Question about V The Final Battle (1 Viewer)

I just rented disc 1 (of 2) from Netflix. I pop it in, choose episode 1 and the first scene is Donovan dreaming of him and his son inside a spaceship, being chased by the aliens. His kid gets shot and he wakes up. He's already in the company of the rebels.

I'm confused. Is this how the miniseries started? Doesn't seem like a beginning. Seems like the middle of it. No aliens landing, pretending to come in peace, no introduction, no real beginning. Am I missing something?

It's been so long since I saw V that I can't remember if this is right or not.

Thanks in advance.

That is the way I remember it starting.

It sounds like you did not watch the original V mini series before watching "The Final Battle". "V: The Original Miniseries" came a year prior to "The Final Battle" and is also available on DVD. It tells the origin of the Visitors on planet Earth. A much better mini series in my opinion.

Yup. Tom summed that up nicely.

V was first. Then came V: TFB. Then came that gawd-awful series.

You've got the right opening ... it's just that it's the SECOND mini-series you are watching.

i thought there was V, the mini-series, then V the weekly tv show, and V: the final battle was a two part movie that rapped everything up after the series was cancelled.

i was a huge fan of the original mini-series, and actually enjoyed the tv series, but The Final Battle was really horrible. it was playing about 6 months ago on Starz, or Encore, one of those channels.

actually, looking back on it, the whole thing just seems kinda cringe-inducing. it's got that whole 70's/early 80's tv series look about it, very plain, blah, southern california look. kinda like CHiPs.

oh man! No wonder this seemed out of place. I thought this was the original miniseries!

I just read somewhere on the net that the original miniseries came first, then the Final Battle and then the weekly series.

So I guess the story was finished during the weekly series?

Thanks everyone for clearing that up for me.

Actually, the first part of "V: The Final Battle" is really quite good. It's the rest that sends it in the toilet for me. Kenneth Johnson, the creator of "V" and who wrote the original mini-series left the project in the early stages of writing "The Final Battle". The final version shows just how bad he was needed. I think there are some really nice elements in the first part of "The Final Battle" and then things take a nose dive in the last two parts. However, if you compare "V: The Series" to "The Final Battle"...TFB comes out looking like Citizen Kane. The Series was a total disaster, and is best to be forgotten.

If you watch the progression of the Series, you'll notice just about all the flying effect shots were lifted from the two mini-series. Also, the resistence got smaller and smaller as the show went on. I think by the end of the Series, the "resistence" consisted of about 5 people! Many key story points that were key to the original mini-series and TFB were just dropped all together. Just a sloppy mess.

Kenneth Johnson is now working on a follow up to "V". He has stated that it will be a direct sequel to the original mini-series and virtually ignore the events in "The Final Battle" and "The Series". I can't say I blame him for going that route. It should be interesting to see what comes of it.

J. Michael Straczynski (of Babylon 5 fame) worked on V: The Series and when he criticized some of the stupid plot turns and mischaracterizations and complete lack of continuity the show consisted of, he was somewhat taken aback when he was told by the show-runners, "Who cares? As long as it's got ray guns and aliens, the sci-fi crowd will keep watching!"

I am certain many of those responsible went on to form the core of Fox television productions...

Thus beginning a fine tradition of terminating SF series on a cliff hanger or otherwise prematurely (Space: Above and Beyond, Firefly, Sliders, etc.)

Yes, that was entirely my point.

And it was being run out of a bar none the less.


I love both V and V: Final Battle.

I personally only have a problem with the Star Child aspect of the Final Battle. When she goes "light bright" and saves Earth from oblivion, thats when i roll my eyes.

But I liked the battles, the celebrations, and the urgency the resistance felt. And Ham Tyler ruled.

-- Matt

I remember on the commentary Kenneth Johnson speaking of the original series being a allegory to the rise of the nazi regime and such and world war two, It will be interesting to see where he would take the storyline in the second half.

Ham Tyler was the man in Final Battle. And I agree that Final Battle was quite good until the star child bit.

Was there any resolution at the end of the TV series? I mean, that's the last of V that got right?

Is the TV series on DVD?

Andres,
there was no resolution to the end of V: The series.


Word was of late, that there was going to be a new V mini-series helmed by Kenneth Johnson. But havent heard anyting on it recently.

Count me in with the other folks. I loved TFB. Except for the starchild bit. Gah!

What amuses me is that these shows were the first time I encountered Robert Englund. I had no idea that "Willy" and "Freddy" were the same guys. I freaked when I found out that "Freddy" was the friendly alien from "V".

The other day, I actually caught some of the Series on Space, and I was amazed at how well it's aged.

The Series wasn't that bad, all things considered; I thought some of the issues were pretty heavy for TV when I watched the first runs, and, damn, I wouldn't have been more than seven or eight years old, at the time.

And, hey, Micheal Ironside.

Not only was the "Star Child" thing total crap, but the whole "red dust" thing was just a total cop out (and conveniently swept under the carpet when the series began).

I also love how the voices of the Vistitors suddenly became just like ours. I guess it was just too much money to put a cheap voice effect on the actors week after week.

In reference to the resistance -



We were supposed to believe that the bar was similar to Rick's in "Casablanca" since it was in the Visitor (AKA Nazi) free zone.

You're not the only one. I couldn't believe that it was the same person at first, and never would have realized it until someone else told me. I was like "no way".