Pilot Reviews: 'V' (ABC)

Next up on our tour of the pilots being shown off at Comic-Con is V, a remake of the cult '80s alien invasion drama.

In a nutshell: The world is thrown into turmoil by the sudden arrival of an alien race called "The Visitors" who promise to share their superior technological knowledge in exchange for temporary access to some of the Earth's natural resources.

Pilot premise: It's a regular old day, with everybody going about their usual business, when suddenly 29 huge spaceships appear and park up over the world's major cities (Independence Day fans, remember: the original V got there first). After the initial panic dies down, a woman named Anna appears and introduces herself as the leader of an alien race called "The Visitors". She says that her people want access to vital supplies that the Earth has to offer before they depart for their home planet. Most of the world are accepting of the Vs, but a small group of people form a resistance movement that aims to expose their true, horrifying intentions. Among this group are FBI agent Erica (Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell) and Father Jack (The 4400's Joel Gretsch).

The whens and wheres: The series was originally tapped to air midseason on ABC but has now been brought forward to November. No UK broadcaster has yet acquired the rights.

Neil says: The whole concept is strong, as is the casting (Mitchell, Gretsch, Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk are all firm faves from the cult universe). The opening five minutes are simply great: absolutely no time is wasted in getting to the sudden and shocking arrival of the Vs. Unfortunately that expediency is continued right throughout the pilot: everything happens very quickly, to the point where there is no time for either the viewers or the characters to let the chain of events sink in. As a result there are some narrative explanations missing. By the second half of the episode, the pace adjusts to that expected of a cult show - but I can't help but feel the producers have missed a major trick by not fully exploiting the opening conceit. Definitely among the more promising contenders for next season, though.

Dan says: I was rather shocked by the episode - in a good way. I had expectations of ties to the original which would alienate a new viewer, but in fact, I felt welcomed as a V virgin. The characters were all likeable, and it was their stories which drew me in from the start. I can't wait to see what's in store for Agent Erica Evans and co. next.

How do you feel about V being remade? Do you remember the original? Add your comments to this entry below!