I remember V being a phenomenon when it came out. I was young then and mostly interested in the alien battles. I didn't realize the impact the story had on me until recently when I began considering getting the DVD and was surprised at how much I remembered despite not seeing it since its original airing. Just as surprising was how accurate my memories were. The themes of humanity, selflessness, and nobility have stuck with me, and though this was certainly not the only imparting of those values to my mind, it's one of the clearest instances of it in my memory from that early stage of life. This was originally presented as a TV mini-series. On DVD it is offered as 2 TV movies.

 

The force behind the original V is Kenneth Johnson who was also behind the Incredible Hulk (another defining show from my early childhood). Many of the positive aspects of the Hulk are also present in V.

 

V is a sci-fi drama heavily influenced by the events of WWII and other historical struggles. There is some action, but the primary focus is on emotion. The aliens (who I will call “Visitors” since that's what they're most often referred to in the show) come to Earth on a pretense of friendship and mutual assistance. They want to set up shop on Earth to generate some depleted compounds they need for survival on their planet. In return they will share their knowledge of healthcare and other advancements.

 

Most of Earth buys their proposal without question, others are skeptical. Then the conspiracy begins: a Visitor conspiracy to make earthlings believe there is a sinister, human-based plot by prejudiced bigots. This serves as a stall so they don't have to live up to their part of the bargain as they secretly work on their true plans and as a way to get rid of their most dangerous potential opposition without the rest of the world being the wiser. The government and society at large swallow it hook, line and sinker.

 

Discrimination is no longer racial, it's professional. Scientists are targets of attacks that leave them on the run at best and missing in many cases. Kids are beat up for creating science projects, non-scientific spouses lose customers or employees, and animosity runs deep for no better reason than a few well-placed news stories (power of the mainstream media, people, it’s more relevant today than ever).

 

Humans begin exploiting the situation for personal gain. For some it's prestige. Play nice with the Visitors and reap the benefits. For some it's revenge. Don’t like your dad telling you to get a job? Say he's a conspirator. For others it's a matter of live and let live. As long as the problems with the Visitors don't land on their doorstep everything is fine.

 

The first hero is a Holocaust survivor who will not stand idly by while others suffer as he once did. Then there’s Mike Donovan who discovers the truth behind what's going on and makes contact with a small group of Visitors not in step with the exploitation going on. This is not an evil race any more than a group of terrorists makes the entire human race evil, but the Visitors are under the guide and control of ruthless leaders. A resistance group made primarily of scientists and their families and others burned by the Visitors follow the leadership of the young Dr. Julie. Hunted by Visitors and betrayed by loved ones, they struggle for survival not only for themselves but all of humanity.

 

When I was young I loved Kenny Johnson’s creatures: the super-strong Hulk, the aliens that arrive in flying saucers and shoot lasers. Now that I’m older I love the fact that he doesn’t rely on those elements to give his stories strength. I enjoy the depth he gives his characters, the emotion infused into the stories, and the themes of heroic sacrifice. I didn’t recognize those as a child, but they still sank in quite deeply even to the point of affecting how I view the world. Granted I don’t think these are necessarily life-changing shows, at least not for everyone, but they can make a positive impression on a developing mind.

 

The whole production is done with a high level of seriousness. This is not campy fun or soap opera melodrama. The themes presented require a level of reverence that Kenny Johnson and company deliver very well. Just the same, it doesn't necessarily feel timeless. The 80's look and feel may be enough to cause some viewers to find it campy.

 

Acting is mostly quite good. There are a few moments where the actors don’t quite nail it, but those scenes are quickly forgotten. There are far too many actors for me to go down the list, and there are surprisingly few names that I recognize. Name recognition shouldn't be a deterrent in choosing to watch the show; in fact, there's some value in being able to see the actors as their characters without other roles picking at my attention.

 

If there is one thing that dates this series it’s the special effects. They aren’t anything like what we can do these days. However, they are good for the time period and work for the most part in their respective scenes. So while not flashy, they are convincing. For example, in a current show we would likely see more details on the exteriors of the mother ships. We would see more of the shuttles disembarking, mechanisms in motion, and other close ups. Instead we see the ships from a distance and mostly stationary. While not as impressive as traveling through space, the stationary ships don’t look out of place in their scenes which helps a great deal in selling the show as serious rather than campy. There are a few places where the effects noticeably lack, and what does work isn't as impressive as some of the big movies of the time. However, if you recognize that the ships and such are backdrops for the story rather than expecting a lot of flashy sci-fi, you won't be so disappointed by them.