The action accelerates as teenage heroes Claus and Lavie follow the mysterious and apparently important child Al to the Silvana, the redoubtable flying fortress of Captain Alex Row. Claus demonstrates his impressive skills as a Vanship pilot when the Silvana is attacked by the starfish-shaped vessels of the effete Lord Dio. After the battle, the Silvana docks at a lavish casino-satellite for repairs, where Lavie and the crew get involved in a nasty contretemps with a cowardly nobleman. Director Kouichi Chigira's dynamic choreography of the CG dogfights between Claus's Vanship and Lord Dio's starfish makes the viewer forgets how aerodynamically unsound both vessels are. The exciting action sequences and muted, sepia-toned designs are more interesting than the story-telling. After eight episodes of Last Exile, the characters remain ill-defined and the plot is lurching forward with little energy or direction. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
