jotaemesg

I've just watched the first season of V (2009/11) on DVD and I have to say I am quite disappointed. I remember the big and attractive publicity not so long ago, although I failed to spot the show when it was broadcast. I can realize now I didn't miss that much. Critical reviews (notably the insightful one by AlefVeld from London) on IMDb have made strong points as regards plot holes, miscast players and illogic scenarios and development. I think what people who dislike this remake of V regret is just the lack of what made it a likable show in the eighties: I remember the national shock and thrill when it was aired in Spain in 1985. Now, in the 2009 version flaws are apparent after 30 minutes watching into the first episode, and your fears are totally fulfilled later. Key questions are never answered; for one thing, what's their wicked "plan"?, the resistance seems to be more deadly and unethical than the aliens. I particularly resent this: highlights are weak, scarce and scattered, thereby taking out all the promised fun. And the worse comes to the worst: there is no sense of humor at all, you can only hear one witty wisecrack on account of the weird situation in the whole of the 12 episodes. Miss Baccarin's performance was the only thing that really kept me watching; her line "skin them!" is priceless. The other characters are so dull and the development is so low-intensity that you nearly want the aliens to stop fooling around and start wreaking havoc on earth, which sadly never happens. Millions of light-years far from it. To sum up, the stingily doled out good stuff doesn't make up for the lack of story and action. What a pity.

I love Lubitsch, I worship the golden age and I am a great fan of the early talkies and the jazz age, but this film has been a sad disappointment to me. The technical achievements are there, indeed. The condition of the film is astoundingly good. The players are charming. The music is pleasant. Some gags are funny, if not that witty. This is how far I go, for no more praise can be given to this banal story about a lieutenant loving a fiddle player and being harassed by a princess. The whole plot is not only silly, as one of the reviewers said, but also extremely reactionary. It really spoiled my evening. And by the way, what's the fun about a tailor not being paid for his expensive clothes? It simply doesn't look Lubitsch.