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V - The Final Battle

V - The Final Battle

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $18.74
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A science fiction epic
Review: I concur with the majority of the prior ratings. I own both V and V The Final Battle. When the original series aired on TV in 1984 (I believe it was a marathon 4 nights), the series consisted of not only V but also V The Final Battle. For those of you that remember the original mini series, you need to buy both CDs to see it as you remember it (it's still just as great as it was almost 20 years ago)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Enchanting
Review: I've seen this series again now after 15 years. The first time I saw it on TV, and today I was surprised on how much tension it still creates and how much impact it still has. It is not outdated at all and very fascinating.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: V-The Final Battle
Review: I got V and V-The Final Battle and look forward to getting V- The series that went on for one year on tv after these two! I had them all on vhs and was pleased to see them on dvd there is so much more on them that it is worth getting!
1. How the special effects were done!
2. Interviews with the cast
3. The commentarys
PLus so much more!
Plus the fear of losing them in a vcr is gone!
The original cast returned and that made it worth while!
4. Seeing how they made shuttle crafts larger and smaller in the show for real was amazing. With special tips like this that was never ever on the vhs format!
It is well worth getting in the dvd format!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: not the final battle
Review: A classic from the 80's,but only for die hard fans.The disks are a little hard to take out, so my advise is be very careful(lift the dvd from the top only)The only problem is that it is not the final battle cos' there are still 19 episodes that have not been released on dvd or vhs(come on warner bros. do us a favour and release the real final battle)The quality of the dvd's are very good.If you have the first dvd do yourself a favour and get this one as well.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Come back Kenneth Johnson --all is forgiven
Review: 1984's 3-part miniseries "V: The Final Battle" more or less picks up where Kenneth Johnson's imaginative "V" left off. As with all network-mandated sequels, this installment is a far weaker story and lacks the "you are there" realism of the original. Johnson's absence from the project is the single greatest loss. The first miniseries was a brilliant homage to freedom fighters throughout history. Unfortunately the sequel has lost sight of its own origins: the allegories to the rise of Nazi fascism are only briefly touched upon in throwaway lines in part 1, and are completely abandoned by part 3. By then, even though the element of a Visitor "ultimate weapon" is injected into the plot, the story has become less about saving humanity than it is about a grudge match between Diana and Mike Donovan. A clue to the weaker storyline might be in the opening credits: this installment lists seven different writers!

To synopsize: several months have now passed since the conclusion of the original series, and the Visitors are now firmly in control of human society, rounding up humans under various pretexts for "processing" into food shipments to the mother ships. The underground resistance hasn't had much success opposing them --far from the triumphant ending of the last chapter, the L.A.-based rebels are being rebuffed at almost every turn by superior alien firepower and body armor. The resistance comes up with a daring plan to "expose" John on international television. Most of Part 1 revolves around the staging of this plan, which is carried off brilliantly but ends with Julie's capture. In Part 2 the Visitors discover resistance headquarters and stage a counterattack, but the rebels are able to flee thanks to the timely help of an old adversary of Donovan's. Julie is rescued, but she has been through the conversion process and the resistance is wary. Part 3 revolves around the birth of Robin's alien babies and an unexpected dividend from that birth.

The strongest element to this sequel is the return of virtually the entire original cast, further developing the wide array of characters that have been thrown together by extraordinary circumstance. Besides Donovan (Marc Singer), Julie Parrish (Faye Grant), the Maxwells (Michael Durrell, Blair Tefkin, Viveka Davis, Marin May), Elias Taylor (Michael Wright), Sancho (Rafael Campos), Willie (Robert Englund), and Harmony (Diane Civita), a few new faces have joined the resistance, my favorites being ex-CIA operative Ham Tyler (Michael Ironside) and demolitions expert Chris Faber (Mickey Jones). Tyler and Faber are supposed to represent the "world network;" reminding the viewer that the goings-on in L.A. are not the center of the universe. Tyler is especially compelling to watch; he has a cold, take-no-prisoners exterior that puts him at odds with Donovan the boy scout, although we do get a brief glimpse of his surprisingly affectionate side later on in the second chapter. Most of "V's" original villains are back as well, including fleet commander John (Richard Herd), collaborator Daniel Bernstein (David Packer), and of course the vengeful Diana (Jane Badler). Also back in a greatly expanded role is alien "Fifth Columnist" Martin (Frank Ashmore).

Aside from superior character development (proof that a truly gifted actor really can make something out of any script), "The Final Battle" just has too many flaws. There is little emphasis on allegory and too much emphasis on chase scenes, makeup effects, and laser battles. The resolution of many of the story arcs from the first chapter are the saving grace of this miniseries, but enjoyment of it really requires the viewer's familiarity with the original. Replacement director Richard T. Heffron has done a heroic job of salvaging Kenneth Johnson's ideas, but in the end it just doesn't measure up. The greatest disappointment is in the final hour of the story --the much-hyped "Final Battle" comes down to a tired old shootout with a handful of troops in the corridors of the mothership. Plotwise, the sudden addition of a brand new character in the final segment is an outright cop-out, and the final scenes --including the way-too-upbeat soundtrack-- are among the cheesiest moments in the entire series.

If you absolutely must know "what happened next" to the cast of the original "V," then go ahead and obtain "The Final Battle." But if you're expecting a second helping of allegorical brilliance, prepare to be disappointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Love the show, but no extras!
Review: I've been a big V fan since it first aired on TV in the mid-80s. I was a little disappointed with the DVD due to the lack of extras. That's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. The show itself is great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Victory indeed
Review: I was obsessed with V when I was a teenager. I taped it off television and watched it religiously. When I found it on DVD in 2002 I was impressed how well the story held up. It's still engrossing, entertaining and well done. If only someone would revive this storyline (and forget about V - The Series).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great portrayal of what war is like
Review: The second and final chapter has lots of surprises. It tells us how the aliens finally leave earth. Forget the TV series...it doesn't live up to the first and second parts of this great mini series. After all these years it still stands the test of time. For those of you not familiar the story is like World War II with lizard aliens with spaceships.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good follow-up!!!!
Review: Released in 1984, a year after the "Original Miniseries", this was a good follow-up, the DVD version is far more superior to the Extended Play mode on its video version, in this one the story picks up somtime after the OM, the Resistence movement is now in full swing as is the visitors secret agenda, Marc singer's portrayal of Mike Donovan is as real as it gets, many viewers can identify with him & the others, Michael Ironside's Ham Tyler is a treat as he is a special forces commando guy who joins the resistence, & Jane Badler's Diana almost puts Erica Kane to shame, Frank Ashmore is superb as Martin, A visitor who helps the resistence, & shows that not all visitors are bad, everyone plays their roles to perfection, aside from this being one of the most difficult DVD's to get out of its cover, it is much better on DVD than ever on video, many have complained about the lack of extras, the "Original Miniseries" had extras, simply because creator Kenneth Johnson put forth the effort for it on DVD, sadly Johnson had nothing to do with this one, which in turn explains the lack of extras, in his audio commentary on the OM, he explains in the last scene of OM why he was not involved with the "Final Battle" that NBC & Warner Bros. did not want to give him the money he asked for on this one, his only involvement was screenwriting, given the flawed ending on the "Final Battle" one can only guess how it might have played out, had he been involved, however, this is a good follow-up, skip the series that continued after at all cost!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Minor concerns, but overall this one's off the charts
Review: The "Nazis from outer space" are back, and badder than ever in this continuation of the war between the Visitors and the Human Resistance movement. Marc Singer is back as the intrepid Donovan, who now has a personal score to settle with the Visitors because he has been informed by Fifth Columnist Martin (played with steely charm by Frank Ashmore) that his son is aboard the ship in a sort of suspended animation. Faye Grant is also back as Julie, the Resistance Leader whose own grudge against the Visitors is made even more personal when Diana (Jane Badler) attempts to "convert" her following a botched raid by the Resistance at the Los Angeles Medical Center, where Supreme Commander John (Richard Herd) is giving a speech. Robert Englund also returns as the sweetly clueless Willie, who ends up helping the Resistance after he is captured by them and exposed to the realities of what they are doing to the humans, and Michael Ironside makes his first appearance as Ham Tyler, who is part of a worldwide Resistance network and who also loooooooooves to blow stuff up, especially when there's Visitors inside.

Of all the actors, both in the Original Miniseries and The Final Battle, I have to save my highest praise for Blair Tefkin, who was suddenly thrust into the role of Robin Maxwell when her predecessor, Dominique Dunne, was strangled to death by an ex-boyfriend outside the home of David Packer (Daniel Bernstein) only a short time after filming had commenced. Ms. Tefkin played the part of Robin very well, going from a teenager whose only concerns were boys and school to a young woman who finds herself in the midst of a battle for the very survival of the human race. Not only that, Robin also learns to her initial horror that she is with child, the result of a crossbreeding experiment authorized by Diana and carried out by Brian, the young Visitor she developed a crush on when he first came down from the LA Mothership (and who also ends up being the target of her revenge).

While I was disappointed that the DVDs had no extras apart from cast and crew listings, and I wasn't too happy with the treatment of Robin's half-human, half-Visitor daughter, Elizabeth, in the script, I gave this DVD a high rating because the story has been one of my favorites since high school. Along with its predecessor V: The Original Miniseries, I feel that this one is definitely a keeper.


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