Product Details

• Actors: Morena Baccarin, Elizabeth Mitchell
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: November 2, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002U0KHME
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,478 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "V: The Complete First Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's a lot to like about V, an exceptionally well-made series combining science fiction, action-adventure, and personal drama (and debuting here on DVD with all 12 first-season episodes on three discs). From the moment 29 enormous spaceships appear over an equal number of major cities (the principal action takes place in New York and aboard the mother ship that hovers over it), nothing will ever be the same. But the Visitors, commonly known as Vs, "are of peace"--or so says Anna (Morena Baccarin), their young, beautiful, preternaturally serene leader (the Vs look human, but as we soon discover, their appearance is only one part of them that isn't what it seems). Folks around the globe are smitten as the Vs perform Christ-like medical miracles and use their awesome technology and messianic powers of persuasion to wow the Earthlings--especially a smarmy, headline-hugging TV "journalist" (Scott Wolf) who becomes their willing mouthpiece, helping the Vs seduce the entire global population… almost. Of course, there are some who know better, specifically the "Fifth Column," a resistance group comprised of humans (with Elizabeth Mitchell as an FBI agent whose son is in thrall to the aliens) and a few "traitor" Vs who've lived on Earth for years (including Morris Chestnut as a V whose human girlfriend is pregnant). They know what the Visitors' real agenda is--and that dirty deeds like establishing terror cells and surreptitiously injecting drugs into humans are only the beginning.

All of this is offered in a very slick, entertaining package; the plotting is clever and just unpredictable enough, the effects work is outstanding (especially good is a technique whereby Vs on their mother ship are rendered like video game characters), and while V is hardly what you'd call profound, it does touch on some interesting ideas (such as the role of emotions, of which the Vs have none, or the danger of putting one's faith in false gods). That will help viewers overlook some of the show's more dubious elements. For instance, the utter gullibility of the vast majority of humans in the face of the aliens' transparent duplicity is preposterous, even by sci-fi standards; by the same token, it's hard to swallow that the Fifth Column, which seems to consist of about four people, could possibly pose a threat to the omnipotent Visitors. Still, by the time it reaches its season-ending cliffhanger, V has given us more than enough reasons to tune in again next year. --Sam Graham

Product Description

The Visitors are among us. In a single shared moment, they appear in every major city in the world, promoting a message of peace. They want to share their knowledge of technology; they want us to unite. And they are counting on a very important component of human nature: devotion. At first considered a threat, the Visitors -- or V's -- quickly become a fascination. But when FBI Counter Terrorist Agent Erica Evans discovers what lurks beneath the alarmingly human exterior of the V's, resisting this new world has never been more important -- and never has there been more at stake. It truly is the dawning of a new day.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars John May lives!, May 18, 2010

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: V: The Complete First Season (DVD)

In about 99% of science fiction, aliens come to earth in two ways: charging in to invade, or they come in peace... so they can invade quietly. The second kind are the main problem in "V: The Complete First Season," a remake of the 1980s series/miniseries about mysterious alien Visitors who come to Earth with some nasty ulterior motives. While this remake suffers from some "Lost syndrome," it's a sleek, complex story with an intriguing cast of characters.

City-sized alien ships have appeared over twenty-nine cities worldwide, and the aliens' leader "Anna" (Morena Baccarin) declares that, "We are of peace." The Visitors offer their advanced technology to better the world, and cause massive changes -- social, religious, medical, and so on.

While hunting a terrorist cell FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) stumbles across an anti-Visitor resistance -- and the shocking discovery that not only are the visitors reptilian creatures in humanoid skins, but some Visitors are hiding among us. She and the skeptical priest Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) begin forming their own little resistance cell, along with the V-in-hiding Ryan Nicholas (Morris Chestnut) who is trying to reactivate an alien rebellion known as the Fifth Column. At the same time, news anchor Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) finds himself the media ambassador of the V's, caught between ambition and his growing doubts.

But the resistance has more than Anna's cruel, duplicitous nature to deal with -- Erica's gullible son Tyler (Logan Huffman) has become a "peace ambassador" for the V's and is falling in love with Anna's daughter Lisa (Laura Vandervoort). Ryan's girlfriend is pregnant with a hybrid baby. One of their number is captured by the V's and brutally tortured, even as Anna hatches terrifying new plots to wipe the Fifth Column from existence...

"V: The Complete First Season" is very different from the 1980s version -- there are sweeping changes to the story, characters, the political commentary and the aliens' manipulation ("Gratitude can morph into worship. Or worse... devotion!"). The only problem with this season is that it suffers from "Lost syndrome" at times, where it feels like the plot is moving WAAAAAAYYYY too slowly.

But the writing is good -- it's full of suspense and some amazing plot twists (just see what Anna's unleashing on the Fifth Column). The characters are painstakingly sketched out and developed, along with strong dialogue ("Human decency's a privilege, father. He's lost his. And, when we prove to you that he's lying, you're gonna lose yours, too") and some very powerful emotional moments (a Fifth Column doctor is forced to murder his own friend).

And yeah, there's some creepy stuff too, such as when Erica gets her shocking first glimpse of a V face. Not so much rodent-eating, though.

And the story revolves around two strong actresses -- Mitchell has a powerful, wiry presence with plenty of hidden sorrow/strength, and Baccarin is wonderfully creepy as the ruthless, cunning Anna. Chestnut is simply brilliant as a good-hearted V who cherishes freedom and his human lover, and Gretsch is also excellent as a priest torn between his priestly duty and the need to stop the V's. The problem: Huffman doesn't have the chops to make Tyler anything but a whiny little pain, and Vandervoort feels like a token love interest for Tyler.

It has some freshman flaws, but "V: The Complete First Season" is a promising start for one of the few sci-fi shows on network TV -- powerful acting, solid scripts, and some nicely creepy aliens.

38 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series!, April 14, 2010

By 

Christopher (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: V: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I didn't know what to expect when I watched the first episode of V, but I ended liking it so much. Now it has become my second favorite show to Lost. The show has talented actors, interesting story, and great special effects. The show was on for four episodes until it took a long break, then came back even better than before. The show is fast paced with so many twists and turns, you don't know what to expect. Definitely buy V: The Complete First Season, you will not be disappointed. I hope it gets picked up for a second season.

32 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great show - not just for sci fi fans, May 3, 2010

By 

Nicole (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: V: The Complete First Season (DVD)

V is one of the best new shows on television - the best in my opinion. It pays homage to the original 1980 miniseries, but it uses modern themes to appeal to today's audience. The characters (well, some of them) are very likable, especially the V's cold (and yet ooh so hot) leader Anna, played by Morena Baccarin, and the resistance group with a mix of FBI Agent Erica, played by the ever-watchable Elizabeth Mitchell, a Priest, a V-turned-human, and a Machiavellian take-no-prisoners mercenary. A lot of people watch for the sci-fi premise, which seems very well done (although I don't have too much experience). The main reasons I watch are actually the characters and the suspense. We know that the V's are here to exploit us, and they're being nice to us so we know they need us for something... but we don't know what yet.

Like every other show out there, V does have some inconsistencies in the plot, and you have to suspend disbelief a little more than you'd like. But overall, it's an awesome entertaining show that hooked me from the start. I hope ABC has the foresight to renew it for a second season, but either way, I can't wait to get my DVDs!