Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Lexx is a Canadian German co-production between Salter Street Films and TiMe Film und TV Produktion of Germany. It shoots in Canada, Germany and Africa.

It is currently in production for it's Fourth Season. There are 4 Lexx movies and two seasons of the series. The movies are I Worship His Shadow (IWHS), Super Nova, Eating Pattern and The Giga Shadow.

The four movies were split into 8 one hour episodes and are now referred to as the First "Season". The Second Season consists of 20 Episodes. It is a sexy, silly romp thru the corpse of TV Sci_Fi as we know it.

First, a little background...

The Lexx is the most powerful weapon of destruction in the Two Universes. The Dark Universe (The Dark Zone) and the Light Universe are not separate, like two planets, but coexist in the same place, at the same time. Travel between the Two Universes can only be accomplished at Fractal Cores, points at which the Universes intersect.

The Light Universe is ruled by His Divine Shadow, a ruthless dictator who embodies the essence of the last member of the Insect race, a race which fought to destroy Mankind. The first movie (IWHS) opens with a Plant Killer called the ForeShadow attacking the homeworld of the Brunnen-G. The Brunnen-G were responsible for leading mankind in victory over the Insects, but now are themselves destroyed by His Shadow's forces. Kai, one of the Brunnen_G pilots, fails in his bid to destroy the ForeShadow with a suicide run at the bridge, and is killed by His Shadow. Kai is then made into one of His Shadow's undead assasin's.

2008 years later, Stanley Tweedle, Cluster Security Guard Class 4, is sentenced to death for failure to report for Discipline at the proper hour. Now a fugitive, he meets up with Zev, a Love Slave who is also now a fugitive from the body banks. In tow is 790, a robot head who recieved Zev's Love Slave conditioning and is now madly in love with Zev.

Throw into this mix a collection of Heretics who are on a mission to steal the Lexx and the scene is set for the creation of our heroes and the beginning of their adventures.

Stanley Tweedle inadvertently recieves the 'key' to the Lexx, and is now it's Captain. Did I mention that the Lexx is a Manhattan size insect, grown on the Cluster by His Shadow's Bio-Viseers, and that the Lexx's main purpose is to blow up planets for His Divine Shadow? Kai, Last of the Brunnen-G and now one of the deadliest of His Shadow's assasins is sent to retrieve the Lexx from the Heretics, but ends up becoming a fugitive as well. All this occurs against the backdrop of a Prophecy that the Last of the Brunnen-G will destroy His Shadow and the Divine Order, freeing the League of 20000 planets from the grip of His Shadow.

The movies must be seen in order to view Season Two. The thread of the Mantrid character cannot be fully appreciated (nor the Brunnen-G prophecy) without the details provided about the Cluster, the League of 20000 and His Shadow's Divine Order. Most importantly, how Kai came to be the Last of the Brunnen-G.

While the movies suffer from at times poor sets and slow pace, the Series firmly establishes Lexx as a serious contender for the hearts and minds of the Sci-Fi fan with a licentious streak. Those who find humour in the alt-fan concept of a love affair between Captain Kirk and Spock will most certainly like Lexx.

Lexx has been called Star Trek's evil twin, and with good reason. Our heroes are the ultimate band of misfits, in a Universe of bizarre and perverse characters with a healthy dose of sex thrown in to make it interesting. The Captain of the most powerful weapon of destruction in the Two Universes is a fool, the 'action man' Kai, is dead, the Love Slave Zev is in love with the dead guy, while the robot head loves Zev. The plots are original when they are not mockeries of standard Sci-Fi fare, and the effects (especially in the Second Season) are as good as anything currently on TV.

This uniqueness however, will doom Lexx to a highly rabid cultish fanbase due to it's limited appeal. That's not to say that it's not worth a look, it's just that I cannot reccomend it for everyone. If you are a Sci_Fi fan you may hate it, but non-fans may love it, especially if they have never taken Sci-Fi seriously, for serious, Lexx is not. As a MAJOR Star Trek: The Next Generation fan, it is shocking to realise that the success of the Star Trek Franchise has not been the best thing for Sci-Fi on TV. Babylon 5 shook up the Sci-Fi culture with it's success, but Lexx shows us what is possible with tongue firmly planted in cheek while libidos rage.

The Movies are available on DVD and VHS, and currently Space: The Imagination Station (Canada's Sci_Fi Channel) is running the last of the Season Two episodes and will run the Third Season until the Fourth has finished production. If my review has picqued your interest, please give it a look, but be warned, it's Sci_Fi as you've never seen it before.

Well, except for maybe Barbarella....... [;)

For a frighteningly in depth analysis of Lexx, see the following site:

http://www.sadgeezer.com/lexx/index.htm

Company websites are as follows....

www.lexx.com

www.salter.com

There is a newsgroup, and I infrequently post there...

alt.tv.lexx


...and to top it off, I have a website dedicated to MP3's of my favourite Lexx episode, Brigadoom.

lexx.warpedsystems.sk.ca



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age