before ordering.
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X is best understood as a stylish, divisive adult slasher rather than a universally terrifying or radically original horror film. Its strongest assets are unusually clear: Mia Goth’s dual performance, a richly constructed 1979 setting, a confident period-horror aesthetic, and a violent escalation that many viewers find rewarding.
Its weaknesses are just as predictable. The long setup can test impatient viewers, the sexual content is prominent, and the plot eventually settles into slasher conventions that some audiences find familiar. If those trade-offs sound appealing—or at least acceptable—its 76% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, 6.5 Metacritic user score, 6.5 IMDb rating, and active Letterboxd discussion make sense. If they sound like deal-breakers, the film’s favorable aggregate reception is unlikely to change your experience.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is X (2022) well liked by audiences?
Yes, overall audience reception is favorable but mixed. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 76% Popcornmeter score, while Metacritic and IMDb each show a 6.5/10 audience rating. The main divide concerns pacing, sexual content, and how conventional the story feels beneath its distinctive style.
Is X a slow movie?
Many viewers consider the first half slow because it spends substantial time establishing the filmmaking group, the farmhouse, and the 1979 atmosphere before the major horror payoffs. Supporters see that as deliberate tension-building; critics see it as an overextended setup.
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It contains substantial sexual material, including nudity, sexual situations, and sexual themes, because the plot centers on an adult-film production. It also includes graphic violence and gore, profanity, substance-use references, smoking, and flashing or strobing imagery.
Is X connected to Pearl and MaXXXine?
Yes. X is part of Ti West’s connected trilogy, with Pearl and MaXXXine expanding the story’s characters and themes. This article’s audience scores and viewing assessment concern X alone.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Watch X if you want a visually polished, adult-oriented period slasher led by Mia Goth and willing to take its time. Skip it—or adjust your expectations—if you need immediate scares, minimal sexual content, or a plot that departs completely from familiar slasher structure.
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