Plot: What’s it about?
This series follows a band of space rejects, who happen to control the Lexx, the most powerful weapon in existence. The crew members might bicker, feud, and namecall, but when it becomes time to settle down, this team can always handle the task. One of them happens to be a strange robot without a body, but that doesn’t stop him from making his presence known at all times, trust me. Acorn Media has released two volumes of Lexx on our favorite format, with each disc holding a nice amount of content. You’ll find four uncut episodes on each disc, with scenes not shown on American television, which has to pique the interest of fans. In addition to the almost two-hundred minutes worth of episodes per disc, you’ll also find a selection of bonus materials, from behind the scenes featurettes to interviews with the cast & crew. Acorn has issued these two volumes separate fashion, so to acquire all eight episodes, you’ll need to pick up both discs, which won’t set you back too much. The episodes on V1 are Mantrid, Terminal, Lyekka, and Luvliner, while V2 contains Lafftrak, Stan’s Trial, Love Grows, and White Trash.
I’d never seen this series, although I had heard some good comments, so I was looking forward to this DVD release. I love sci/fi and as such, I went into this in a positive mindset, but I have to say, I was let down in the end. I can see why the series has become so popular, but I suppose I like my sci/fi in a little different vein. The production design is good, complete with strange makeup work, cool costumes, and odd props, but the computer graphics are another story, to be sure. I found the special effects to be weak at best and whether intentional or not, the space scenes looked very poor, as if a teenager had done the graphics work. But the computer graphics are used mostly for cut scenes and as such, it doesn’t hinder the show itself that much. The episodes were very interesting and a couple were very good, but I don’t think this series has the same lasting effect as others, such as Stargate SG-1 or the like. Even so, I think fans of the genre should give this series a look, as it has some terrific moments and Acorn has delivered solid discs. I am unsure how well the episodes would stand up to repeat viewing, but I think they’re worth watching once.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes of Lexx are presented in full frame transfers, which I assume is the intended aspect ratio. This is a very visual series and I hoped for a great transfer, which this is most of the time. I did see some grain at times, but not an extreme amount and in the end, it never threw off the visuals much. The image is usually quite sharp and refined, with no real complaints to be made, solid work indeed. The colors look vibrant and rich, while contrast is clean and very well defined at all times, no real problems to report. Aside from some small flaws, the episodes look terrific and I think fans will be more than pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio sounds very solid here, but won’t light up the system like some sci/fi based materials might. I was never let down however, as the mixes are quite active and never falter much, though I wish the experience was more immersive. The music and sound effects come through in clean & crisp form, while dialogue is always clear and never hard to understand. Each disc also includes a French language option, in case you’ll need to have that choice.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Each disc contains some cool bonus materials, which are exclusive to each volume. You’ll find a behind the scenes featurette on both discs, as well as special interviews with Michael McManus (V1) and Paul Donovan (V2), which are informative and fun to view. Also included are trivia quizzes, character & cast information, and rated versions of some episodes, His Divine Shadow (V1) and Stan (V2). All in all, not a bad selection of extras, when you consider the nature of these releases, as well as the four uncut episodes included on each disc.
