6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The visitors – the Vs – are human-like beings who know our languages and bring awesome gifts of healing and technology. People everywhere welcome them as saviors. But a fledgling resistance is on the rise, determined to reveal the shocking truth.
Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan HuffmanSci-Fi | 100% |
Thriller | 19% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
(Japanese only available if player menu language is Japanese)
English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Think climate change, partisan rage and environmental crises are frightening? Try growing up in the '80s, when it was next to impossible to go to sleep without visions of hissing Sleestaks, knife-wielding Zuni dolls, and shifty reptilian Visitors slithering through your imagination. In retrospect, none deserved such intense late-night fear -- save the pint-sized Trilogy of Terror beastie, which still manages to skitter into my nightmares from time to time -- but there's something to be said for creatures that can continue to haunt a grown man some twenty-five years after it first invaded his mind. V, the well-received 1983 sci-fi miniseries that spawned a 1984 sequel and a short-lived series, is probably best remembered for its tattered man-suits, unsettling glimpses of scaly skin, and ungodly, inhuman babies. That was enough, though; enough to help the original tale weather the decades, enough to allow it to linger in the dark recesses of our cultural consciousness, enough to inspire a full reboot at ABC. Sadly, little about the new V series will be remembered thirty years from now. It's watchable, I suppose; a guilty pleasure at its best, an alien-invasion soap opera at its worst. But it's so derivative, heavy-handed, shallow and frustrating that its second-season cancellation shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.
If you watched V's first season on Blu-ray, you know exactly what to expect from The Complete Second Season's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation, as the two complement each other well. Yes, the series' CG and green-screen sheen still show every seam, smearing is an issue when visual effects are in play, and uneven noise, minor banding and faint, intermittent artifacting are all factors. But most of the issues trace back to the show's photography and source, and only a handful should be held against Warner's encode. Otherwise, the series' second season looks pretty good. Color and contrast is intentionally washed out, but primaries still pack kick, black levels are satisfying, and skintones are well-saturated. Detail is excellent on the whole too, particularly during scenes that take place on the ground. Fine textures are nicely resolved, closeups are revealing, delineation is decidedly decent, and edge definition is crisp and clean (without any pesky ringing). Detail takes a bit of a dive on the Visitors' ships and when lighting isn't ideal, but none of it should be cause for concern. Ultimately, V's second BD presentation is every bit as presentable and technically sound as its first.
The real improvement comes in the audio department as V now sports a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. (The first season's Blu-ray release was saddled with a standard Dolby Digital mix.) It isn't perfect, or rather it isn't perfectly absorbing, but it's much better than its predecessor. Dialogue is bright, well-grounded in each locale and environment, and carefully prioritized amidst the humming ships, the noisy city streets, and the gunfights that break out on occasion. Rear speaker activity is involving, albeit not entirely immersive, and directional effects, though a tad hit or miss, keep the series' action and intrigue streaming in from every angle. Its mainly Marco Beltrami's score that fills up the soundfield, though, and only the most intense shootouts and chases make the most of every channel. Thankfully, LFE output is fairly hefty and aggressive, with nice, deep thooms and booms that lend weight and menace to the aliens' presence on Earth. In the end, it all works hand in hand to create a real sense of intensity and uncertainty, both of which lend themselves to the story and second-season dust-ups.
A solid AV presentation is really all V: The Complete Second Season has going for it. The reboot's final ten episodes are weaker than its first twelve, the story takes a number of unfortunate left turns (original V actress Jane Addler's turn as Anna's mother being one), and the series' generic writing, mediocre visual effects, dead-end performances, and contrived twists weren't strong enough to save the show from cancellation. I'd suggest skipping this one and spending your time invading better, bolder sci-fi series.
2019
Special Edition
1951
2010
2008
40th Anniversary Edition
1977
2021
2008-2013
1997
1966
Warner Archive Collection
1983
2016
Includes "The Invisible Boy" on SD
1956
2000
2018
1984
2001
2015
Warner Archive Collection
1984
2009
2017