Taboo 2001: Sex Odyssey

Director James Avalon takes the legendary Taboo series in a whole new direction in Taboo 2001. Instead of focusing on , as many of the previous volumes have in one way or another, the "taboo" in Taboo 2001 is a futuristic society where sex is outlawed, and even thinking about sex can get you killed.

Nicole Sheridan stars as Zita Mitzar, kind of a "Blade Runner" type of cop whose job is to track down those who dare perform sexual acts. Her boss is played by her real-life partner Voodoo, who sets Nicole after a fetish queen (played by Syren) and her sexual playmates.

Before Nicole starts investigating Syren, we are treated to an opening scene that sets up the premise, and in which Ava Vincent dons virtual reality glasses to fantasize about having sex with another guy, whom I believe was also played by Voodoo. This little casting quirk is explained somewhat in the commentary and bonus material on this DVD...apparently Mark Davis was set to play one of the male roles, but had to pull out (no pun intended!) at the last minute. The scene with Ava is pretty hot, but director Avalon sets a poor tone for the film here by giving us a lot of slow-motion and special effects shots during the action, instead of just trusting his actors to deliver the heat on-screen.

The next segment introduces us to Syren's character, who has young Aurora Snow on a leash and ready to obey her every command. Now, I don't know about most of you, but having Aurora Snow on all fours and ready to submit to my every whim is a fantasy I have held for a long, long time...so seeing her submissive here adds to the heat of the scene. Syren her to lick her boots, and then makes her move her tongue a bit higher...right into her waiting pussy lips. Soon thereafter, Joel Lawrence joins the two women to commence a hot threesome that includes Aurora getting it in the reverse cowgirl position, Syren getting it doggy style, and both women getting a facial blast from Joel...although Ms. Snow gets the majority of the cumshot.

Next up, director Avalon takes some time to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey with a scene in which Aurora, Briana Banks and Lola come upon a large monolith...which, of course, is shaped like a penis. Apparently, the phallic symbol turns the women on, and they are soon masturbating and playing with each other. Another guy joins in on the action (I was unfamiliar with this actor), and he gets to have his way with all of the girls, including doggy with Lola and Aurora, and cowgirl with Briana.

Of course, all this exposure to sex is starting to have its effect on Nicole. She eventually fantasizes (although at the time, the viewer thinks it is actually happening to her) about having sex with Voodoo (in a great anal scene) and becomes so addicted to sex that it ultimately leads to her own destruction. Which leads to an interesting question: what exactly is Avalon trying to say about sex? On the surface, it would appear that he believes the suppression of sex is a bad thing...but the lead character's addiction to sex is eventually what kills her, so he might well be saying that too much sex is also a bad thing.

Oh well, too much sex...not enough sex...the bottom line is that Taboo 2001 is a pretty well-made movie, although it's biggest detractors may be those fans who wish Avalon had stuck to the premise of the original Taboo titles. The only real problem I had with the film, other than the fact that the film to DVD transfer is not a great one (although it is a passable one), is that Avalon at times (as I mentioned earlier in this review) comes a little too preoccupied with his direction, rather than just letting the participants go at it. A little less special effects and slo-mo shots would have no doubt lessened the budget and actually increased the quality of the film. But that said, Taboo 2001 is an above average production that most raincoaters and couples alike should enjoy.

But wait! We haven't gotten to the bonuses yet, which are so cool, they could almost be sold separately at the same price and be worthy of a purchase. First of all, there is a director's commentary on the first DVD (the one with the film on it) featuring Avalon and many members of the cast and crew. The film is also presented in 5.1 Audio, which sounded great on my system.

The "B" disc contains a ton of extras, the best of which may be a look at all the previous Taboo movies and the inclusion of one scene from Taboos 8 through 19, Black Taboo 1 & 2, plus trailers from Taboo 17, 18 & 19. There's also cast biographies which include an interview with each of the girls in the movie. There's a press interview segment in which one of the best questions asked of the director is: "How much pot were you smoking when you came up with the story?!". There's also a 9-minute behind the scenes featurette, a 5-minute blooper reel, a 16-minute look at the box shoot, additional material about James Avalon, a brief tour of Metro Studios, and four trailers for other Avalon movies, including the upcoming Les Vampyres 2. Whew!

In short, Taboo 2001 is the first great DVD of 2002. No adult fan should miss it, and no adult fan's collection should be without it!