V: Original Miniseries

In its day, the 1983 television miniseries "V" was a monumental event that remains a pop-culture touchstone for one generation. Kenneth Johnson's production knew better than to simply reassure us that we have nothing to fear from alien visitors, as Close Encounters of the Third Kind had done, or to introduce us to a benign extraterrestrial like E.T. who only wanted to go home. Instead, the miniseries revealed the visitors who claim to come in peace as nothing but human-looking reptilians on a mission of human conversion and conquest.

As in the dark days of fascism, the narrative explores the theme of collaboration with the enemy and the formation of a resistance movement. The epic scale of this production was unprecedented at the time, with those 50 motherships hovering over Earth's major cities anticipating the events of Independence Day by more than a decade. The special effects and makeup are still impressive, although the dialogue is often considered hackneyed.

However, the mostly no-star cast, most of whom would be reunited for a sequel and subsequent television series, have ensured themselves standing invitations to sci-fi conventions thanks to their signature roles. Marc Singer portrays the cameraman-turned-freedom-fighter Mike Donovan, while Julie Parrish plays a medical student-turned-rebel. Richard Herd is cast as the aliens' supreme commander, and Jane Bradler shines as the ravishing but ruthlessly ambitious alien science officer, Diana. Leonardo Cimino lends dignity to his heavy-handed allegorical role as a Holocaust survivor, and a pre-Freddy Krueger Robert Englund can be spotted as one of the aliens.

The DVD of "V" is now presented for the first time in widescreen format, and the supplemental features include an amiable and enlightening director's commentary as well as a brief "making of" segment. The miniseries, with its epic scale, memorable characters, and thought-provoking exploration of themes such as collaboration and resistance, remains a significant and influential work in the science fiction genre.

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