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"Lexx" (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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62 out of 64 people found the following comment useful :-
A Classic Cult Series, 8 joulukuu 2004
Author: Rob Taylor (Rob_Taylor) from London

I didn't like Lexx at first. This was mainly due to the fact that, like many other negative reviews I see here, I only caught odd episodes here and there. Not surprisingly, the story and characters made absolutely no sense whatsoever to me. As a result, I ignored this show for a long time. Luckily for me, I gave it another shot, from start to finish, and I can honestly say I enjoyed every episode (well....nearly every one....there were a few stinkers).

If you are thinking of giving it a go, make sure you see the initial four mini-movie episodes (the first season). Without the background on the characters and universe, much of what follows will be meaningless. I'll try and summarise the important parts below.

The plot centres mainly around Kai, last of the Brunnen-Gee, a dead assassin who is prophesied to bring about the destruction of His Divine Shadow (bad guy Emperor of the universe). Kai can be reanimated for brief periods of time to perform various tasks (mostly killing people). Unlike other shows such as Star Trek, the crew of the Lexx (giant, biological insect spacecraft) do not get along that well most of the time. In particular, 790 (a disembodied robot head) is particularly hateful of the male crew because of his love of Zev (a female love slave) who is another crewmember. The Lexx is captained by Stanley H Tweedle (a big coward) who has designs on Zev of his own. However, Zev only has eyes for Kai (the dead guy), so there is a weird love triangle thing going on there. Along the way, the crew gets joined by Lieka, a plant woman who likes Stan.

The show is very camp and played for laughs more often than not. As with most such shows, the plot and situations become less important with time. Instead the way the characters react and deal with the situations they find themselves in are far more enjoyable.

The mini-movies featured guest stars such as Tim Curry and Malcolm McDowell and were perhaps the better produced of all the series. Season 2 (the first proper series) focused on a new nemesis - Mantrid - and his designs on the universe. Season 3 is essentially one long episode cut into chunks, a formula that was recently copied by season 3 of Enterprise. And season 4 takes the crew to Earth, giving them the opportunity to interact with the 20th century in all its hideous glory.

Each season had its merits and pitfalls, just like each episode did. One of the interesting quirks was the limited cast list of extras. Actors reappeared from one episode (or season) to the next, playing different characters or in seasons 3 and 4, alternate versions of their previous characters. There is an explanation for this, but you'll have to watch the show to find out.

My favourite episode, ironically, is one of the least sensible. Entitled Brigadoom, it's a musical episode. Much of Kai's past is revealed through song and even now it brings a smile to my lips as I write, just thinking about it.

If you watch Lexx expecting to see Babylon 5, you'll be bitterly disappointed. It's pure fun, campy entertainment at its best. Treat it as such and you'll find it growing on you rapidly.

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46 out of 58 people found the following comment useful :-
The American Red Dwarf ... Made By Canadians and Germans, 21 helmikuu 2004
Author: webmistress-1 from United States

My husband and I first caught Lexx during a marathon on the Sci-Fi channel in 2000. Up until that point, Sci-Fi's ad campaign was so wretched that neither of us bothered to watch the show. Although the episodes in the marathon didn't make a lot of sense (Sci-Fi aired the Season 2 episodes out of order) we were hooked by the black humor, the funky music, and the show's overall stylishness.

I think the show was a lot smarter than most people realize.

In a nutshell, Lexx is the American Red Dwarf. Fans of Red Dwarf know that the British creators once tried to sell the show to a US network ... and failed. Attempts at Americanizing Red Dwarf included adding more sex and "adventure" to the show while keeping the jokes and action squeaky clean. It didn't work. But Lexx succeeded where Red Dwarf failed by being hip and gritty.

Of the first four Lexx movies only the first and fourth are truly must-see material. The middle episodes feature fun cameos but don't really advance the plot ... they've always felt like filler designed to stretch out the production budget. But the first and last movies are sci-fi gems. Funny, sick, and slick all at the same time, they really solidified the mood of the show.

Episode for episode, Season 2 IS the heart of Lexx. The season offers up the most spot-on humor and the most interesting plots. The season bore a few misses (the hillbilly episodes mainly) but the shows are consistently enjoyable if you appreciate the bizarre. The running gag in which every new character introduced dies by the end of each episode never turns stale. The main characters grow with the plot throughout the season. There's even a thoroughly enjoyable MUSICAL episode toward the end (my favorite Lexx episode).

Season 3 was a complete misfire. I'm surprised Lexx survived to see a fourth season ... that how weak Season 3 is. A plot that should have lasted two episodes is stretched into an entire season. All of the character growth seen in Season 2 is tossed out the window. The episodes drag out via poor pacing, asinine logic, and de-emphasized humor. And the season only got worse as it went along. I didn't enjoy Season 3 when it aired, and it still sucks on DVD ... especially when compared to every other incarnation of Lexx.

Season 4 was a worthy successor to Season 2 and a return to form. It's a shame that the fourth season based several plot threads on the third season because, ideally, viewers should be able to skip Season 3 altogether. While the fourth season isn't as strong as the second, it comes pretty damned close. I was skeptical about the "Lexx comes to modern earth" theme... but through creativity and a keen sense of satire, Lexx's creative team pulled off a plot device that no other Sci-fi show has been able to successfully tackle (re: Battlestar Galactica 1980). There are some episodes that go nowhere (sadly the prison episode, which employs two actors from Red Dwarf, is one of the most disposable episodes) and the characters go through the exact same growth pattern seen in Season 2. But I give the creators props for having the balls to inject caustic anti-American sentiments into the season ... given the post 9-11 culture in which they were released AND the fact that it was the first incarnation of Lexx to be heavily promoted in the US. Sometimes the anti-American elements are too heavy-handed and belie a superficial grasp of US culture, but that's OK. It works more than it doesn't. The creators did a much better job at managing a continuing storyline than they did in previous seasons ... culminating in a truly rousing and tragic conclusion.

I also applaud the creators for ending their pet project decisively. Sure, there MIGHT be another Lexx someday, but the conclusion of Season 4 didn't leave any loose ends or nagging issues.

Warts and all, Lexx stands as one of the most interesting and innovative sci-fi shows ever attempted. I have a feeling that this show will grow more popular with the passage of time.

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34 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant!!!, 28 tammikuu 2003
Author: The_13th_Doctor from Gallifrey

This show is outrageously funny at times, deeply philisophical at others. Defying all attempts to generalise it as one thing or another Lexx flies from one genre to another week by week. The sheer intelligence behind the series cannot be doubted, listening to the three beans (the shows creators & writers) you are left with no doubt of their genius and their desire to show viewers a whole new universe of ideas and concepts. Welcome to the Dark Zone people, if you look to the front and rear you will see there are no exits. The show is just so damn good it's annoying how they manage to keep things going show after show while almost every other series fades and diminishes into cliches after a few weeks. This is TV the way it should be made, has to be made if channel execs want ratings in the future. Lexx has shown what viewers have been missing all these years, robot heads, nymphomaniacs, assassins, cannibals, mass murderers (and that's just the heroes!) The world is divided into two groups of people. Those who love Lexx and those who will come to love Lexx...

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26 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Strange, But Endearing, 3 huhtikuu 2004
Author: HellBoy13 from NYC

Most science fiction deals with characters who are altruistic or malevolent, and have stories that are simple, with good guys defending against bad guys. "Lexx" is different, in that it explores the amoral side of humanity not by showing these usually undesirable traits not just in minor characters, but in the main characters, in the crew of the Lexx itself. There is a Dark Man, an unemotional and undead assassin, defender of the crew. But then there are the half-lizard nymphomaniac, the unintelligent "dirty old man" (who somehow became the Captain of the Lexx through an accident), the robot head driven by love-psychosis, and the sentient, organic Lexx itself, a living ship and slave to the Captain who, if unchecked, would be content in destroying or feeding on organic life in the form of other space ships or entire planets.

The questionable desires of the crew are usually left unfulfilled in the episodes, and morality and good win out in the end over immorality and evil, but not before a thorough exploration of self-indulgent natures and evil.

True, the low-budget nature of the series may make it ideal for viewing in late night hours as an alternative to infomercials, but the series is nothing if not imaginative. Other series have cropped up since, with similar themes of a powerful space ship crewed by fools and lechers, but "Lexx" is definitely unique in that its flawed characters are so familiar that they become endearing.

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22 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
The best ever, 22 joulukuu 1999
Author: Matthew Arkell from Maitland, Australia

This series is simply the best ever to grace the TV screens of our little planet. It has the coolest characters, great special effects and shots, plus the most absolutely evil characters ever created, that put your typical bond villain to shame. The comedy is at times extremely dark, involving all sorts of gore and cool stuff like that. Eva Habermann as Zev is one of the most luscious looking characters ever, she was better than Xenia Seeberg (no disrespect to Xenia), Kai is so cool, and 790 is a love crazed robot head.

The supporting cast is also brilliant, especially the 2 mercenaries, who add an extra touch of dark humor. If you have a chance to see it, you must. You would never be able to live with yourself if you missed out. It easily gets a 43,245 out of 10 from me.

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16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
I love this show. It is Science fiction for adults., 24 huhtikuu 2000
Author: H. Earl Paulson (earlthepearl137@aol.com) from New Hyde Park, NY U.S.A.

I love this show. It is Science Fiction for adults. By that I mean that it has a sense of humor, which can be appreciated by adults. It is sexy, in a nice way, not pornographic. Xenia Seeberg is terrific as Zev Bellringer. Her facial expressions are priceless and show that she is a truly talented actress, not just another pretty face (and body). The rest of the cast is superb. Kai has the coolness of a Mr. Spock, and Stanley Tweedle is all that the name would imply. The special effects can be spectacularly elaborate or comically cheesy when appropriate. LEXX, the most powerful weapon of destruction in the two universes, is the most entertaining Science Fiction program on the planet.

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
While not the most exciting it will appeal greatly to sci fi fetishists and lovers of the obscure, 30 maaliskuu 2005
Author: Eric from United States

The series is enjoyable for its darkly entertaining sci-fi themed fetishist nature. It isn't meant to be deeply thought provoking in the normal sense, it is designed to be outside the box and provide an alternative to Kevin Sorbo firing blasts at everything. I enjoy it thoroughly for the mere fact that it does not follow normal conventions for a science fiction show and it dares to write story lines that appeal to the subcultures of sci-fidom. The plot is not the most inventive, but the banter and atmospheric situation of the show makes for a very enjoyable watch, especially late night when it normally airs. i highly recommend it to people who like science fiction that thinks outside normal sci-fi convention.

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12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
it's great, 30 heinäkuu 2001
Author: brunhilda_zim from Fairbanks, Alaska

Lexx is a great great great show. Whereas others would say that the dark zone stories were better. I came into the experiance unspoiled and only saw the movies when I had already fallen in love with the series. Xenia Seaberg is in my opinion the better Xev but that's because I am more used to her in the role. This show is innovative and I really like it. Kai is great. I love his character. Any one who loves sci fi comedies like red dwarf and others should see this show.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
No doubt, this is great!, 1 syyskuu 2006

Author: denis888 from Russian Federation

This serial is equal in the sense of humor to Labyrinth with David Bowie or Jim Henson's Muppet Show, as the crooked, wry and acerbic irony here is just overwhelming. The very story is just hilariously cool, as we see the talking spaceship, Lexx, which is in fact a living insect, but a huge one and unbearably droopy and always praising Stanley Tweedle, an unlikely hero, who owns it and is always willing Xev. Xev is a nice sweet space woman, and then there is Kai, the last of the dead people race, and he is cool, handsome and never shows any sense of humor or irony, but can help hapless Stan whenever he is in deep trouble. There is also a talking robot head that wants have some sex with Kai, but no one can imagine how on earth. This story has everything turned upside down - we see the planet of some terrible bureaucrats, then the planet of fire and the planet of water. Then, we see the adventures of Kai when he has to be keep in the soil to keep him well, or the story of Xev when she turns to a lizard or some other unearthly monster... The first season is very specific, with 4 larger series, each looking more like a real full movie. And here we see the impossible corrupt and terribly mean Divine Order of His Divine Shadow, and then there are the courageous space heretics who try to steal the Lexx, then there is Stan who by a mere chance gets the key to the Lexx and escapes with Xev and Kai and 790. Here, in the 1 season, we come across the cameo appearance of Ruthger Hauer and Malcolm McDowell, and the series are very strong and thrilling. The second season is mostly a collection of shorter mini series, about Lexx's team long wanderings in space, looking for some good planet, some food and some sex for Stan and Zev. We see the Nook - planet of men only and then we are worried by impossibly evil Mantrid who seeks Lexx all the time, and then we laugh heartily when the whole series is a Opera show. The third season is mostly Fire and Water planets' adventure, with evil Prince, likewise terrible Fifi taking part, then with sweet and nice Bunny and Stan even going to Hell. The last fourth season takes us to Earth and this is a wry anti-US critics, a clear farce and a great bunch of hearty laughs. We meet all the old staff - Lyekka, Bunny, Prince among many, we see the impossibly silly President Priest and many other earthly creatures who are so freaky that seem worse than any of the extra-mundane objects in previous seasons... Watch all of them - you will never be sorry! It is impossible to convey the unreal cool and superb humor, the adult jokes and the impossibly funny situations there. This is a serial for adult but also for very clever watchers. Watch it by all means, as you have never seen anything like this and will hardly see any other.

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9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Refreshingly original, 4 marraskuu 2004
Author: JanikaBanks from mid USA

After so many other scifi shows that can't ever seem to get away from earth-based humans as the main backdrop, we have a completely new and original universe with a refreshing lack of moral conviction as a basis for plot building. In fact, the twisted irony of cosmic justice never quite prevails in the coolest blend of both tragedy and comedy I've ever witnessed. Of course the graphics are awesome, makes American made Trek look pretty pale, and the bad guy beats Vadar fingernails down. Theater students will find this show particularly appealing, especially as the series develops. The makeup, costuming, and set design are as refreshingly original as the story. Music students will be captivated by the soundtrack, which manages to sound entirely alien (from humans) in a lonely and hostile universe without sounding anything like the typical human interpretation of alien. I'm also fond of warship/spaceship construction-- I would LOVE to have a Lexx of my own! One more thing: inventing an entirely new and different cultural history is no small feat, and the energy that went into this film only comes from the best of the best. An entire universe hangs on the coolest twist of ironic fate, not on some slick protocol in a bureaucratic federation or an enraged teen with a lightsaber. And a lot of it is subtle. It's not all patly spelled out for you. Enjoy the ride!

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