The X-Entertainment Blog!

08/15/2004: 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. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 143 comments

1 2 3 Next »

V! YES!

Ghosted by Bizzar @ 08/15/2004 9:57 PM EDT

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)

Ghosted by Xylan @ 08/15/2004 10:12 PM EDT

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

Ghosted by Mr King @ 08/15/2004 10:29 PM EDT

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?

Ghosted by Cyanyde @ 08/15/2004 10:33 PM EDT

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!

Ghosted by Joe in OH @ 08/15/2004 10:35 PM EDT

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

Ghosted by The Unstoppable @ 08/15/2004 10:50 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by Behonkiss @ 08/15/2004 10:51 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by Beta-Theta @ 08/15/2004 10:59 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by Anna @ 08/15/2004 11:03 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by V Fan @ 08/15/2004 11:06 PM EDT

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

Ghosted by Rayzak @ 08/15/2004 11:07 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by Shelby @ 08/15/2004 11:18 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by Overlord @ 08/15/2004 11:23 PM EDT

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.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 08/15/2004 11:51 PM EDT

Red dust.

Oops. Gave away the ending to The Final Battle.

Ghosted by Mr. Mr. Mr. @ 08/16/2004 1:23 AM EDT

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.

Toys

Ghosted by Wookie @ 08/16/2004 3:09 AM EDT

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.

Ghosted by inkmage @ 08/16/2004 3:09 AM EDT

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

Ghosted by inkmage @ 08/16/2004 3:10 AM EDT

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!

Ghosted by Destro @ 08/16/2004 3:36 AM EDT

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

Ghosted by marksingerclone @ 08/16/2004 4:25 AM EDT

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.

Ghosted by shelly @ 08/16/2004 8:30 AM EDT

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

Ghosted by zappadog @ 08/16/2004 9:24 AM EDT

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.

Ghosted by Y2JB78 @ 08/16/2004 10:01 AM EDT

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.

Ghosted by El Bang @ 08/16/2004 10:03 AM EDT

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

Ghosted by princesspeachypoo @ 08/16/2004 10:44 AM EDT

I remember watching this when it first came out. I was 8 or so. For some reason, I’m combining the two mini-series in my head. I could have sworn that the baby huzard was born in the first one. Huh. Makes me want to go our and rent them and refresh my memory. Didn’t the father of the huzard die at some point? I remember that rat scene being much more scarring the first time I was it, though. I liked how they cut away to show Donavan in between shots of the real Diana and the Diana cake face.

Oh, yeah: who’s Julia again?

Ghosted by trajeal @ 08/16/2004 11:01 AM EDT

I was hoping that if a new alien-movie review was to appear, it would be of "Mac & Me"! But, alas….never saw "V", but now I want to! Way to go Matt!

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 08/16/2004 11:29 AM EDT

I was too young for this one, though I probably would have watched "the thorn birds" instead anyway.

Ghosted by chicklet @ 08/16/2004 11:34 AM EDT

Although come to think of it Richard Chamberlin did have a bit of a lizard king thing going on in that movie anyway-especially when they aged him to look, like, 1000 years old…

Ghosted by chicklet @ 08/16/2004 11:36 AM EDT

(annoying chicken voice)Pick, pick-pick!(/ annoying chicken voice)

The actress who played Diana is Jane Badler, not Jane Badder. Although Badder makes her sound, well, badder.

Ghosted by trajeal @ 08/16/2004 12:08 PM EDT

Man I was 6 when "V" came out and my mother and I watched both mini-series as well as the V series. My mom rocks she watches sci-fi with me. We also watched the Alien Nation franchise. Mat, you should review Alien Nation. Damn Slags!

Ghosted by OldSchooler @ 08/16/2004 12:20 PM EDT

No idea how I ended up with Badder in the editing process. Perhaps I was triggerhappy on the spellcheck. An excuse that would carry more weight if "badder" was a word.

Will fix later, thanks.

Alien Nation. Sour milk drunk stuff.

Ghosted by Matt @ 08/16/2004 12:26 PM EDT

Ah V, I was 8 when this came out and remember that rat scene vividly. Thanks for the memories.

On 2 completely unrelated notes, however:

1. Matt: DRACULA THE MUSICAL HAS PREMIERED!!!! Yesterday, I think. Will there be a review soon?

2. DO NOT SEE OPEN WATER. It sucked the big one. As Flava Flave used to croon: Don’t . . . Don’t Don’t Don’t believe the hype!

Ghosted by Pedro @ 08/16/2004 12:33 PM EDT

First of all, the "V" stands for "Quality."
I saw it the first time, and freaked when Diana did her swallow. Even then, I knew the cut-away was a cheat, but the idea that they tried to show the alieness of the Visitors in a surprise fashion stunned me, at least until Dad said "Hey lady, save some for later!" The show was an allegory for the way the Nazis ingratiated themselves into the public awareness, promising solutions for society’s ills. Of course, it wasn’t long before they began to tell society what it’s ills were, and started thier real plans, that people started to take those long train rides to the "showers." Even the Visitors symbol, part of the lizard-language, was a variant of the Nazi swastika. Just done up like an old LED calculator from the 80’s. If you have "Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure" on DVD, look at the deleted scenes for the extended studio chase, there is a shot of a prop yard and a V-shuttle is featured prominently. I wanted action figures!

Ghosted by kingklash @ 08/16/2004 12:35 PM EDT

hooray for matt, I am now your meme whore

Ghosted by cvhhfghg @ 08/16/2004 12:39 PM EDT

I guess it doesn’t matter if you spoil Open Water, but try not to when I ask: how was it?

Ghosted by Matt @ 08/16/2004 12:41 PM EDT

Never saw "V" myself … I’m mostly familiar with the series because I know that’s where David Icke gets all his material …

Ghosted by Al Boondy @ 08/16/2004 12:45 PM EDT

There’s an interesting bit in one of Larry Niven’s collections (either N-Space or Playgrounds of the Mind, I forget which one), where he says that he (Jerry Pournelle might’ve been involved too) almost got involved in V. He said that when they were working on the series the producer talked to them for help with the aliens. He said the producer said that while they had alien technology and costumes and all, they had never actually described what their aliens were like (aside from eating people…).

Niven said he proposed the idea that the Visitors are descendants of the dinosaurs. After all, if they’re coming for water, they could get all they wanted in ice chunks in Saturn’s rings… So why did they want to set up shop on Earth? Well, the air smells right, the gravity feels right… there were intelligent dinosaurs that flew off into space before the meteor hit, and now their descendants have returned.

Niven said he was never called back after the initial meeting…

Ghosted by CaptainCaveman @ 08/16/2004 12:49 PM EDT

THIS HAS SPOILERS SO DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT OPEN WATER SPOILED.

Matt:

The filming is gritty and Blair Witch-esqe in the sense that it tries to look as though it is being filmed by an amateur with a Sony Handycam. There is almost no character development — we don’t know if the couple is married, how long they’ve been together, what they do for a living, etc. It’s just clear that the woman is a workaholic and the couple needs a vacation. THERE IS SOME GREAT GRATUITOUS NUDITY IN THE BEGINNING, I’M TALKING FULL FRONTAL AND THE LEAD WOMAN IS HOT!! I don’t know if it’s $10.50 worth of nudity, but it’s there nonetheless. So, the happy couple goes scuba diving and they get left behind b/c some jackasses get in and out of the water and the guide losses count. Also, our knuckleheaded protagonists stay down for 1 hour, instead of the 35 minutes the guides tells them to stay down.

So, now they’re stranded and floating about. First, they get stung by jellyfish. Then some fins appear and they get freaked out. Lots of long montage scenes of the ocean and island people going about their daily business selling fruit and crappy souveniers. Then back to the couple, who thinks they are getting bitten, etc. This goes on for a long time.

Anyhoo, Dan (he’s the male lead) gets a bad shark bite, which the woman fixes up w/ her weight belt. Dan is hurt and pissed, they blame eachother for getting left behind, blah blah blah (like when you and your wife/girlfriend fight over who got you lost in the car).

Night falls, storm comes. Sharks attacking, lighting striking, sharks attacking, lightnings striking . . . . .

Next day, Dan is dead. Chick unhooks his gear (why they kept all that heavy crap on is beyone me) and he floats away and is promptly eaten by the sharks. No gore though.

Cut to the scuba guy who realizes the next day that he left the couple behind and massive search is launced, but alas, it is too late. Cut back to the hot chick alone. She takes off her scuba gear and goes underwater, ostensibly to feed herself to the sharks.

THE END

While credits role, gritty scene of fisherman who caught a shark that day. They open the shark’s stomach and find Dan’s underwater camera.

End, i go smoke a butt.

Its playing at the AMC 25 on 42nd and 8th. On sat. it was showing every 45 minutes. There were about 20 people in the theatre. Not a great showing.

Sorry for the length.

Pedro

Ghosted by Pedro @ 08/16/2004 12:53 PM EDT

Are they remaking V?

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 08/16/2004 12:54 PM EDT

And sorry for the spoilers, but it truly is a crappy movie. Admittedly, it has one of the best trailers I’ve seen in a while; however, it will surely disappoint you in every way.

Ghosted by Pedro @ 08/16/2004 1:03 PM EDT

http://www.chud.com/news/july04/jul16thud.php3
V GETS THE X

"Here’s a bummer: NBC has turned down the new V miniseries. Jeff Gaspin, the net’s head of miniseries, says this: ‘I just don’t think it was different enough from the original, frankly. It wasn’t as innovative as the original. It felt like a good sequel if we’d done it immediately after [the original], but in the 20 years that other space operas have come and gone, it doesn’t feel as fresh as it did 20 years ago’.

Let’s not give up hope – the network has sent series creator Kenneth Johnson back to the drawing board and hoping he comes up with a new story. I hope so too – the original V miniseries has aged surprisingly well, and I would love to see the story tied up eventually. Hell, I’m even excited about the lame series getting a DVD release."

Ghosted by ME @ 08/16/2004 1:05 PM EDT

Speaking of slightly strange and cheesy mid 80s and early 90s Sci-Fi, I was always a fan of Alien Nation. That was a kick ass show, even if the movie that spawned it sucked.
Haven’t seen V, though. I’ll be checkin’ Sci-Fi Channel for it.

Ghosted by AngeFaitore @ 08/16/2004 1:11 PM EDT

"Space operas"!?!?!? Never heard that one before, but I think I love it! Oh yeah, and Freddy Krueger was my hands down favorite character in V.

Ghosted by Blah...blah @ 08/16/2004 1:22 PM EDT

Blah…blah, think Flash Gordon, or some would say Star Wars.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Space+opera&db=*
Main Entry: space opera
Function: noun
Definition: any melodramatic literature, motion picture, or television program set in outer space
Etymology: based on soap opera

Ghosted by ME @ 08/16/2004 1:28 PM EDT

I watch V every Sunday on Space http://www.spacecast.com/shows/rerun/V.asp

Plus I have all the comics!!!

Ghosted by SuperStar @ 08/16/2004 1:41 PM EDT

I want the aliens’ outfits…

Ghosted by phunqsauce @ 08/16/2004 2:11 PM EDT

Howzabout Visitors vs Newcomers? Giant Saucer Demolition Derby! Winner has to fight the ID4 aliens.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 08/16/2004 2:26 PM EDT

Matt, although I know you abhor illegal use of music and dolls for storytelling (Imagine a smiley face here winking, since Original Flavor ME does not use emoticons), I still think you will get a kick out of "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" by Todd Haynes.

Nickelodeon should consider letting you make a darker version of "Action League Now!!" for the more cynical kids of today. Nick and Jessica were made to be parodied in something like this since they are Ken and Barbie’s evil living vessels in our world.

Ghosted by ME @ 08/16/2004 2:31 PM EDT

Dominique Dunne, the older sister from Poltergeist was originally cast as the daughter who gives birth to a lizard. Some of her scenes were actually shot, before she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend outside of her apartment. David Packer "Daniel" sat inside her apartment while she was strangled. The two had been practicing their lines for the upcoming shoot.
Apparently Packer heard a commotion and struggle, but didn’t intervene. I guess he didn’t know she was being choked out.
Next on the E:True Hollywood Story…

Ghosted by Loogie @ 08/16/2004 2:33 PM EDT

1 2 3 Next »

Add A New Comment!

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 15th, 2004 at 9:54 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.