"V: The Final Battle" (1984) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Creator:

Kenneth Johnson

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 May 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They come in peace to enslave humankind.

Plot:

A small group of human resistance fighters fight a desperate guerilla war against the genocidal extra-terrestrials who dominate Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Resistance | Alien | Guerilla | Genocide | Conspiracy

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win

Cast

Jane Badler	...	Diana (3 episodes, 1984)
Michael Durrell	...	Robert Maxwell (3 episodes, 1984)
Robert Englund	...	Willie (3 episodes, 1984)
Faye Grant	...	Juliet Parish (3 episodes, 1984)
Richard Herd	...	John (3 episodes, 1984)
Thomas Hill	...	Father Andrew Doyle (3 episodes, 1984)
Michael Ironside	...	Ham Tyler (3 episodes, 1984)
Peter Nelson	...	Brian (3 episodes, 1984)
David Packer	...	Daniel Bernstein (3 episodes, 1984)
Neva Patterson	...	Eleanor Dupres (3 episodes, 1984)
Andrew Prine	...	Steven (3 episodes, 1984)
Sandy Simpson	...	Mark (3 episodes, 1984)
Marc Singer	...	Mike Donovan (3 episodes, 1984)
Blair Tefkin	...	Robin Maxwell (3 episodes, 1984)
Michael Wright	...	Elias Taylor (3 episodes, 1984)
Denise Galik	...	Maggie Blodgett (3 episodes, 1984)
Jason Bernard	...	Caleb Taylor (3 episodes, 1984)
Rafael Campos	...	Sancho Gomez (3 episodes, 1984)
Frank Ashmore	...	Martin (3 episodes, 1984)
Diane Cary	...	Harmony Moore (3 episodes, 1984)
Viveka Davis	...	Polly Maxwell (3 episodes, 1984)
Marin May	...	Katie Maxwell (3 episodes, 1984)
Greta Blackburn	...	Lorraine (3 episodes, 1984)
Eric Johnston	...	Sean Donovan (3 episodes, 1984)
Stack Pierce	...	Visitor Captain (3 episodes, 1984)
Sarah Douglas	...	Pamela (2 episodes, 1984)
Hansford Rowe	...	Arthur Dupres (2 episodes, 1984)
Mickey Jones	...	Chris Farber (2 episodes, 1984)
Camila Ashland	...	Ruby Engels / ... (2 episodes, 1984)
Dick Miller	...	Dan Pascal (2 episodes, 1984)
Don Starr	...	Dr. Corley Walker (2 episodes, 1984)
Shawn Coulter	...	Visitor (2 episodes, 1984)

Runtime:

272 min (3 parts) | Finland:257 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (video rating) (1995) | Canada:G (Quebec) (video rating) (1995) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (video rating) (1995) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (video rating) (1995) | Australia:PG | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:TV-14

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Blatt-Singer Productions

Trivia:

The computer Elizabeth was using in Diana's quarters is a Sony SMC-70.

Goofs:

Continuity: Eleanor gives Steven a picture of her grandson, Sean so he can find him. Later, he passes that picture to someone else and it has changed sizes, it's bigger than the one she had originally given him.

Quotes:

Pamela: Diana, sex for favors is as old as ambition. And sex is much too fragile a platform to support your ambition.
Diana: You seem to have done well for yourself.
Pamela: That's because I've controlled my ambition. You might reflect that your... lover... has sent you 65 million light-years away from him.
[beat]
Pamela: Hardly an indication that he can't bear to be apart from you.

Movie Connections:

Remade as "V" (2010)

a must-see

This was the perfect sequel to the original miniseries about the aliens who arrive on earth and establish a fascist government there, only to be met with a successful resistance movement. The cast was first-rate, as Michael Ironside was a perfect addition to Marc Singer, Robert Englund, Faye Grant, and co. The suspense and overall storyline were first-rate as well.

I loved the series when I was a kid, but like it even better now that I know more about the undertones and historical allusions. (Nazi takeover of Europe, McCarthyism, etc.) This is a must for sci-fi fans.

*** 1/2 out of ****