Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

preppy-3 I remember when this dreadful mini-series first played. There was tons of controversy over it which immediately disappeared after the series aired (people saw how boring and pointless it was). The premise is a good one (Russia taking over America) but this was basically boring! It moved at a snails pace. I watched the whole thing hoping it would get better but it never did. The script and characters were hopeless--nonstop clichés that I've seen hundreds of times before. They had some great actors in this (like Christine Lahti) giving their worst performances. It's not available in any format for a good reason--who would buy it? Maybe the 16 or so people here who are giving it a good rating would purchase it but nobody else. This mini deserves the obscurity it has. A 1 all the way.

C. I. (cingramaol) With more of a whimper than a bang, the Soviet Union has conquered the former United States - and intends to dismantle it. Having recently revisited this miniseries, I believe it holds up better than expected, considering all of the changes in world politics since its original broadcast. Yes, it is too long, and yes, the ending is not as well-resolved as some would like, and Kris Kristofferson is a bit wooden at times (although he has tremendous screen presence); but he is quite credible as an idealistic resistance leader, the late Robert Urich is picture-perfect as a popular yet pragmatic politician, and Sam Neill exudes just the right amounts of charm, power, and menace as one of the primary Soviet military overseers. There are even a few moments of greatness: Urich's monologue at the Lincoln Memorial, the shocking incongruity of Lincoln and Lenin together on political posters, and Christine Lahti's emotionally devastating performance as Alethea (deservedly nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe). Look for a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle in her first major role. Thoughtful screenplay by Donald Wrye tries to assess what it means to be an American, and succeeds much of the time. Exceptional musical score and soundtrack by Basil Poledouris (recently made available on CD) may bring you to tears if you're an American in a particularly patriotic or pensive mood. Underrated, unseen, and long overdue to be officially released on DVD, if only as an historical artifact: the most controversial television miniseries in U.S. history. The Cold War is over, but the emotions evoked by this production linger, and in the days after September 11, 2001, its issues of the American spirit take on a new significance. Watch it again, and rediscover the reasons for raising the American flag, proud and high, even in this day and age.

brower8 It would make more sense to make a mini-series out of Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here", a story of a (mercifully it never happened) fascist takeover of America through political opportunism.Amerika was accurate about how communists operate -- but Doctor Zhivago did far better in much less time and with infinitely better acting and script. The display of what communism is like (as disclosures of eastern Europe showed only a few years later). Otherwise, every character is a cardboard stereotype. Special effects are cheesy. Cheap sentimentality overwhelms one. Warning -- possible spoiler!The ending shows a revolution beginning in the very small Midwest town in which the story is set -- and without a coherent conclusion. After ten hours or so of slow development, one would expect a bang! It's just not there. Revolutions begin in big cities -- not in small towns.It was dated before it was shown, and I have never known of it to be shown anywhere since. Two stars of ten at the most -- I save the one star rating for movies that offend or fail catastrophically at their purpose.

Daniel L. Miley I was browsing thru the screen credits for Laura Flynn Boyle and noticed she had a bit part in this mess. And then I read a comment that this mini-series was "great" and that the user couldn't understand why this was never shown again. Maybe because this series was vapid, vacuous, boring and incoherent! Who told Kris Kristoffersen he could act?! He does his best to obfuscate an already muddled plot with his usual mumbling double talk. Somehow Kris has done something (or failed to do something) that allows the Russians to take over. No real explanation is ever given. If the Russians were forced to watch this mess, they would turn tail and run! The only good part of this show is the execution of Congress! (Of course, a funnier execution is the Martian one in "Mars Attacks!") . Avoid this show at all costs!