V - The Final Battle | 
| Actors: Jane Badler, Michael Durrell, Robert Englund, Faye Grant, Richard Herd
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $11.36
You Save: $8.62 (43%)
New (32) Used (13) from $9.70
Rating:  104 reviews
Sales Rank: 2916
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Georgian (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 267 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 0.6
MPN: D14146D
ISBN: 0790768119
UPC: 085391414629
EAN: 9780790768113
ASIN: B000067FP2
Theatrical Release Date: May 6, 1984
Release Date: August 6, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/04/2005 Run time: 267 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
Though followers of current science fiction television series may dismiss V: The Final Battle as a quaint relic from the pre-computer animation days, the six-hour miniseries about an alien invasion of Earth was a ratings juggernaut for NBC in 1984 and should still provide some entertainment for hard-bitten devotees and fans of '50s-style sci-fi. The Final Battle picks up four months after the shock conclusion of the 1983 prequel miniseries, with a small group of humans known as the Resistance struggling to convince their fellow humans that a fleet of seemingly friendly visitors from space are in fact bent on world domination. Executive producer Kenneth Johnson (who oversaw most aspects of the first series) only supervised the sequel's script (which underwent several changes before its airing), and the writing occasionally suffers due to the lack of his attention. But the series still delivers its share of action and intrigue, as well as one showstopping gruesome moment involving the birth of interspecies twins. Acting is again a stumbling block, with leads Marc Singer and Faye Grant as bland as any performers from the American International Pictures stable; character actor Michael Ironside makes the strongest impression as a tough Resistance member, and a pre-Freddy Krueger Robert Englund is amusing as a kind-hearted alien. The miniseries was followed by an inevitable weekly series featuring most of the same cast, which was demolished in the ratings by Dallas, but a faithful Resistance-like following remains to this day. --Paul Gaita
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| Customer Reviews: Read 99 more reviews...
 Once you walk out that door, there's no turning back. June 2, 2009
A. Gyurisin (Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia)
In "V: The Miniseries" we see a band of unlikely brothers forge together to stop an indestructible group of aliens determined to rid the world of water and subsequently transform the human race into a combo meal at McDonald's. The aliens eat fuzzy creatures, they like to copulate with humans, and their voices cannot be trusted, yet this group of rebels continues forward. Half homage to past science fiction films, and half an allegory of the events surrounding WWII, "V: The Miniseries" wasn't perfect, but it provided hours of nostalgic entertainment. Now, with "V: The Final Battle", the gloves are thrown off, the symbolic references are destroyed, and the game is transformed into merely a battle between human and alien. It is about resistance, standing up for beliefs, and plenty of fictitious science all rolled into three hours. Our band of outsiders is down, but not finished. They deliver several swift blows to the alien objective and finally one "final battle" that leaves doors unopened and plot holes uncovered. "V: The Final Battle" was a swift ending, but where it built onto action, it lacked that panache that the original episodes did. "The Final Battle" assumed that characters were already developed, and instead of taking a humanistic direction, director Richard Heffron placed his bets on the special effects. This was a completely different ending to a decently sharp beginning.
Heffron isn't Kenneth Johnson, and it is obvious that this is a second part to an idea, not a continuation. Not only have the overall themes changed, but the influx of special effects has lead us down the path of horrid dialogue, randomly placed action scenes (i.e. the fistfight over the powder), and the lack of developed storylines. Johnson may have taken longer to get to the point, but at least there was a point. Heffron went in a completely, some may say bold, direction - but it didn't work. Investing over five hours, one could easily demand a conclusion, but none could be found here. The introduction of Elizabeth (the child of an alien and human) was exciting, but nothing happened. The idea of quick growth was introduced, but then easily forgotten - same as Mike's son being changed as a spy. Again, another strong and vexing idea that was mentioned, and then forgotten. It was these smaller nuances that seemed to be clearer in "The Final Battle" than in the original.
In addition to the lackluster plot, the acting seemed to be progressively getting worse. Our original characters were not the same as in this final set - the excitement seemed to have dissipated and with too many small story arch's never being fully developed, it was no wonder our characters seemed to be lacking that pioneering gumption. Marc Singer's Mike was more a meathead than a leader, the annoying child who gave birth to the spawn seemed more annoying than helpful - and Ham seemed to be unreasonably angrier. This wasn't the same set we stopped with on the miniseries. The resistance was going to win; it was inevitable, so why did it have to be so mismatched to get there.
What was kept? What worked? It was somewhat like that feeling of seeing "Star Wars" for the first time. When the villains finally get it, one cannot help but feel that moment of excitement swell in the throat, but there needed to be more. The alien baby is worth the price of the DVD alone, a cross between originality and a "Ghoulie", it provided at least an hour of laughter. The fist fight between Ham and Mike seemed reminiscent of the film "They Live", so it received some points for that, but overall it just felt cheap. The sets were bigger, the acting was weaker, and the money was tighter. While you should watch this after "The Miniseries", don't expect the same quality.
Grade: ** out of *****
 V THE FINAL BATTLE May 13, 2009
R. A. Kennedy Jr. (USA)
I USED TO WATCH THIS WHEN IT WAS ON TV, WHEN I SEEN IT ON HERE I JUST HAD TO BUY IT. AND I'M GLAD I DID IT WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION, STILL IN PLASTIC. DVD'S WORKED VERY WELL I WAS VERY PLEASED.
 Whats old is new again April 3, 2009
Vanessa Roper
I remember the ads for this program and I remember thinking how great it was. I think it has lasted the test of time. My kids enjoy it too.
V-The Final Battle......... March 24, 2009
blackaciddevil (in the USA somewhere.....)
True, V seems ancient by today's standards but, in its' day, it was a ratings powerhouse for NBC and stands as, perhaps, the greatest television miniseries of all-time. The sequel was created to tie up loose ends that was left in the original miniseries(basically a retelling of the rise of Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and the Third Reich, with a science fiction cover)with the Visitors trying to take over Earth.
V - The Final Battle picks up where V left off. The resistance are still fighting the Visitors, and they finally uncover just exactly what it is that the Visitors are here for.
While it is a great sequel(no doubt about that), it is pretty evident that Kenneth Johnson left in its' early stages as the sequel isn't quite as strong storywise as the first. All the actors from the original series reprise their roles. Still, it's one I highly recommend to all SCI-FI fans. It stands the test of time as a great Science-Fiction achievement.
Good Serie, Bad DVD March 18, 2009
Somari (Mexico City, D.F. Mexico)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The serie is a favourite of all time; but, what happened with this DVD edition? Double side? Mono sound?
The European edition is much better: The Complete Collection (V-The Original TV Miniseries, V-The Final Battle, V-The Complete Series) is in Dolby Surround, Multilanguage, Double Layer, Print Disc...
Why don't in America?
I'm waiting for a new DVD release or the Blu-Ray edition.
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