"V" The Complete Series (1 Viewer)

[Doug Miller]

Just a reminder to everyone that the V Complete Series came out on DVD today. It's nice to have these on DVD so I can finally get rid of my VHS taped off of Sci-Fi (and worse than that, my VHS that were recorded in 84/85). In terms of a quick review, let me again reiterate that it's nice to have these on DVD. That's about it.

No extras to speak of, which is a bummer. It seems like where most of the stars from the show are now that they could have got a few of them to do commentary or a retrospective documentary. Oh well. Video quality is at best like watching standard def TV. Since these were shot for TV they aren't in widescreen. Warner didn't put any extra time into remastering these in any way (which I notice they also didn't do for the Batman Animated Series box set, but at least it had extras and commentary on 2 episodes) so it's just a bare bones version for you and for me.

Oh well. I still loved the TV mini-series, and actually enjoyed a few of the series episodes. These shows hold a special place in my childhood memories, I know a lot of fans bag on the series, but it did have it's good moments.

Doug

 

[Jeff*H]

I picked mine up today, too...

Having just recently re-watched both mini-series during the past few weeks, the quality drop is evident in both the ongoing series (acting, recycled effects, acting, plots, acting, story continuity) and the DVD set itself (no widescreen, audio commentaries, interviews, etc.). Compare this to the "Sledge Hammer" set that came out today, another 80's cult favorite, that had nearly all of the above features lacking from this 'V' set.
However, that said, I still love having these shows for simple nostalgia value. I accepted long ago the hamminess of this enterprise, and found many things to enjoy about it, especially Michael Ironside's character, and the musical score by Dennis McCarthy, not to mention the cheesy catfighting between Diana and Lydia. The show took a turn for the worse, though, when it jettisoned half the cast 2/3 of the way through the season. It then limped along to cancellation, and the dustbin of 80s relics. I'm glad Warners dusted it off for us fans, though, who want to have the complete saga on DVD. Now if they can just make their supposedly upcoming "V: the Second Generation" mini-series worthy of the original mini-series, then I'll be an even happier camper...

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Isn't the OAR 4:3?

 

[AndyMcKinney]

The series (and both mini-series) were shot in 4:3 TV ratio, so the lack of widescreen is an improvement in quality, not a drop.

The two mini-series DVDs are not OAR. The TV series is. We can at least be grateful for that.

Still, you'd think they could have tried a little harder. There are all kinds of things they could've used for extras: cast appearances on the talk shows (Jane Badler made a memorable appearance on Letterman while the series was in production, and she appeard on Carson during the mini), a photo gallery of the merchandise, a photo or text version of the script for the unmade second season opener: The Attack (which tied up all the loose ends of the cliffhanger final episode), bloopers (I know at least a few exist, as they were on Dick Clark's bloopers show), interviews (if not a commentary). An interview might've shed some light, for example, on who exactly was responsible for the cast change mid-season (I'd heard Brandon Tartikoff ordered the cast cut in half, but I don't remember where), especially the ditching of Michael Ironside.

Still, a bare-bones set is better than none.

 

[JohnSmith]

I've got these two boxsets already..


Does "The Complete Series" have some of the matching episodes within these two?

I own these..
http://www.dvdsoon.com/show-title-details.xml?uid=37887
http://www.dvdsoon.com/show-title-details.xml?uid=18165

It'll be annoying if the 400-odd minutes of my existing two is already on The Complete Series (but with some I haven't got) so at best I'll just get another 400 minutes of episodes.

 

[Cees Alons]

Just got mine in the mail. Haven't watched it yet, but I agree that "Standard version presented in a format preserving the aspect of its original television exhibition" is correct.

Excellent, Warner!


Cees

 

[Randy A Salas]

No. The Complete Series is a self-contained weekly TV series that ran (and takes place) after the two miniseries. You have the sets of the two miniseries. By buying the Complete Series, you'd have everything that "V" spawned from its TV heyday with no duplication.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

I haven't gotten mine yet - but DVDTalk has a review up which says that 'Breakout' is the third episode and not an extra on the last disc as earlier reported.

And yes - the series starts bad and only gets worse from there, but I was such a big fan of the show as a kid that nothing could keep me from buying it.

 

[Gordon St Pierre]

Mines on the way
No way I could NOT buy this
thanks for reminding me it just came out

 

[John Berggren]

I was thrilled to pick this up yesterday.
I am unfortunately having a problem with episode 3. The disc locks up if I choose it, or if I make it to episode 3 in the play all. The only way I've been able to watch it is to select chapter 16 on play all.

 

[ChrisBEA]

This show scared me when I was a kid. I didn't like the ripped off 'skin'
I have long since gotten over that, loved both mini's and can't wait to get this set.

 

[Pete Battista]

I am someone that discovered V when I bought the 2 miniseries just a few months back. I really enjoyed both miniseries and was planning on buying the series the first chance I get.

This thread has me wondering if I should bother with the series... I can deal with no extras even though I am one that loves extras. but now I am concerned that ppl don't consider the series as good as the miniseries.

Is it worth a blind buy? and does the series have the same actors as the miniseries?

 

[Sven Lorenz]

All the actors return but half of them leave halfway through the series - including Michael Ironside. :frowning:

Many of the effect shots (especially the shuttles) are constantly reused and there are many continuity errors because of that.

The plot degenerates into a Soap Opera and most of the new characters are really bad and it ends with a big cliffhanger that will never be resolved.

Apart from that it's great.

 

[Pete Battista]

LOL... Thanks Sven. I will have to consider it I guess.

 

[Ric Easton]

Also, consider this... The new planned V: Next Gen (or whatever its called) NBC Miniseries totally ignores the events of the TV series (and possibly the second mini: The Final Battle)

 

[Sven Lorenz]

It was reported recently (I can't remember where) that the new Miniseries is on ice at the moment because NBC didn't like the script.

I hope they told him to go back and write it in a way that the series will not be ignored.

There's no problem in just having the shuttle blow up and then fast forward to 20 years later.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

If this "sequel" ever gets made, I'll be totally surprised.

I find it doubtful that NBC will want a sequel to a 20-year old TV show. Not enough "young" people will have seen the original, and fans of the original may get POed if original cast members aren't used.

A remake, on the other hand (like the horrid Battlestar Galactica Sci-Fi Channel series), sounds more likely.

 

[Eric Paddon]

"I hope they told him to go back and write it in a way that the series will not be ignored."

Rest assured that if they did, Kenneth Johnson would have told them to shove it and walked away from the project. The whole point of Johnson wanting to do this is so he can continue his original creation the way he intended it to be done, but which was taken out of his hands when "The Final Battle" was made. And having watched all of "V" when it first aired, Johnson was dead right. The miniseries is intelligently written with fascinating characters. Then in "Final Battle" the shift goes away from the characters (some of whom like the Bernsteins disappear completely without explanation) to mindless action and when we reach the series we are left with a cheap shell of its former self.

The difference between the original miniseries and the series that aired would be the same between that of the original Battlestar Galactica and the Ron Moore fake version. A property that offered so much strength and potential but in the hands of outsiders who didn't appreciate the original was turned into a cheap, boring soap opera joke.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

Off-topic, but I liked the Ron Moore Galactica a lot more than the cheesy original.

 

[Eric Paddon]

That doesn't surprise me if you think Johnson should be forced to acknowledge the existence of something he had no use for and not do his own creation right.