V - Season 1-2 [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

There are a number of complaints I could make about this production. It's not a perfect show. Some of the actors are awful.
The script is cheesy and the effects - I've seen more convincing monsters on old episodes of Red Dwarf and Doctor Who. But
despite all this, V is good, trashy fun.

The premise is simple. A ship full of aliens descends over America claiming to be "of peace" and wanting to connect
with mankind. Cue your typical American TV elements - FBI agents, terrorist cells, bomb plots, betrayals and turncoats. It's nothing
you haven't seen before but somehow it still manages to be good thanks to the delicious Morena Baccarin, who plays the sinister lizard
queen determined to rule us, operate on us, and generally do nasty alien stuff to us. She is a fine actress and plays the villain
perfectly. I found myself rooting not for the humans but for the aliens, as Baccarin is by far the best actress in this and I wanted to
see her evil plots succeed. Similarly her assistant, the chilling and emotionless Marcus, and her daughter, "tempted" by human emotion,
are compelling characters and enjoyable to watch.

The CGI effects for the aliens - teeth, tails and tentacles - are laughable. Often you'll find yourself desperate for another glimpse of
the Visitors' true reptillian forms, however it's clear that a lot of the good stuff is hidden off-screen due to budget issues. Where the
CGI does shine is in the gorgeous shots of the spaceship exteriors - they look real. On Blu-Ray the effects are stunning and the crisp,
clear wide and exterior shots are remarkable.

On one level the betrayals, double-crossings and endless schemes do get a little tiresome, but I set aside my cynicism and was pleasantly
surprised by every episode. There are plenty of twists and turns and if you don't go expecting too much from the series, you'll probably
enjoy it too.

The final thing that needs to be said is about the cancellation of V. It only ran for 2 series. That's 22 episodes in total.
Most plot threads are resolved but a new cliffhanger is introduced as well. If you're the kind of viewer who lays awake at night
wondering what might have been, you may come away feeling annoyed, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the series at all.

Despite all of the flaws of this set, I still had fun watching it. It's pretty shallow, glossy TV. If you're expecting a high-calibre
hard-science-fiction drama then you may be better off with something else. But for what it's worth, it's pretty good. Was I sad it got
cancelled? Yes, although I can see why.

I got the double box set for Xmas and was so excited. This was the best price we found for the two. Once I started watching I couldn't turn it off! I saw the original in the '90's and loved it then but the special effects were fab in this and its a surprise to see some old (cosmetically enhanced!) faces in the new series. Gutted to find they had pulled the plug on another series. You won't be disappointed!

I was a fan of the original series and only watched this because of Morena Baccarin. I was pleasantly surprised.