Lexx - The Movies - Series 1 Vol.1 [1999]

Amazon.co.uk Review

A "Light Universe" and a "Dark Zone" keep good and bad apart for the characters of Lexx, even though it's often hard to tell the difference between the two in this offbeat and unique sci-fi show that delights in its own nastiness. The show's Canadian creators, "Supreme Beans" Paul Donovan, Lex Gigeroff, and Jeffrey Hirschfield--partnered with German money and studio facilities--intended every episode to be, in their words, "a nasty adventure". With flashes of nudity and surgical gore, and a collection of extreme hairstyles and accents, the overall look is often akin to a sci-fi Eurotrash. Aboard the stolen 10-kilometre-long spaceship Lexx (designed to look like a dragonfly) are the "Dirty Three-and-a-Half": insufferable coward Stanley H Tweedle (Brian Downey), the Edward Scissorhands clone and 2000 years-dead Kai (Michael McManus), decapitated and lovestruck robot head 790 (voiced by writer Hirschfield), and the skimpily wardrobed Zev (19-year-old Eva Habermann). It's with the last of these characters that the show generated its main audience and proved itself totally indifferent to regular boundaries of TV formatting. A disregard both for genre conventions and good taste makes the show a constant series of surprises. --Paul Tonks

On the DVD: The jam-packed pilot "I Worship His Shadow" is full of startlingly graphic imagery, skimpily clad women, and literally wall-to-wall computer graphics. TV sci-fi has never been introduced so explosively. "Super Nova" has the crew of the Lexx hunting for Kai's homeworld, and drawn to a planet by a holographic message from Poetman (Tim Curry). Essentially, the story has little to do with the overall arc, but is an experiment in format and testing boundaries (the most obvious example being Zev's naked shower scene). There's also a nutty song and dance moment for Kai and Zev, a cameo of the director floating in space, and Curry chewing scenery with gusto.

The first movie's disc features a Sci-fi Channel trailer of interviews for the series, a behind-the-scenes documentary introducing the show's creators and their irreverent sense of humour, plus DVD-ROM Screen Saver and Weblinks. The second movie's disc features a gallery of 12 stills, cast biographies, and another documentary which this time looks at the enormous CGI work put into the first season. This is where the digital transfer really pays off, and the FX-heavy show looks gorgeous in crisp definition as opposed to the general murkiness of TV broadcast or the VHS releases. --Paul Tonks

Customer Reviews:

Lexx - the most desructive force in the two known universes and really funny as well.......2006-09-11

The Lexx is a rather fantastic organic space warship using technology derived from the Insect Wars. Lexx is `the most destructive force in the two known universes'. The excellent TV series runs to three seasons and beyond, although in many respects the spin-off TV series never quite re-captures the startlingly stark and surreal world shown in the original `films'. These films are now available over four DVD's numbered 1.1 to 1.4. This set has DVD's 1.1 and 1.2 (you do need the second twin DVD set for 1.3 to 1.4). To some extent the films have an `ending' so can be viewed happily without any knowledge of the subsequent Lexx TV series. In these two films `His Divine Shadow' is introduced, a rather nasty ruler of the League of 20,000 Planets. He is a being who can transfer his essence from one body to another, making him effectively immortal. His Shadow took over after the Brunnen-G had destroyed the insects in a great war thousands of years ago. Kai, last of the Brunnen-G, has been His Shadow's most deadly assassin for the last few thousand years and is on-board the Lexx when Stanley H Tweedle (a lowly security guard), Zev Bellringer (part human, part Cluster Lizard) and 790 (an android head with `love-slave' programming) come aboard. The series is a strange a mix of dark SciFi (in the more recent Tales of Riddick mould), black humour and German soft-porn movie. But it works. If you haven't seen any Lexx, get these two DVD sets now (if you have, no doubt you have these DVDs already). If you can't buy, try renting or ebay. Highly recommended.

No sci-fi collection is complete without Lexx.......2006-01-11

The first two Lexx episodes are TV movies, totalling over three and a half hours worth of running time. If you ever wandered how the crew met and ended up on the beast this is where you'll find out. The world of Lexx is intriguing yet also quite disturbing, and much of this is not for the feint hearted. In fact there are times when you are watching the show that you really start to question whether or not the creators are somewhat depraved. And that leads into the next point, both dvds have documentaries and the usual standard of stills, biographies and trailers. It's good to get an insight in to the show especially as here the documentaries are presented by the creators. You realise that the creators of the show don't take the show too seriously and that they're not trying to explore deep social or humanitarian issues. This show isn't your usual sc-fi; its not overly produced and the show clearly doesn't have the budget of some more high profile sci-fi shows. But if you like lighthearted sci-fi and a bit of humour then this is definately worth a look. However if you like your sci-fi to be full of character development and human conflict then this probably isn't your cup of tea. Lexx is far from perfect but it definately stands out in the crowd.

Sublime.......2004-06-01

You MUST see this, it is too good for words, it is by far the best thing I have seen on Television since I was born. If you are thinking about buying this, I cannot stress how much you will benefit from seeing this masterpiece, and you'll want to see them all after seeing this one, so I suggest you buy this... NOW!

Excellent!.......2003-03-01

Since I first saw the series on UK tv I was hooked. I got this and the rest of the 'movie' series with the original Zev (all day I dream of my lovely Zev Zev :) and loved it. A definite collectable. This is in a league of its own. And the bizaar, arty (and I imagine very low budget) cgi and effects only seem to add to this cult beyond all others.

Forget "Star Trek" - This is entertainment!.......2001-02-14

This show has to be seen to be believed! The characters, the sets, the effects and the comedy (Oh! That comedy!) all combine to make the perfect escape for even the most hardcore sci-fi haters! Even if Zev never reveals all or Stanly never gets any, it's still worth watching. And as for Kai, I can only assume his motto is "Never say die". By the way, when's the rest of the DVD's comming out?

Lexx - The Movies - Series 1 Vol.2 [1999]

Average customer rating:

Lexx - the most destructive force in the two known universes and really funny as well,
Beyond Compare
The crew get into even more trouble.....

Lexx - The Movies - Series 1 Vol.2 [1999]
Director: Bruce McDonald , Stephen Manuel , and Stefan Ronowicz
Manufacturer: Contender Entertainment Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Science Fiction & Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Categories | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000056KPD
Release Date: 2001-06-18

Amazon.co.uk Review

On the DVD: The first films's disc features a behind-the-scenes documentary with the show's creators talking generally about the intent of the films, a text interview with Jeffrey Hirschfield on his dual role as writer and voicing robot head 790, plus a hilarious "Purity Test" quiz to see how much of a fan you are. The second film's disc features a gallery of 12 stills, a Sci-fi Channel featurette and another documentary containing a very frank interview with director Robert Sigl and hilarious outtakes from Malcolm McDowell. --Paul Tonks

Customer Reviews:

Lexx - the most destructive force in the two known universes and really funny as well, .......2006-09-12

The Lexx is a rather fantastic organic space warship using technology derived from the Insect Wars. Lexx is `the most destructive force in the two known universes'. The excellent TV series runs to three seasons and beyond, although in many respects the spin-off TV series never quite re-captures the startlingly stark and surreal world shown in the original `films'. These films are now available over four DVD's numbered 1.1 to 1.4. This set has DVD's 1.3 and 1.4 (you also need the first twin DVD set for 1.1 to 1.2). To some extent these films have an `ending' so can be viewed happily without any knowledge of the subsequent Lexx TV series. In these two films `His Divine Shadow', the rather nasty ruler of the League of 20,000 Planets, causes even more jip, defying prophesy to create the Giga-Shadow. He is a being who can transfer his essence from one body to another, making him effectively an immortal god. His Divine Shadow took over after the otherwise peaceful Brunnen-G had destroyed the Insects in the great war thousands of years ago and then isolated themselves in their home-world behind the great barrier. Kai, last of the Brunnen-G, has been His Shadow's most deadly assassin for the last few thousand years and is on-board the Lexx when Stanley H Tweedle (a lowly security guard), Zev Bellringer (part human, part Cluster Lizard) and 790 (an android head with incidental `love-slave' programming) come aboard. The series is a strange a mix of dark SciFi (in the more recent Tales of Riddick mould), black humour and German soft-porn movie. But it works. If you haven't seen any Lexx, get these two DVD sets now (if you have, no doubt you have the DVDs already). If you can't buy, try renting or ebay. Highly recommended.

Beyond Compare.......2001-10-22

This boxed set of the most excellent Lexx movies 1.3 & 1.4 was no disappointment. After watching the first two movies, I didn't think that the next two movies would match up, but they certainly did. Buy it and be hooked forever.

The crew get into even more trouble............2001-06-20

First is episode three "Eating pattern" When the Lexx is running low on energy and can no longer produce food for Stan and Zev, it changes its course and lands on a garbage planet to feed. Zev decides to explore which leads to a huge heap of trouble. Stan is captured by the beautiful Wist (played by Doreen Jacobi) and infected by a worm like parisite. This leads to a fantasticly wacky performance by Rutger Hauer as Bog- leader of the worm people. Then in the last of season one "Giga-show", the crew are forced to finish what they started in "I worship his Shadow" when they return to the Cluster in order to prolong Kai's life. Once there, they witness the birth of the Giga-shadow and prepare to do battle... Both episodes feature some very impressive CGI effects and the final battle of the series is fantastic. Look out for Malcolm McDowell as Divine Cleric Yottskry. The features on the DVD's aren't brilliant but the Lexx purity test is certainly fun. Well worth the money....

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