 "The Visitors Are Coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" | 2009-10-07 |
| - Reviewed By msinister |
Like anything from the early to mid-80s, there is going to be that twinge of nostalgic quality interlaced in your memory of what was good and what wasn't. When I was a kid I watched The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas every Friday night. The Love Boat and Fantasy Island every Saturday night. I lived through The Sonny & Cher Show from the 70s. I was there at the birth and demise of shows like Happy Days, Luverne & Shirley, Diff'rent Strokes, Family Ties & so many more. What was good and what wasn't? V. That was good. V. The ultimate invaders from Mars taking over the planet while we dumb Earthlings stand around and gawk. V.
Marc Singer (The Beastmaster, If You Could See What I Hear) plays the tough-as-nails cameraman Mike Donovan in the opeing scenes, racing through the conflict in El Salvador like some leftover footage from the A-Team. Suddenly a gigantic spaceship fills the sky. 50 such ships hover over the major cities of the world (it's funny some of the cities they considered major at the time. New Orleans? El Salvador?) while humanity scrambles around looking for answers. The Visitor's make their presence known and they are just like us. Yeah! They come in peace and need our help to manufacture a chemical compound that will help their distant society survive. Their Supreme Leader John looks just like any middle-aged man with the exception of his strange voice and his need for bulky eyewear. Otherwise, everthing is just hunky dory. Mike Donovan, with the help of a charismatic anchorwoman and his asian sidekick are invited to film up at the mothership hovering over Los Angeles. Great. Up there they meet the beautiful and cold Diana (Jane Baldler, one of the great baddies of the 80s, right up there with Larry Hagman's J.R. Ewing and Joan Collin's Alexis) and get a chance to tour the facilities of the mothership to show Earth what they're up to. The Visitor's are so nice, so cool, so helpful... Enter the fascist state of bedlam. Scientists around the world are accused of conspiracy and the threat of sabotaging the Visitor's motherships. Nazi Germany has been reinstated. Young people are recruited into little cliqes, turning in scientific sympathizers and selling out their parents when they're questioned. Hysteria. Martial law. Mike Donovan sneaks into the mothership to discover something terrifying. The Visitor's are actually rat-eating reptilian monsters and they're steaing the Earth's water for their own as well as sealing away people like frozen dinners aboard their giant spaceships. He narrowly escapes capture with the aid of some Visitors who don't believe in the overall plan of planet-wide domination. Donovan becomes Public Enemy #1. The rebellion against the Visitor's is born.
V is definitely a first installment measure of a larger beast and we recognized this even back in 1984 when the mini-series first came out. It ends quickly and you know that this is just the beginning. The 80s were not kind now that we look back and have a chance to realize what everything looked like. The feathered hair and bulky clothing. The fact that anyone thought Marc Singer was a heartthrob with his chiseled baboon face. Cliches aplenty. Robert Englund as the quirky, feel-sorry-for-me Visitor Willie, which is hysterical, because the whole time you're looking at his goofy face, you're saying IT'S FREDDY KRUEGER!!!! Lots of outdated special effects and hammy, cloying dialogue. Lots of in-your-face wow isn't this just like Nazi Germany innuendos. But when you strip past all that stuff, you have a great mini-series with a great plot that was still somewhat fresh back then. It's been beaten to death by now, but it worked in '84. Nostalgia will coat over some of the glaring inconsistencies, and you feel yourself smiling at what we were wearing back then, thinking that we were so cool. The non PC parts are funny as well, the stereotypical characters with their stereotypical dialogues, and you will love that regular TV wasn't so straight-laced back then. All in all V is what it is, a great end-of-times invasion epic with Sci-fi trappings. The nod at the fascist threat (Communism was sill very alive back then) made it poignant and gritty in it's day. This paved the way for so many movies after.
Epic.
Dig it! |
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 "Thank God for public service" | 2009-09-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2VMT89TCSF105 |
When first aired, "V" became an instant pop culture phenomenon in Sweden. I don't remember the exact year. 1985?
At the time, Swedish TV was very old fashioned. There were only two channels, both of them public service! Imagine growing up with only two TV channels. (The kids played chess, caught newts in the local stream, read Franco-Belgian cartoons. So no, we weren't suffering.)
Besides, the fact that there were only two channels made *everyone* in Sweden watch "V", both the original miniseries and the three-part sequel, known as "V: The Final Battle". In fact, people were shocked by Diana eating that rabbit and turning out to be a lizard. The day after, tabloids prominently featured Diana's eating habits (complete with a large photo). Since we were really smart kids, one of us knew that the whole thing was a Nazi allegory. Scientists equal Jews, right?
"V: The Original Miniseries" and "V: The Final Battle" were showed in a row, so we had five weeks of reptilian entertainment. Well, almost. Many viewers were confused by the third episode (actually the first episode of "Final Battle"), and assumed that the TV channel was broadcasting the wrong one. Thousands of viewers called Swedish television, which promptly stopped showing the episode! Confusion followed. The poor employee responsible for "V" had called it a day, and the other episodes were locked up in his office. Nobody could find a spare key! After much embarrassment, the channel finally realized that they were showing the right episode after all, and resumed airing it. New problems followed, as thousands of people who had programmed their VCR's missed a large part of the episode. Finally, Swedish television had to show an extraordinary rerun of the third episode, only a couple of days later!
Thank God for public service.
We enjoyed both "V: The Original" and "V: The Final Battle". Everyone assumed that this was the entire series. Then, the newspapers revealed that there were an additional 19 episodes! WHAT???? People felt cheated, and ratings dropped (but since the network was government-controlled, they didn't have to care about it.) After the episode featuring The Big Murderous Alien Dressed In Black, a small Communist group filed a complaint against Swedish television, charging them with "fascist propaganda" (which, of course, is verboten). Presumably, they didn't catch the Nazi analogy. And yes, we all liked Robert Englund, the nice and cozy alien!
Today, "V" feels very dated. Still, "V: The Original Miniseries" and "V: The Final Battle" are classics. You might as well skip "V: The Series", however. I don't consider it canonical.
Finally, I just have to mention David Icke. OK, now it's done.
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| "V the minisiries on DVD...home invasion!" | 2009-08-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1NLO4JVLEGGRJ |
| When I heard they are re-making the mini series and it will air next year.(2010).I thought NO NO NO..why mess with a good thing. But considering I have not seen the mini series in over twenty years...I thought I would buy it to make sure my childhood memories did not betray me. I bought the disk thinking that it would be a nice, but cheesy addition to my sci fi collection. I was half right. The series was a pleasant surprise. It was just as good as I remembered it to be, and the effects for a 1983 television show are surprising good in my opinion. The writing in this mini series is outstanding, and like the rest of it still holds up today. This collection is a must for any sci fi fan, and for those who are unfamiliar with "V" just think War of the worlds meets( the Tom Cruise Flick) Independence Day..but with more thought. This miniseries is still great, and creepy the remake has allot to live up to. |
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| "Good show. Bad special effects." | 2009-06-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A257DYNN6Q6DYT |
| When I was a kid, I used to be big fan of the series. That's the reason I let nostalgia do it's thing and bought "V: Original TV Miniseries" (let's call it Part 1), "V The Final Battle" (Part 2) and "V: The Complete Series" (Part 3). The first two sets are the best: they have intelligent plots, well-constructed characters and a cast pretty-enough to ensure happy viewers. The problem is that the special effects are terrible. And when it comes to the third set (V: The Complete Series), it looks like the producers kinda lost the angle, since it is more predictable and broke many of the rules they had for the first two. For example, on this one, aliens don't have the strange voice they used to in the first two. Anyway, it's a good thing they are releasing a remake of the series later on this year. |
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| "80's sci-fi classic" | 2009-05-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: AD5J3CQT0KSWO |
The hay day of the mini-series was the 1980's and they usual told complex stories that couldn't be told in a one night tv movie. But this one was different from the rest. This was the only sci-fi I remember from the era in this format.
It was well done. A good story, an intriguing plot and good acting. Viewing this again, I see that the underlying tones were about Nazi invasion and the resistance fighters against them. A view that might have been missed by younger viewers at the time. But there is much for sci-fi fans as well. An alein species coming from another world pretending to bring peace, but instead they came for other reasons. Controling the elite, the government and the media they used people of this world to do their bidding of robbing it of its resources. Those that didn't believe or turned a blind eye were part of humanity's distruction, while everyone else turned to being a freedom fighter.
This is an excellant dvd. Despite being made for tv it is presented in widescreen so we can see how the show was really shot. It also has comentary from the creator and a making of documentary. A must have for sci-fi fans. |
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| "The Belly of the Whale" | 2009-05-21 |
| - Reviewed By andynjen |
"V: The Miniseries" captured the attention of the 80s. It was what American audiences needed after such success of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek", it was a new chapter of science fiction, and the marketing gurus behind it were ready to make history. Released in 1983, this short chapter is part of a bigger idea, but it was a powerful start to that idea. Randomly, what I invisioned a Tuesday afternoon, the sky is flooded with huge alien spacecraft ready to make contact. We are scared, the flush of the unknown is heavy, but as soon as we see that they look just like us - we are calmed. They want resources, talk of a dying planet, and even during a Cold War, we - the nations of the world - extend an open hand to them. It is the beginning of the end ... well, so to speak.
Nearly 26 years after its original release on television, "V: The Miniseries" is continually voted one of the top cult shows of the 80s, and one can agree - it is a poineering show for television, but the pressing question is - does it still hold up after all of these years? With CGI a staple in Hollywood, and the science fiction genre proving to be a lucrative endeavor, does "V" feel all-powerful, or is it just another hokie film masquerading history with reptilian creatures? Passivly, the responce is yes. "V" (excluding "The Final Battle") was a fantastic miniseries in the 80s, and continues to provide unparalleled entertainment today. What lacks in an elongated story pressured by history, it overloads with magnificent visuals. Consider "V" in the 80s to be the "Battlestar Galactica" of today -- thrilling characters, the idea of the unknown, and the creatures that will leave a lasting, and iconic, impression for weeks after viewing. Yet, a modern viewing will have to patiently wait for the reward as it arrives in waves throughout the entire three hours. A bold opening, the over-zealous spacecraft appearing in the skyline, the fear of the unknown, and the arrival of those red suits will pull you in, but then it slows as we introduce characters (both big and small), and further bring connections between 1983 and German influences in the 1940s. Patience is more than a virtue with this series, as it is important to watch through the ending, there are just small details that pull away from the overall impact of the show. The scientist elimination and discrimination was random - at first - having to readjust your concept of "why" - we are jolted from a sudden disappearance to a hatred from both the alien race and human. It was shocking to see how quickly one human could turn on another - but again - it was at that time when Kenneth Johnson was pushing the German/Jewish undertones. A stronger transition from alien arrival to a debunk of social standards would make the flow stronger, and allow modern eyes to adjust.
This said, "V: The Miniseries" is more than just your 8pm Wednesday science fiction, it is symbolic, hurtful, idealistic, charming, incredibly 80s, and pioneering for today's television. Between this and Lynch's "Twin Peaks", it is shameful to think "Lost" is that creative. "V" is a great show to watch, and from a personal standpoint, I loved watching everything Johnson brought to the screen. The posters within the film are as vibrant and vintage as when released. The visual of red spraypaint creating that V on the cartoonish prints are just as important as that of the first discovery of the reptile. It was a slice of my youth, but it is not a show that I could watch again and again. The intensity was high, the acting was mid-level, and the central story (outside of the action-packed intro and outro) was mediocre at best. I wanted to fall back in love with this show, but the middle drama was overly symbolic. I didn't need overbearing Nazi implications, I wanted to discover it for myself. Johnson, again, did a great job - just a bit too pushy with the message.
The DVD itself was not as sharp as modern discs, but it was an 80s TV show. It felt like it was coming on TV for the first time, complete with lackluster colors and over-budgeted special effects. I liked this style and release, and am highly excited about jumping into "The Final Battle". For this chapter, I liked what I saw - what I was re-exposed to - I just didn't love it as I did was I was 7.
Grade: *** 1/2 out of ***** |
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