DVD Review: V The Complete First Season

V stands for visitors, and when these visitors first arrive on earth, it’s mad chaos. A huge mothership appears over New York City while other motherships arrive in an additional 28 major cities around the globe. These visitors appear to be human-like. They know our language, bring us gifts, and even tell us they want to help us. They come in peace. Or do they? As Season 1 unfolds, we learn that these “visitors” aren’t exactly who they seem to be, and a fledgling resistance is on the rise, determined to reveal the truth.

The series is a reboot of a series by the same name from the early 80’s. The new V centers itself around two strong female leads – Anna (Morena Baccarin) and FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell). Anna is the leader of the visitors, and Erica is the a vital member of the resistance.

With developments in technology, the new V also differentiates itself from the original with superior special effects. While it’s still quite clear that a large fraction of the series is shot on a green screen, this will be nothing new to fans of sci-fi television. There are also some fabulous extras on the Season 1 DVDs which go into the visual effects of V for further explanation.

When the series started airing in 2009, we only had about 4 episodes before the series went on hiatus until spring of this year. The fast paced start matched with the almost immediate hiatus caused me to originally lose interest in the series. I didn’t catch back up until the Season 1 DVDs hit shelves on November 2nd. That being said, the rest of Season 1 seems to find a pace that is a bit more reasonable and concludes with a finale that was absolutely excellent. I only wish the entire season could have had the same promise and structure as the finale. Strong groundwork has been laid for Season 2 which starts back on ABC on January 4th, I think the first few episodes of the new season will quickly determine whether myself and a lot of other fans will keep tuning in.

There’s also some special features included on the Blu-ray such as a look at the V mythology, commentary, a look the visual effects, unaired scenes, and a number of other featurettes which are worth checking out. And with Christmas coming up, it’s the perfect gift for the sci-fi fan in your life.

Grade: B
Official Website: http://www.wbshop.com/V-The-Complete-First-Season/1000116768,default,pd.html?cgid=TV

Review By: Emma Loggins

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Disclaimer: FanBolt did receive a copy of V: The Complete First Season to be able to conduct this review. We’ve received no additional compensation for this review. This review is our honest opinion.