V: The Final Battle (1984)

Thanks for the memories!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I must have watched V: The Final Battle so many times, but I only caught onto it after friends mentioned the mouse eating scene in V the original mini-series. One friend openly wondered why aliens always aimed their mouth upwards when swallowing a mouse, rat or hamster but I guess whatever method it would do much to solve the New York City rat problem, and would no doubt be an election winner for any mayoral candidate.One of my favorite characters was Ham Tyler played by one of my favorite actors, Michael "Total Recall" Ironside. He put a lot of spine into the Resistance and played an instrumental role in the downfall of the aliens. Ham was the Man and it was good to see him continue in V: The Series.Also when I saw Robert Englund's name in the credits, I wondered if that was the same Robert Englund in Nightmare on Elm Street, released the same year???!!! It was!!! Willy was so different to Freddie big time, but that's a testament to Robert's incredible acting skills. I remember seeing an interview with Robert when he said that at an autograph session, many eager V fans turned up to meet him, and then a bunch of leather clad bike club type folks turned up and asked him to autograph their gear...they were Nightmare on Elm Street fans!!!

i think i loved this one just as much if not more than the first V movie, in this one you get to finally see Michael Ironside in action,, i love how he calls Mike,, "do gooder",, or gooder,, it's hilarious, he stole the show for me and he was only in last 2 episodes of the total 3 for the final battle.. yeah i like star wars and buck rogers,, but for a short series and a couple of movies,, V just rocked on all 8 cylinders for me,, Jane Badler , kicked butt as the alien commander,, Julie Parrish is gorgeous, especially in the conversion chamber in the spandex outfit,, Mike Donavan is so likable is our "hero" Willie, is a V,, but very cool and part of the 5th column, a group of V traitors helping the resistance,, scenes are set mostly all in Los Angeles. the battle scenes are fantastic, and this still rated in my opinion as one of the best TV movies ever made along with the first V.

Catholic influences are sprinkled throughout this science fiction adventure, taking shortcuts to material and moral dilemmas. Miracles replace human endeavors, while the species-centric nature of the writing glosses over genocidal decisions. The fifth column is reduced to helping in a lopsided partnership. Is that the best writers can do? I surely hope that the new series on ABC will do more justice to these not-insignificant problems, just as the early seasons of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (another show ruined by unnecessary religious plot devices) did. Is religious fanaticism not the cause of untold crusades? What would it say about humanity if we must rely on religion to fight the dark forces?

The sequel to Kenneth Johnson's 1983 sci-fi classic, 'V', aired over three consecutive nights on NBC, in May 1984. An unintentional comedy, Johnson had disassociated himself early on in production, but had laid the groundwork to continue the alien invasion story.Based on the critical and ratings success of the original, NBC rushed this mini-series, and it clearly shows in every facet; the dialogue is laughable, the special effects terrible, and even the soundtrack is weak.Relying heavily on action, melodrama and pure silliness, 'VFB' is a bloated disappointment if viewed seriously. Otherwise, it's eighties television at it's best,(or worst), highly entertaining and lots of fun.