Since the miniseries V was so successful and popular, it wasn't long before a second miniseries, V: The Final Battle, was made. I remember watching it back in the 1980's and I just watched it again on DVD. I actually remembered more from this one than I did from V.
V: The Final Battle picks up a few months after the end of V. The plots of both are closely connected, so I do think it is best to watch them in order. There are definitely spoilers for V in this one.
Some of what I mention in discussing V: The Final Battle will be spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen V, so those people should proceed with caution.
The resistance is still trying to do things to stop the Visitors, though they aren't having a lot of success. A raid on one of the processing centers to rescue humans quickly fails since the Visitors have better weapons, armor, and security. Julie, a former med student, is still leading the group and she is struggling at times to figure out how to deal with everything. Mike Donovan is still with the group, though his main focus is on finding his son Sean and getting him back. Robin is pregnant though she hasn't shared that Brian is the father or that she is having some other odd complications. The resistance continues to fight and even gains a few new members. Robin finally shares the truth about her pregnancy and a way of fighting the Visitors is developed.
V: The Final Battle picks up some of the unresolved issues from V, like Robin's pregnancy. There is more of a sense of resolution by the end of this miniseries. It is longer than the first one, having three parts instead of two. The plot is somewhat complicated since it deals with various things, but overall it doesn't seem as strong as the plot of V. It would have been nice if the plot had been stronger, but I still think it is very entertaining and worth watching. The ending, and I mean just the final few minutes, is kind of odd and seems a bit out of place. A character does something that is rather bizarre and it doesn't really work that well. The elements that made the first miniseries similar to things from World War II aren't brought up as much, and that is probably why the plot isn't as strong.
There is a lot more action throughout V: The Final Battle. There are many fights between the resistance and the Visitors that tend to involve shooting and things exploding. The action does help to keep things interesting, though all the additional action does take away from other story elements. I think there is more violence in this miniseries as well, though none of it is too extreme or graphic. There is a bit of suspense in some scenes, and the first and second parts did end with cliff hangers. Some of what happens, like when Robin does give birth, is rather shocking. That stuff just makes it more entertaining to me. Mystery really doesn't turn up since more is known about the Visitors and their ultimate plans when this miniseries begins, though there are still a few minor surprises that turn up here and there.
It seems like more of the mothership that Diana is on is shown throughout V: The Final Battle. The bridge area is shown several times. The landing area where the various shuttles are at doesn't show up as often as it did during the first miniseries. More of the scenes set on the ship take place in other areas. The new areas of the ship shown do have the same look that was established in the first miniseries. The place on the ship where Diana does the conversions is shown. The actual process is shown over a few scenes as well. It was interesting to see the process since it had been brought up previously without any details. A bit more about John's plans comes out too and it is made very clear just how far the Visitors are willing to go to achieve their goals. A little more about the Visitors in general is shared as well after certain tests are run. The Fifth Column, a group of Visitors who help the resistance, seems to have a bit more to do this time, though Martin remains the one who is shown the most. The special effects are fine and seem consistent with what was created for the first miniseries.
For V: The Final Battle, some romance was added in to the story. There did seem to be a small attempt at that in the first movie with the attraction that Robin had for Brian, one of the Visitors. It was also made clear that Daniel was interested in more than friendship from her. Those things really didn't add much romance to what was happening, though the way things between Robin and Brian progressed do lead a somewhat important development in this miniseries. The romance is added to this one through the developing relationship between Mike and Julie. They are shown to be getting closer together before they become intimate. Not much is shown, though it is clear they have sex. After that, there really aren't any more developments to their relationship. They are just a little more affectionate with each once or twice and that is about it. I didn't mind that development, but it wasn't handled as well as it could have been.
Most of the characters that turn up in V: The Final Battle were first introduced during V. There are some characters that didn't return for some reason. Daniel's parents were around for a decent amount of time in V. This time, they missing completely even though Daniel is still living in their home. There isn't an explanation for where they are either, so I did wonder about that. Daniel is still abusing the power he has from his connection to the Visitors. I didn't like him and I wasn't the least bit upset when something rather nasty was going to happen to him. Frankly, he had it coming. David Packer is still fine in the part.
Julie and Mike are the main human characters in my opinion. She is still leading the resistance, though she does face complications. Mike is determined to get his son back and willing to take some risks to make that happen. Faye Grant and Marc Singer do fine with their parts. Mike's son Sean turns up again, though only in a few scenes. Mike's mother Eleanor turns up every so often, and she remains loyal to the Visitors. Kristine, the reporter who became a spokesperson for the Visitors, starts to have doubts about what is going on. Kristine's part is smaller, so Jenny Sullivan doesn't have as much to do.
Robert is around frequently, though he doesn't seem to stand out as much. He is very worried about Robin, especially once the truth about her pregnancy comes out. Robin has a lot to deal with and she does freak out a few times. I did like her more this time, though she is still slightly irritating once or twice. She didn't do as many stupid things, so that is an improvement. Michael Durrell and Blair Tefkin do fine with the parts. Robin's siblings as well as her child turn up briefly as well, with her child playing a more important part.
Chris Farber and Ham Tyler are two new characters. They had worked with the international resistance movement and have information and bullets that are more effective against the Visitors. Ham is very focused on what he considers the mission and he distrusts all the Visitors. Farber doesn't stand out as much and he seems to just follow Ham's orders. Michael Ironside and Mickey Jones do well with the parts.
Willie, a kind Visitor who is still having some trouble with English because he had originally prepared to go to a different country, is around a little more. He is sort of a prisoner for the resistance for a while, but he ends up helping them in several situations. Robert Englund does well with the part. Martin, the first friendly Visitor to make contact with Mike, is once again around, helping when he can. Some of the other Visitors that are helping the resistance are around, though most of them aren't shown as much as Martin.
I don't think John, the leader of the Visitors, was around as much, though he is present for important moments. Since John isn't around as much, Richard Herd doesn't have as much to do. Steven stands out to me more in this part than he did in the first one. He is the Visitor in charge of security and he clashes with Diana over certain issues. Andrew Prine does well with the part. Brian turns up in a few scenes, though his part seems smaller as well. I didn't mind that since I really didn't like him much.
Pamela is a new Visitor character who turns up. She is some sort of commander higher up who arrives to check on the progress. She has more military experience and there is some conflict between her and Diana. Sarah Douglas does fine with the part. Diana plays a very important part throughout this miniseries and I still consider her to be the main villain even though she isn't technically in charge. She has a lot of ambition to get more power and she is willing to go to extreme lengths to get what she wants. Diana makes a wonderful villain and Jane Badler does great with the part.
Main Cast
Frank Ashmore - Martin Jane Badler - Diana Sarah Douglas - Pamela Michael Durrell - Robert Maxwell Robert Englund - Willie Faye Grant - Julie Richard Herd - John Michael Ironside - Ham Tyler Mickey Jones - Chris Farber Peter Nelson - Brian David Packer - Daniel Andrew Prine - Steven Marc Singer - Mike Donovan Jenny Sullivan - Kristine Blair Tefkin - Robin Maxwell
Richard T. Heffron - Director
DVD Information
I picked up V: The Final Battle on DVD earlier this year when I found it on sale at Amazon.com. I think this is the only DVD release the miniseries has had. There are two discs for this DVD. The first one is a dual sided disc with the first part on one side and the second part on the other side. The final part is on one side of the second disc. There is nothing on the other side of the second disc. There are no extras, which is disappointing.
V: The Final Battle isn't as strong as V, but it is still well worth watching, especially for fans of the first miniseries.
A new version of V began airing on November 3, 2009.
V ~ V: The Final Battle ~ V: The Complete Series ~
Marc Singer, Robert Englund and Michael Ironside star in the miniseries sci-fi thriller about human resistance to alien invaders--who first arrive pea...More at Buy.com
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