X-Entertainment | V – The Original Mini-Series Review.

V – The Original Mini-Series Review.

In one of those "should have been reviewed a long time ago" kinda reviews, here's a really long, really really long look back at V: The Original Mini-Series. Airing on NBC in 1983 across two nights, it was a record-breaker seen by millions and loved by at least half of them. I'm with them, this was amazing stuff and still holds up fantastically over 20 years later. Followed up by V: The Final Battle, which I'll review at some point in the next five years. Two-page review features a bunch of video clips and at least one crayon drawing of evil aliens.

I missed Six Feet Under for this. Did Arthur come back yet????~!

Posted by Matt on 08/15/2004. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 143 comments

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V! YES!

Chestnuts roasted by Bizzar @ 08/15/2004 9:57 PM

Ahh, V. I remember V, it ruled. Thing I remembered the most was the alien symbol. The thing that looked like an F but didn’t. (I was a kid)

Chestnuts roasted by Xylan @ 08/15/2004 10:12 PM

I remember when she ate that rat. mmm…..

Chestnuts roasted by Mr King @ 08/15/2004 10:29 PM

I remember when this was on, I’m not sure if it was the first or second mini-series(due to the fogginess of childhood memories) but I do remember it being a *huge* deal to my parents and their friends at the time.
My only other memory is of being ushered of to bed just as it began to get good.. (violent)

So what is this about a (sort of) remake?

Chestnuts roasted by Cyanyde @ 08/15/2004 10:33 PM

You lied!
Matt, you got my hopes up that Bronson Pinchot was dead, but a check at http://www.imdb.com says otherwise! How cruel of you to get my hopes up like that!

Chestnuts roasted by Joe in OH @ 08/15/2004 10:35 PM

Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!!!! V, V, V!!!!!!
D, D, D!!!!

Chestnuts roasted by The Unstoppable @ 08/15/2004 10:50 PM

I was born late in the 80′s, so sadly, I never saw V (Though the retrospective of it on VH1 looked damn cool). A real shame, because it looks like my kind of miniseries.

Chestnuts roasted by Behonkiss @ 08/15/2004 10:51 PM

I guess I have nothing to say about this mini-series since I was not even born when it aired. But, this mini-series seems interests to watch though the special were bad.

Hey, Matt, you know what Robin’s impreganted with mutated alien creature remind me of, one of shorts of the Simpson’s Halloween Special which Kang impreganted Marge. As you can see, Maggie was the result of Marge and Kang, with green tentacles and male voice. Speaking of Alein, Matt, did happen to receive your Fruit Loops Alein Fruit Monster.

Chestnuts roasted by Beta-Theta @ 08/15/2004 10:59 PM

I never saw this, nor did I ever hear of it. Figures, though, since this doesn’t seem like it would have been "girly" enough for me.

Chestnuts roasted by Anna @ 08/15/2004 11:03 PM

As my assumed name suggests, I am a V fan. As a V fan, I am very happy to see a tribute on X-E. Especially one so thorough. Great article, thanks for the memmies.

Chestnuts roasted by V Fan @ 08/15/2004 11:06 PM

SWEET!! It’s out on DVD, I need to pick myself up some V!

Chestnuts roasted by Rayzak @ 08/15/2004 11:07 PM

I can’t even tell you how many times my friends and I have made reference to this miniseries, particularly after having a college roommate who watched his video of it constantly (well, when it wasn’t being shown on the SciFi network anyway). Boy, I’ve had enough V.

Chestnuts roasted by Shelby @ 08/15/2004 11:18 PM

My brother got me the DVD of the original V mini-series for Christmas last year,and I haven’t watched it yet. It’s about time I remedied that situation.

Chestnuts roasted by Overlord @ 08/15/2004 11:23 PM

Has Sci-Fi ever shown this? I’ve had it for a couple years and they’ve never shown it. Kinda surprise they didn’t have a marathon to promote the DVD’s.

Aliens eating human isn’t original. There’s a famous Twilight Zone episode called "To Serve Man" that’s practically the same plot as V.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 08/15/2004 11:51 PM

Red dust.

Oops. Gave away the ending to The Final Battle.

Chestnuts roasted by Mr. Mr. Mr. @ 08/16/2004 1:23 AM

I remember I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain back in the mid-late 80′s and got my grandparents to buy me a V toy. It was a 12" action figure. Had the red uniform and, I think, a laser rifle. The sweet thing was, you could pull off the face and see the lizard face beneath. Oh yeah, and a switch on the back made the forked tongue slip out. I think I still have that hidden away somewhere…

Here’s a link, I seem to remember that my box weas different, though.

http://www.movieprop.com/v/toy.htm"> Toys

Chestnuts roasted by Wookie @ 08/16/2004 3:09 AM

Without a doubt, one of the ten greatest things ever created for television. I own both the original and Final Battle. They just released the series on dvd but I’m reluctant because I just don’t remember much about it and because the conflict wasn’t resolved in its 19 episodes. Supposedly they original writer-director is planning a V–The Second Generation with the same cast. I have doubts to that as well, but I’ll definitely give it a shot.

One thing I feel must be said, though–corrected, I guess–the kid that Donavon finds in the street isn’t his son and that’s hella important in regards to the rest of the entire V storyline. It’s his son’s best friend. Donavon’s search for his missing son is very much his character’s main motivation through both mini-series’.

But it’s an honest mistake Matt, and God bless you for reviewing this . . . and Gold bless Robin Hood.

Chestnuts roasted by inkmage @ 08/16/2004 3:09 AM

Damn. "Gold bless Robin Hood"? I was trying to make a humorous reference to that Kevin Costner flick and failed. Damn freudian slips.

Chestnuts roasted by inkmage @ 08/16/2004 3:10 AM

Wow, holy crap Matt, I was just watching V – The Series on DVD (it just came out on DVD, not as good as the original 2 miniseries, but still a blast for those of us who remember V), and decided to check out your web site, and there was a "V" review! Great job Matt!

Chestnuts roasted by Destro @ 08/16/2004 3:36 AM

matt,
you should totally do a beastmaster review, they use to have it on USA Up All Night every weekend along with Hell comes to Frogtown with Rowdy Roddy Piper, i think
that would kick 80′s ass

Chestnuts roasted by marksingerclone @ 08/16/2004 4:25 AM

I watched & loved V when it was on TV. Of course, I was just seven (or so) years old so I didn’t "get" most of what was shown–but still, the lizards-who-wore-humans struck a major chord with me. In fact, I think between that, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the old horror movies on USA Networks, and old Twilight Zones, I know why I am twisted.

Chestnuts roasted by shelly @ 08/16/2004 8:30 AM

Matt,

Saw V when I was a wee lad. I even wrote obsessively about it in my camp journal when I was forced to go away for the summer.

Didn’t some human traitor get served up as dinner? I seem to recall that scene quite vividly, but I can’t recall what character

Chestnuts roasted by zappadog @ 08/16/2004 9:24 AM

Matt, you completely started my week off on the right foot. This is by far my favorite thing ever on tv. I have both mini-series on DVD, and I have watched them about 10 times. Imagine my shocked awe when I opened up this page today. There is nothing more fitting that I would have liked you to review.

Zappa, his name was Danny I think. He was a human who started working in the Visitors army, in some teenage Visitor program. H0e turned in Ruth, the old lady who was working as a cleaning lady on the inside of Visitor HQ. The Resistance kidnapped one of the big wig Visitors, and left Danny there and he kind of got blamed for it. So they ate him.

Chestnuts roasted by Y2JB78 @ 08/16/2004 10:01 AM

Like Matt, I was scared pretty badly by the whole V phenomenon. I totally agree on what a bold move the whole Lizard-Human affair was for primetime TV. Right in the middle of the Religious Right Movement. Even at age seven, I knew exactly how taboo the sexual innuendo was. Since that time, I have been trying to mate with lizards, with mixed results. The most shocking scene for me was when that Lizard-baby or "laby" was born.

Chestnuts roasted by El Bang @ 08/16/2004 10:03 AM

I don’t know anything about this series…but Arthur did not come back yet on SFU.

Chestnuts roasted by princesspeachypoo @ 08/16/2004 10:44 AM

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