V: The Final Battle (1984) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Anyone who has seen "V" will want to see this sequel, as well. "V" was one of most original made-for-television movie of its time. It spawned this sequel and its very own television series. It was able to do this with a cast of virtual unknowns because of the strength of its story line. "V" is simply great sci-fi, and "V - The Final Battle" is a must have DVD for all those fans who enjoyed the original mini-series.
As those of you familiar with "V" already know, human looking alien visitors landed on Earth, led by an alien innocuously called John (Richard Herd), who gave Earth a benevolent message that fooled many into thinking that the visitors came in peace. Some humans even ended up working collaboratively with them. There were some, however, that were skeptical of the visitors' motives, and mistrust turned to fear when scientists and doctors began to be rounded up and mysteriously disappeared.
Mike Donovan (Marc Singer), a hunky cameraman, had his own misgivings about the aliens, but once he observed the visitors literally shedding their skins, revealing that that they were not human at all, but rather, nothing more than reptilian looking aliens, his misgivings were reinforced. Mike also discovered that they meant mankind harm and were hell-bent of the conquest of Earth and divestiture of one of Earth's most important natural resources without which humans cannot live.
Mike joined the resistance, headed by beautiful medical doctor, Julie Parish (Faye Grant). As the underground resistance battled the visitors, many humans were still convinced that the visitors were benevolent and being misjudged by these so-called freedom fighters. As fascist rule supplanted democratic government throughout the world, under the pretext of law and order and at the direction of the visitors and at the behest of their human puppets, the viewer cannot help but be aware of the allegorical implications.
This two disc DVD provides three episodic treats. The resistance continues its struggle against the visitors with the assistance of an alien fifth column, working secretly together, side by side. Mike Donovan and Julie Parish are now joined by irascible and laconic Ham Tyler (Michael Ironside), a former special forces agent with a chip on his shoulder and the military strategy necessary to coalesce the resistance movement into a lean, mean, fighting machine.
This sequel mini-series is action packed, as the visitors and the resistance fighters duke it out for control over the Earth. The exquisitely beautiful, evil alien, Diana (Jane Badler), stops at nothing to secure her ambitions. Not content with being the science officer for the invading forces, she seeks military glory at all cost. She is the one from whom both humans and aliens have much to fear.
The allegorical thread also continues, as humans begin to be rounded up routinely and trucked off to a processing plant. After all, it is the visitors fervent desire to serve man...literally. It seems that in addition to the Earth's water, the visitors are secretly looking to humans as a food source.
There are some interesting special effects for its time, as well as some cheesy ones. There are also some key performances. Most notable are those of Jane Badler, in the role of the diabolical Diana, and Michael Ironside, as Ham Tyler, the alien hating resistance fighter. Look also for Robert Englund, who would go on to Freddy Kreuger fame the same year as the release of this mini-series sequel. He continues in the role of Willie, a peaceful loving visitor who allies himself with the resistance.
This film has everything, suspense, action, thrills, a gripping story line, a moral message, and an inter-species birth. How can anyone resist? This is sci-fi as it should be. Bravo!
The DVD provides a crystal clear, widescreen picture and perfect audio, but little else. It provides none of the interesting extras found on the "V" DVD. Instead, the buyer will have to be satisfied with the usual interactive menus, as well as scene access, and subtitles available in English, French. Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Bahasa, Thai, and Korean. All in all, notwithstanding its shortcomings, this is a DVD well worth having in one's collection, if one is a sci-fi diehard.
It is unfortunate that the television series based upon this highly successful mini-series did not fare well. The knuckleheads in charge of programming sentenced it to death right from the beginning by scheduling it opposite the then number one television show, "Dallas". The series never even had a chance coming out of the gate. I only hope that a DVD collection of the series will be forthcoming.

Click Here to see more reviews about: V: The Final Battle (1984)

Marc Singer, Robert Englund and Michael Ironside in the thrilling sequel miniseries about human resistance to alien invaders - from the birth of the first interspecies child to a harrowing countdown to nuclear doomsday. DVD Features:Interactive MenusScene Access

Get 35% OFF

Click here for more information about V: The Final Battle (1984)

V: The Original TV Miniseries (1983) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For anyone who is a fan of 'alien invasion' movies, sci-fi in general, or just good-old storytelling, the original 'V' mini-series is an absolute classic. The story begins with the arrival of 50 gigantic spacecraft over 50 major cities around the world; a civilization of human-like beings have come to ask for our aid in saving their dying planet. Over the film's 3+ hours, our 'visitors' go from friend to foe, and humanity faces the prospect of enslavement by a facist regime, not unlike in World War II, this time on a world-wide scale. V was (and still is) unique in its ability to weave together action and drama, along with some sci-fi elements, to create a 'morality tale' of sorts. I must admit, there were a couple of scenes that still leave me choked up. The mini-series debuted on NBC in the Spring of 1983 and was followed by an excellent sequel, 'The Final Battle,' a year later. Considering the date of release, it must be mentioned that the special effects are not up to current CGI standards - don't come here expecting 'Independence Day', but there are some scenes that are still impressive, even by current standards. This was done back in the day when you had to build all your effects from scratch and there were no computers to fall back on!
On to the DVD release of 'V'...I must say this right now: if you're like me and you've seen V a hundred times already, you're in for a shock when you get a look at this version. The colors are brilliant and everything is so sharply in focus...it makes my old VHS version seem like watching t.v. with plastic-wrap over the screen. It looks that good! The audio track has been completely remastered and the majority of the effects have been enhanced. Every laser blast, every explosion, the whoosh of a passing fighter...it's all there, loud and clear, and in Dolby Stereo. A 25 minute 'behind the scenes' documentary is included, and while it won't tell you anything new or shocking about V, it is intriguing and adds to the value of the disc. Last, but definitely not least, is the commentary track by writer/director Kenneth Johnson. This WILL tell you 'new and shocking' things and is definitely a major treat for those of us who are long-time fans.
I was about 9 years old in the Spring of '83 when the original V mini-series debuted on t.v. Needless to say, V left a major impact on me, as much as the original 'Star Wars' movie did, if not more. If you are a fan of V, you MUST purchase a copy of this - it's like seeing the show again for the first time. On the other hand, if you've never seen V before, if you can deal with its early-80's origins, it will no doubt move you like the rest of us.
As for myself, I have one thing to say: bring on 'The Final Battle' DVD, I'm ready!
P.S. Oh, and one more thing...why did Jane Badler's name never become a household word? Aside from her being devastatingly gorgeous, not to mention her chilling portrayal of the evil alien leader 'Diana', one would have expected to see more of this talented actress later on in her career. There is no justice in this world!

Click Here to see more reviews about: V: The Original TV Miniseries (1983)

Aliens pretending to be friendly come to Earth and are received openly. The aliens have masqueraded themselves to look just like humans. When it is discovered that the aliens' planet is dying and that they have come to rape the Earth of its natural resources, the war for Earth begins. An important key to the humans' success is distinguishing the their own from the aliens.

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about V: The Original TV Miniseries (1983)

V: The Complete Series (1984) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In 1985, I didn't have a VCR. I loved "V" in 1983 and enjoyed "V The Final Battle" in 1984. I was really happy to hear that the struggles of Mike Donovan and the rest of the resistance were coming back as a series. At the time I worked at a local grocery store and, as fate would have it, I was usually scheduled when V the series was on. As a result I only caught a few episodes here and there when I had a day off. It was not as good as the two mini series but I thought it was entertaining. After a mere 19 episodes the show was cancelled and V was gone forever.
Since that time, I ran across friends who didn't like the series. Whenever I found articles about "V", the series follow up was always dismissed as crass exploitation of the franchise. Last week, WB released the series (possibly to test the wind for a new mini series) on DVD for the first time. Finally, after nearly two decades (can it be that long?) I have been able to finally discover what the series was all about. Here are my impressions:
There will be many SPOILERS so please do not read further if you want to be surprised.
1. This series isn't bad. It is not as good as the two mini-series but it is entertaing in its own right. I also think that this show was innovative in the field of TV Science Fiction. Prior to "V", Science Fiction was very episodic. Star Trek, Space: 1999, Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes, Buck Rogers and to a certain extent, Battlestar Galactica all told self contained stories. The plot was resolved by the end of the hour. "V" The series was different in this respect. It had story arcs and continuing plot threads. Every episode ended in a cliff-hanger and it left you wanting more. In this aspect, it has a modern flavor. Like Babylon 5, StarGate SG 1 and Season 3 Enterprise, it tells a big story over a run of several episodes.
2. People could die on "V". For most TV shows, you know that the heroes will make it in the end. Not on "V". Over the 19 episodes, long-standing characters like Dr. Maxwell and Elias Taylor buy the farm surprisingly abruptly. This raised the stakes dramatically and kept the viewer involved in the narrative.
3. The cast was great. Marc Singer was perfectly cast as heroic Mike Donovan. Micheal Ironside ruled as perfect tough guy Ham. Jane Badler was very memorable as Uber-B**ch, Diana. June Chadwick was suitably catty as Diana'a rival Lydia. Duncan Rehgar was fantastic as Charles, the leader's envoy. His fight with Donovan in "The Hero" is classic. He was a great villain and it is a great shock when he is killed after a mere 4 episodes.
4. There is a sense that this is merely a peek at a global war with the Visitors. For the first 12 episodes or so, The Freedom Network newscaster, Howard K. Smith ( A real journalist by the way) reads the headlines on the state of the war. We learn that the Visitors are sweeping through Spain and so forth. This makes us understand that The resistance in LA is only one story in this global conflict. It really gives the story a certain gravitas.
5. The stories are often action adventure tales that are on par with anything that was on the air in the mid 1980s. Unfortunately, the sociological aspects that made the first mini series so memorable are ignored completely. The show, evan though it is watered down, is entertaining in its own right.
There are some things that are unfortunatle about this show:
1. All the SFX are recycled from the two mini series. (I think one new shot was filmed for "The Dreadknot.") Even entire sequences are lifted from the minis. Remember when Donovan is on horseback and is being chased by a skyfighter? Well, the entire sequesce appears again in "The Champion." After a while, it becomes really grating to see the same shots over and over. I know that SFX on TV was really expensive back then but WB should have spent some money on new shots.
2. As the series goes on, it is clear that there was less and less money bugeted for each episode. The first episode, "Liberation Day" has an outdoor crowd scene with hundreds of extras. By the last episode, we only have the main characters walking around on the standing sets. By the end, the production valules of the show looked rather thread bare.
3. The producers decided to exploit the alien lizards by showing them without their Human masks. This was a mistake. The people who created the lizard makeups were not as artful as John Chambers. As a result the lizard appliances were very stiff and immoble. By showing the Lizards in their natural state too often, it undermined their credibility as a frightening threat. The full face lizards were about as scary and convincing as a halloween slip on mask. It became a bit silly.
4. I hate cliffhangers that are unresolved. I can't understand why they would create a cliffhanger for a show that was doing poorly in the ratings. It is really unfair to viewers who watched every episode.
5. The Star Child. One of the big weaknesses of "The Final Battle" was the ending where Elizabeth gets all glowy like Decker in Star Trek the Motion Picture. Elizabeth uses some kind of super powers that come out of nowhere and saves the day. In the series, the Star Child goes through some type of metamorphosis and comes out of a cacoon as a 17 year old love interest. Elizabeth's powers become a crutch that the writers could use to solve any problems that face the main characters. This undermines the drama of the series and cheapens the series. The powers were kind of kooky. The Star Child could levitate objects and people, mimic voices, had a photographic memory, raise the dead etc. She could do whatever the plot required. It was strange that they spent so much time on her character. I guess, as a writer with a deadline, she was really handy to have around.
Well, thats my take on the series. I reccomend that if you like V, chances are you will like the series. It is a more cartoony version of Kenneth Johnson's creation but is worthy as entertainment and a nostalgic trip back to the 80s.


Click Here to see more reviews about: V: The Complete Series (1984)

They came for water. And for food. And as it turned out, we were the food. But humanity bravely resisted- a struggle seen in the hit miniseries V and V: The Final Battle. Yet the war continues.The heroic conflict comes to a surprising outcome in V: The Series, presented complete and uncut in this 3-disc, 19-episode set. Once again, Earth is the main battleground. But now the aliens whose human guise hides their true reptilian natures are wiser. They believe the secret to their survival on Earth lies in the DNA of the newly born half-human, half-spaceling Starchild. They intend to capture her. But that's something the world's Resistance Fighters cannot allow.

Get 60% OFF

Click here for more information about V: The Complete Series (1984)