Do you think the TV remake of the Sci-Fi TV series 'V' will be as good as the 1980's original?

No

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by Alan Bonnici

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Unless you happen to be Sylvester Stallone, and let's face it, you aren't, the answer is a no. Even Stallone's Rocky and Rambo movies have a sufficiently varied storyline to merit being different movies albeit based on a similar theme and carrying almost the same name.

'V' was a nice sci-fi movie that, albeit constrained by budget restrictions, was NBCs highest-rated program in two years. What was missing in financial backing was overly compensated by a good script and original plot and a good cast. Suffice to say that in the August 1st issue of TV Guide, Diana (played by Jane Badler) was ranked fifth in the list of the 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends. On the other hand, the 2009 V will have spectacular special effects that will be impressive, realistic and without the technical and financial limitations that existed twenty five odd years before. Cast will probably be as talented and able as other professionally chosen actors. But even with such positive attributes, the 2009 version will not come close to toppling over the 1980s masterpiece.

One of the principal reasons for this is that today creativity is totally absent. The mere fact that we have to recycle something from twenty years ago should be sufficient proof of this. I bet that in this series we will have at least five times more sex scenes than the original series not because throwing in more sex will add, in any way, to the story. In this remake there will be longer-than-necessar y sub-plots and time wasters as well. The reason for this is because these eat away at the minutes each episode lasts and therefore the scriptwriters life is made considerably easier since they do not have to worry too much how to consume an episode.

People who have not experienced the original series will probably like it at first since this is equivalent to the type of material that is currently being aired. If everything you watch on TV and in the movies is lame you will not be bothered too much by another lame production. In fact you might come to prefer it and say that it is great. The problem is that if this production becomes a hit, networks will go dig up their archives and will start airing the original series. At that point in time people will be in a better position to compare both eras and I'm confident that the 80s will be the outright winner.

The only things that will undoubtedly improve in V 2009 are the hairstyles, and smaller shoulder pads.

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