V is for Visitor, and V is for Victory!

In the early 1980's, Kenneth Johnson wrote and produced a short miniseries that was a landmark production for science-fiction and drama on television. This show, "V" is remembered by many of my generation even now, 28 years later. Johnson wanted to do far more than a sci-fi shoot-em-up program. Rather, he intended to craft a distinctly political thriller with a new twist.

How would it be if aliens came to Earth? Aliens who officially wished the best for us, but in reality had other purposes? How might they accomplish their goals?

These are questions that we not only can apply to alien cultures visiting us (if they ever do), but also to how we need to be aware in our time, to prevent our liberties from being taken away by charismatic leaders who do not have the best interest of the people in mind.

Johnson uses subtle references to the turn of events in 1930's Germany, as the Nazi movement gained a foothold. This pattern forms the basis for Johnson's description of how the Visitors take over the Earth for their own purposes.

This is an excellent story that is thought-provoking. As the seed from which the reimagined ABC series "V" has sprung, Johnson's original work is still classic, chilling, and full of great acting.

The V story begins with the miniseries on this disk.

The series V started out as a miniseries. This disk has that original miniseries. It begins with Mark Singer playing the part of a TV reporter shooting film of resistance fighters in Central America. He is chosen by a random lottery to be one of the first camera crews to go aboard the alien spaceship. Theme music from Star Wars was used in the show, which was strange. The process where the visitors use the carrot of helping the people of earth, and the stick of keeping order, is very interesting. It ends with an attack by the Visitors on the resistance outpost. Characters that we come to care about are killed, while fighting against the Visitors. The story line is left open for a continuation of the series. It is very nice to see the story without commercials, or commercial pop ups. We watched this first disk all in one evening, and enjoyed it very much. Excellent story line, with the characters having to make tough decisions. The special effects are more than adequate, and the acting is excellent.

80's sci-fi classic

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.

V: THE MINI SERIES

I USED TO WATCH THE MINI-SERIES AND THE SERIES, WHEN I WAS IN MY PRE-TEENS.
V IS ABOUT AN ALIEN RACE THAT CAME TO EARTH IN FRIENDSHIP. A CAMERA-MAN NAME MIKE DONOVAN FOUND OUT THAT THE VISITORS ARE NOT HUMAN, BUT REPTILION IN DISGUISE. HE ALSO FOUND OUT WHAT WAS THE REAL REASON WHY THE VISITORS CAME TO EARTH. A GROUP OF HUMAN RESISTANCE AND A HANDFUL OF FRIENDLY VISITORS ARE FIGHTING AGAINST THE MAIN VISITORS WHO HAVE SOME OF THE PEOPLE UNDER THEIR INFLUENCE.
THIS SHOW HAVE SOME FAMILIAR ACTORS LIKE MARK SINGER FROM BEASTMASTER. ROBERT ENGLUND FROM THE NIGHMARE ON ELM STREET MOVIES AS FREDDY KRUEGER. FAYE GRANT FROM THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO. MICHAEL IRONSIDE FROM SCANNERS, TOTAL
RECALL, AND SPACE HUNTER:ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE.
RECENTLY THIS SHOW BECAME POPULAR AGAIN, WHEN THE REMAKE OF THE T.V. SHOW IS NOW ON ABC. SAME STORY PLOT,BUT DIFFERENT CHARACTERS,ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, AND COOL COMPUTER EFFECTS.

The "Visitors" have landed.

When this miniseries came out in 1983, I was not into sci-fi at all, but I always had vague memories about this show. Just a few years after the show came and went, I became a big fan of sci-fi. Go figure. Anyway, I picked this up a couple of years ago and I was thoroughly impressed! The story is great (a sort of modern day holocaust, with the aliens as the fascist leaders) and the special effects are very solid after all these years. You will love the characters and how they all relate and react to each other. The only weak point is Marc Singer's corny acting, but that is easily overlooked as he is a pretty cool guy. The main plot is very good and the ending leaves you wanting more. I've always seen the value in sci-fi movies that rely on storytelling instead of being special-effects-laden yawners. ("The Day The Earth Stood Still" is one of the best 'story first' movies, that just happens to have some 'amazing for it's time, but still nifty' effects ;) ) It is one of the coolest movies I own and is highly recommended for sci-fi fans and also anyone who likes a good, unique story.