Reviewed By Jason LockardIn the early 80s Kenneth Johnson, who produced The Incredible Hulk one of my favorite old 70s TV series and Six Million Dollar Man another show that holds a special place in my heart, decided to bring a unique mini-series to the small screen. It was entitled V and it was something like people had never imagined before!
While V the miniseries were released on DVD several years ago. Warner Archive Collection has released the Original Mini-series event on Blu-ray for the first time ever! How does it look on blu-ray? Let's find out.
V the miniseries starts on one quite day just like any other. But suddenly fifty spaceships, three miles across, enter Earth's atmosphere and ominously hover over the major cities. The Visitors are human-like in appearance and proclaim they are here for friendship. But in reality, Earth's resources are what the aliens need to survive. And they are willing to do anything it takes to get it. So what can humankind do? I'm not going to spoil this series for you, you'll have to watch the mini-series to find out what happens.
Viewing this mini-series 36 years after it originally aired, you would expect it to be antiquated. But Kenneth Johnson's science-fiction spectacular still holds up. The special effect while a bit dated, by today's standards, still look pretty good. The level of acting by Marc Singer, Jane Badler, Faye Grant, Micheal Ironside, and Robert Englund, is great. What a cast! The story of this mini-series has some underlying themes, that can be a great discussion starter for families. The miniseries is truly entertaining and thought provoking.
V the mini-series has been transferred in HD and is presented in the widescreen format in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The audio is DTS-HD Master audio 2.0. You get the option for English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
The restored picture looks better than I have ever seen. The colors are bold and vibrant. The firey explosions were brilliant. The grain in some scenes is much more prevalent than in others, but it shouldn't take away from the enjoyment of this mini-series.
The bonus features on this Blu-ray include an in-depth full-length commentary from writer/director Kenneth Johnson. There is also an amazing almost 25 minute behind the scenes look at the framing of scenes. There are also interviews with production designer Charles R. Davis, actors Marc Singer and Faye Grant and others.
This is a great little release. It looks and sounds amazing and is got some great bonus features. My hope is that the sequel miniseries The Final Battle will get it's chance to shine as well on Blu-ray. That would be a SciFi fans dream come true.
So if you are a fan of Scifi, 80's TV or Kenneth Johnson produced stuff. V the original mini-series is going to blow you away! I can not recommend this release enough! Head over to WBShop.com or Amazon.com and get your copy!
*Note This Bluray will be released on August 27th 2019. Pre-order Now!
Audiences: Teens and Adults
Objectionable Material: Violence, scary images, some adult themes and situations
DVD Length: 3 Hours 17 minutes
Genre: Drama, Sci-fi, action, adventure
DVD Value Rating: A
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