The Maxx

Sam Keith's The Maxx is a twisted animated journey into the subconscious. And on MTV no less. True, MTV is not a great place for good shows (besides Beavis and Butt-head), but this is one of those few exceptions.

The Show is about an odd superhero called Maxx who goes back and forth from the real world and the dream world called the Outback (not the Australia one). The plot gets a little confusing as episodes go on, but for someone who isn't a teenie bopper watching MTV, it's heaven none the less. Great animation, great drama, and great entertainment. A++

One of the best animated series of all time.

Here's why...

The writing is some of the best I've ever seen when it comes to animation. It is, at times, utterly confusing and that's the point. You, the viewer, are thrown into the world of "The Maxx." It is as bizarre as the Maxx's psyche and will leave you wondering what you just watched. The amazing cinematography amidst the complexity of storyline make "The Maxx" appealing to the eye as well as the mind.

Where do I start.. Maybe with the fact that The Maxx is purple? No that doesn't do it justice because that is but a small speck of a detail in the complete and utter psychological nightmare that is The Maxx.

I have seen this movie many times and still I feel utter despair when it's over. I mean it made me depressed for 2 days last weekend. One of my friends had to turn it off because it was too close to his own life.

But the story.. Well that's well dark. We have Maxx. He's this muscular guy in a purple suit with a rather strange mask with big teeth. He keeps shifting between the world of 'the city' and the 'real australia'("but not he Australia they teach you about in school etc...") as he puts it. He has no memory of his past.

Then there's Julie Winters. A Freelance social worker. She has a dark secret.

Then we have Mr. Gone. A Magician/serial murderer/rapist. All time bad guy. Somehow tho he knows something about Maxx and Julie's past. Something very important. "do you remember spirit-animals Julie?"

Then we have Sarah(she's my fave) a teenager who wants to become a writer. Outcast as she is she has some rather serious emotional problems. "luckily I don't get hurt anymore... yeah.. lucky me..."

these are a few of the basics for the story. It gets WAY more confusing as the movie progresses. And yet the story works. It's hypnotic, partly due to the very fitting animation, and completely sucks you in and gives your brain a thrashing and spits it out again at the end.

Dark, brooding and very depressing this is the perfect way to spend a dark evening. One word of advice though. As I have noticed with myself, do NOT watch this if you're very depressed. It will make it worse. MUCH worse.

One comment I'd like to make about the video release. They left out a few pieces that were shown on MTV because otherwise the video would be too long or something like that. The director didn't feel the parts they left out were fitting to the storyline. On some level this is true but they also left out some stuff about the Leopard-Queen which IS important to the story. Therefore I advice you to try to get a hold of the comic as well so you know what I'm talking about.

Okay I'm done for today. Needless to say I find The Maxx brilliant as it taught me a few things about my own personality and I hope others will also find it inspiring.

I tried watching one of MTV's newer....TV shows...if they can even be considered that. MTV had some awesome TV shows, Aeon Flux, Liquid TV, Beavis & Butt-Head, and The Maxx: a dark twisted trip into the psyche of a tortured girl trapped in the body of a woman. It was an original piece of work, and I absolutely loved it. MTV used to be about music and TV shows that were actually tolerable. Shame on you MTV!

I knew I was going to need something good and strong to wash off "Snowed in at the House of Mouse" today, so I rented "the Maxx". I saw bits of it when Mtv aired it as a mini-series and was taken in by the excellent visuals and believable -almost pitiable- cast of characters. But before I gush, a little history is needed here.

Some time in the mid-90's, Mtv actually had a few good shows. No kidding. At the time it pained them to interrupt the music videos (!!!???!!!) for a while to show them, but that's another rant in itself. They had an animated mini-series block called "Oddities". One of these was the grotesque, overplayed "the Head" and the other was "the Maxx".

So what would you say if I told you now that this cartoon is darker, more complicated, and better written than any of the live-action movies in the new release shelves the past three weeks?

Go rent it tonight. This is going to stay with you for a long time.