Rating: Summary: Still Holds Up!!!! Review: I saw V when it first aired. It was a long wait between the first mini-series and this one, especially for a kid. I, personally, have always liked "The Final Battle" better simply because there is more Diana! She's so wicked. I love her! Faye Grant's "Julie" is also given some great lines and plot-lines in this second one. You see how she has really grown from the frightened, inexperienced med student in the first mini-series to the confident and gifted resistance leader in TFB. Marc Singer's Mike Donovan is as arrogant as ever, but there was a nice chemistry between he and Julie. The most positive casting addition in this second series is Michael Ironside as Ham Tyler. His sarcasm and bad taste are an excellent antidote to Donovan's heroism. Not that I don't like Mike, Ham just adds a bit of much needed salt. ;)As far as the special effects go, you have to remember that this series was made nearly 20 years ago on a television budget. We have been "Lucas-a-fied" since then. So don't expect "The Phantom Menace" or "Attack of the Clones". That kind of technology was not available in 1985. I still love this series as much as I did the first time I saw it. The characters are captivating. The resistance fighters are easy to care for because they are written very believably. They fight amongst themselves, make huge mistakes, and learn in the process. There is someone in this group that everyone can relate to. Diana, Steven, and the despicable Brian are back and badder than ever! There's also excellent "girl fight tonight" chemistry between Diana and Pamela, Diana's superior. Worrisome Martin and lovable Willie return as well. Yes, Freddy Krueger CAN be nice! I really can't believe they didn't put extras on this DVD. Behind the scenes, interviews with the cast, even as someone else mentioned the commercials that aired at the time. That's the only reason I withheld that 5th star. What gives? And when is the series coming out on DVD??
Rating: Summary: No extras, so sad!! Review: It costs more than the original, yet doesn't offer as much as the original :-( Maybe Warner Bros. is trying to get the fans to back down in wanting a resolution to the TV series by showing us how much they don't care about V. It ain't happening. This is still a great movie no matter what the DVD does not offer!! So when does the TV series come out on DVD?
Rating: Summary: It is a Series stupid! Review: I keep reading, "it is not like I remember!" Well of almost any series ever made this is perhaps the most fragmented and spread over the most time! Heck "V" spread itself thru most of the 80's! You can get the TV series which follows the TV miniseries and "V" The Final Battle thru 3rd parties. It may be released someday as well. The 3 parts to "V" need to be viewed in order and as a whole for this is a puzzle that like the memory of myself and others os fragmented at best! Please remember to see the whole series before judgement is passed! Thanks!
Rating: Summary: Not Like I Remembered........ Review: If you're even bothering to read these customer reviews, chances are you plan on buying this set no mattter what anyone says. I admit, nostalgia colored V and V:The Final Battle all sorts of wonderful colors in my mind, but I'm sad to say that The Final Battle doesnt quite stand the test of time. There is a serious drop in writing quality in THe Final Battle when comparing it to the Original Series. All of the timeless themes have been watered down until V: The Final Battle resembles a soap opera more than an Outstanding Piece of Science Fiction. The action is Saturday Morning Serial-like and the major plot points feel contrived at times. After all these years, V: The Original Miniseries still hit home with the themes of Loss, Love, and Rebirth associated with people going to war. These themes are traded for Action and 'Dallas' style Drama in V: The Final Battle. Without the depth of the themes portrayed in V, this Set just resembles a tired 80's mini series.
Rating: Summary: Re-Visiting a classic mini-series..... Review: Back in the 80s, V and V: The Final Battle were huge hits on television. The story of mankind uniting and fighting back against an intergalatic menace is still an appealing storyline and a welcome addition to my dvd collection. Though you will notice (after seeing movies such as Attack of the Clones, for example) that the special effects are a bit cheesy, it is the story that pulls you in and delivers a good sci-fi treat. The reason I didn't give this dvd 5 stars is that it has no extras. I was hoping to see some TV commercials, maybe some commentaries by the director and actors, deleted scenes---any of these would have been welcome. That being said, if you were a fan of this 80's hit or if you are a sci-fi fan, you'll enjoy this dvd. I have to add that Jane Badler is an excellent villain. She was my favorite character in the series.
Rating: Summary: the DVD's bad format nearly ruined the day Review: I always hate it when companies feel the need to make double sided discs in box sets and with it also being in the second most difficult package I have ever had to remove the DVD it did not help. But putting nothing on the backside of disc 2 that was the worst thing. I love this mini-series. I was eleven when it ran for the first time. Not having Cable here, and only recently getting Satellite, I have not seen this since then. It is still my favorite science fiction mini. I only gave it 3 stars because of the poor design of the package. I would have much rather have had the whole movie crammed onto two one sided disks and have episode two cut in the middle than to have it the way it was designed. Do not let this stop you from watching this though it is a wonderful series. Also make sure you catch the new movie Signs I think they tie together nicely.
Rating: Summary: Well it's about time! Review: When I was growing up, there were a few video possessions I had that were absolutely vital for me to keep around and watch religiously. Among them was a set of three tapes from the original airings of "V" and "V: The Final Battle" (which I cannot clearly remember originally watching, being only about 2 years old at the time they originally aired). Of course, these being tapes, as time went on and I continually watched them, they slowly degraded. Eventually one of my tapes gave out, killing the usefulness of the entire set. I have been meaning for years to rerecord the entirety of "V" and "V: The Final Battle" when they showed, sometimes on UPN and sometimes on Sci-Fi, but I never was able to get around to it, so I would have to settle for watching it live on television. Now I finally have a replacement for my holy relic VHS tapes. I get to get reacquainted with all these old friends, even with good old Diana. I get to remember the nightmares that little green baby gave me when I was a child. Ah, how I missed this.
Rating: Summary: Better than average Mini-Series, less than average DVD. Review: I remember this TV event well. It was big news in the spring of 1984. This mini-series aired over 3 separate nights. I found the characters to be well developed and the story held my attention. I saw this mini-series before the first mini-series and was able to pick up the story and follow it without feeling as though I were missing key parts to the story. My only complaint is similar to the other reviewers and that is that the final scene which involves the resistance and the human-alien offspring Elizabeth trying to avert a self destruction sequence on the mother ship. I, and my friends, found the ending to be a bit simplistic and somewhat anti climatic. However don't let this or other reviewers prevent you from watching this mini-series. It is an excellent story. It is almost as good as "V" and much better than V: THE SERIES. In my opinion the story should have ended here. V: THE SERIES never lived up to the two mini series and damaged the storyline. I deducted 1 star from my rating due the ending of the mini-series for reason I mentioned above. I deducted another star due to the poorly developed DVD. I did like the case the DVD came in. It is much better than the standard WB casing of DVD's. Howerver, the producers could have included a commentary or at least some behind the scenes footage as they did for "V". Also, neither this DVD or the DVD for "V" included trailers or commercials that were used to promote these mini-series. I get the impression that the bigshots at WB throught this DVD out there in a hurry just to make money from people like me who ran out to buy it and were not as interested in turning out a quality DVD. Lastly, I do think it was nice of the DVD producers to realese the DVD in it's widescreen version.
Rating: Summary: 3.5 stars for this Minseries and TV show. Review: V was definitly something relativly new. Although it certainly stole from many other Sci-Fi ideas and was full of cheesiness it was still fun. I disagree with the folks that think there has never been any miniseries to top it since though. This show was creative and fun, but hardly worth such heavy accolades! I think it just filled a Sci-Fi void for us fans. This was before Star Trek TNG and all the ST series that followed, it was before the X-Files and the many wonderful Sci-fi shows we now have to watch on television. It was a trail blazer creating 2 mini series and a short lived regular weekly show(Was it only 1 season I was sure it was 2? But then I may be considering the 2 minis as the real season 1.)Yes we had Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers and a few crumbs but nothing compared to what we have today. V can deffinatley take some of the credit for helping to show the networks that Sci-fi can be a TV ratings hit...but as a true TV classic? Well I certainly enjoyed it but given a choice, I would still rather watch Buffy, The 10 Kingdom or Farscape for quality Sci-fi/fantasy TV.
Rating: Summary: Great 2 DVD set of this classic. Horrible packaging!! Review: I was really looking forward to watching the first DVD in the set. When I tried to take it out, I noticed that it was fastened so tight in the case that I broke the DVD in half trying to get it out. I followed the instructions and pressed the center of the holding tab, no budge. The disc was simply not going to come out. I want to warn future buyers of this set to be very carefull when you remove the discs. They may not come out that easy. I was carefull when I was removing mine and it did not make a difference! I have several DVD's in my collection, and this has to be the worst packaging I have ever seen! I guess they don't want you to be able to take the discs out! Anyways, I am going to have to get mine replaced. Don't let this happen to you!
|