In 1983, NBC aired a two-part miniseries, V, about seemingly needy aliens coming to Earth for our help. The miniseries was a huge hit and spawned a sequel and a short-lived series in the mid-1980s. Fast-forward to almost 30 years later and ABC delivers its own incarnation of V starring Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell.
V is a cool series with great special effects given the time and budget constraints of television. It’s not so much a remake of the 80s miniseries but a re-imagining of the concept for a post-9/11 United States. Do the aliens truly come in peace, or do they have more sinister and terroristic intent?
Most of us are familiar with aliens in one form or another, whether they are comic in nature like Mork & Mindy, 3rd Rock from the Sun, or My Favorite Martian, or more sinister like Independence Day, The Day the Earth Stood Still, or dozens of other aliens-come-to-Earth films. V is in the latter group; these aliens have a mission that at first seems like one of peace and unity, of shared ideas and good will. But soon their sinsister motives are uncovered and this leads to deadly results.
Elizabeth Mitchell does a great job here as FBI agent Erica Evans who works in counter-terrorism. She’s already suspicious of these newcomers, but her son latches on to their mantra of peace, hope, and happiness almost immediately. Leading the aliens – of Vs – is Anna (Morena Baccarin) a beautiful temptress who entices all who listen and brings the V’s message to the masses of Earthlings.
But all is not as it seems, and as Erica digs deeper she uncovers what may be the biggest threat mankind has ever faced. Will she be able to stop Anna and the Vs before it’s too late?
Granted it’s hard to come up with a concept for aliens coming to Earth that hasn’t been done hundreds of times before and doesn’t seem formulaic in its execution. V manages to slightly circumvent this by tapping into deeper themes and connecting at an emotional level with its viewers. Good vs. Evil; control vs. free will; dominance vs. submission, and other ideas are presented and explored throughout the series.
V’s special features are as interesting as the series itself and include the following featurettes: Breaking Story: The World of V; An Alien in Human Skin: The Makeup FX of V; The Visual Effects of V; Deleted Scenes; and Commentary on Select Episodes.
V is definitely worth checking out and I’m curious to see where it goes over the course of the next season. I recommend V.
V: The Complete First Season is available NOW on DVD and Blu-ray!
For more info about the show, click here!
Season Two of V premieres Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9/8c ONLY on ABC!