V: The Entire Series Review

MPAA Rating: NR
Released: 1983

V was an epic science-fiction mini-series shown on NBC in 1983 that became such a smash hit that it later spawned a second mini-series just one year later (V: The Final Battle) as well as a relatively short-lived television series that consisted of 19 episodes. It was an ambitious project for its time, detailing the gradual enslavement of humankind by an alien race that arrives under the guise of peace.

If such a premise causes you to become skeptical, I encourage you to read the Feature Attraction… for there is much more under V's hood than would appear at first glance.

V: The Original Mini-Series was one of the most exciting and enthralling television experiences to have struck 80's television, offering a juicy tale of visitors from another planet that come under the guise of peace and use effective propaganda to enslave humankind. While there have been other movies featuring the subject of an alien invasion (such as Independence Day), it's important to toss away any preconceived notions you may have of the genre, for this isn't another brainless popcorn movie.

One day unidentified starships appear across the skies of the world and just float ominously, which naturally makes the earth's population apprehensive. Then one day the otherworldly visitors make themselves known, and to people's surprise the visitors look exactly like us. And to make things even better, they wish to enter into a peaceful and mutual coexistence. Apparently their home world lacks certain materials they need, so in exchange for sharing the earth's resources they promise to share their technology with humanity to cure terrible diseases such as cancer.

But under their harmless façade lies an evil reptilian race that secretly smuggles humans into their starships to prepare as food. While most of the nation is enraptured with the kind visitors, a small group of rebels discovers the truth about their existence and agenda. They band together with the goal of exposing the alien menace for what it is.

The brief summary above doesn't even begin to prepare you for the plotlines, wealth of characters and social criticism you'll find in V: The Original Mini-series. As people become more and more comfortable with the aliens the visitors slowly start seizing more and more control over the population under the banner of safety and security for humans as well as themselves. Most of the people are just fine with their liberties being slowly eaten away… after all, those who would selfishly deny others safety and security at the cost of their personal freedom or convenience is surely not anyone worth worrying about.

The otherworldly visitors eventually organize their own police group and encourage all the nation's younger citizens to join. Many people fall for the seductive lies and are quick to join and rat out their fellow family and friends, blind to the reality of the alien menace. High society is also quick to cozy up with the visitors, anxious to keep their status.

As the film progresses it develops ever more layers of intensity, much like a snowball rolling down a hill. We watch with dread as society falls apart and liberties are removed, but we also cheer the ragtag group of rebels onward as they work towards exposing and removing the alien threat.

There are so many actors within the original film as well as its sequels that it's really impossible to comment on them all individually. Some performed better than others, as is to be expected with a project this massive, but the overall quality of acting in V was more than enough to keep it entertaining. Most of the actors weren't terribly big-name stars, but a few of the more recognizable stars that were involved with V are Robert Englund, Marc Singer and Michael Ironside.

I heartily recommend this film to everyone, regardless of which genres you normally would watch. V is an experience that transcends simple genre categorizations. It's not just a movie… it's an event.

As a side note, I'm going to combine the three DVD sets into one rating since it's a continuous storyline that flows from one to the next. In fact if you don't purchase V: The Final Battle along with V: The Original Mini-Series then you will find yourself at a maddening cliffhanger come the close of the first film. The actual television series isn't as essential since the two mini-series/movies when combined together provide a satisfying closure… but if you can't get enough of this awesome series then you'll definitely want to snatch the 19 episodes of the television series spin-off too.

Series rating: 9 stars

If you enjoyed V: The Series you may also find the following films to be of interest:

Enjoy the V experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

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