New V is light-years ahead of the old

By: By Eric Deggans | ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Published: November 03, 2009

Watch the 1983 original miniseries V, and it's tough to look past the cheesy special effects, fly-away hairstyles and tacky alien uniforms. But the story about Earth's contact with a seemingly benevolent alien race with a lot to hide transcended its sometimes awkward drawbacks to deliver a surprisingly prescient story.

And now V is poised to do it again. The impressive, initial installment of the new V (airing at 8 p.m. today on ABC) reveals all the upgrades you'd expect: first-class special effects, references to 9/11 and the Iraq war, and new plot twists for a more sophisticated audience.

When the 50 alien ships descend from space to hover over the world's largest cities, it feels like a page stolen from Independence Day, but that film just nicked it from the original V.

Here's a few more ways that the old V and new V stack up to each other:

Cultural parallels

Old V: As the alien visitors begin to dominate human governments, the old miniseries smacks viewers over the head with allusions to Nazism and Central American freedom fighting. The aliens arrive like a friendly paramilitary force, demonizing scientists, encouraging conspiracy allegations.

New V: The new visitors are more like bloodless corporate executives than smiling shock troops, led by leggy supreme commander Anna, who finagles complimentary press coverage by doling out exclusives like the universe's sharpest press agent. As the visitors gain trust by delivering medical miracles and advanced technology, a small band of freedom fighters gathers in secret to expose their darker goals.

Stars

Old V: The actors that packed this miniseries would go on to fill casts from a legion of B movies, including Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street films) and Marc Singer (Beastmaster)

New V: The characters here include the ambitious journalist (Scott Wolf, Party of Five), a man with a dark secret (Morris Chestnut, Boyz 'n the Hood), a doubting priest (Joel Gretsch, The 4400) and single mom/kickbutt FBI agent (Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost).