V Wars: Season 1 – Netflix Review

V WARS is a new Netflix vampire series. The series operates with the horror, sci-fi and drama genres, so expect all kinds of crazy stuff. Including some weird CGI and different looking vampires. Read our Season 1 V Wars review and watch the vampire series on Netflix now!

V Wars is a new Netflix vampire series starring Ian Somerhalder from The Vampire Diaries series. In other words, this new Netflix series should have a built-in fanbase from the very beginning. However, fans of The Vampire Diaries should expect quite a different kind of vampire series from Netflix.

This new series is dark and sinister in some ways but also extremely soapy! The plot itself isn’t unlike that of The Strain or The Passage in terms of vampires and humans both existing and wanting to be in charge. Okay, there’s more to it than that but it’s the main gist.

Also, this new Netflix vampire series is based on comics whereas the other two vampire series, I just mentioned, are based on novels. Continue reading our V Wars review of season 1 below.

The new Netflix vampire series cast

Obviously, Ian Somerhalder is the star of this new Netflix vampire series. He is featured heavily in all the PR and promotion for V Wars and it makes perfect sense due to his fame from starring in The Vampire Diaries. Of course, he was also on shows like Lost and Smallville but that’s not very relevant for this new series where he stars as Dr. Luther Swann. 

Other key cast members of V Wars include Adrian Holmes as Michael Fayne. Adrian Holmes has quite an impressive resume already with roles in movies like Skyskraper (2018) and Elysium (2013). He was also on the TV series Arrow and the Christmas horror anthology A Christmas Horror Story from 2015. 

Another one is the young Kyle Breitkopf who plays Dez. You may recognize him from the Netflix horror movie The Silence (read our review of The Silence here). Peter Outerbridge is yet another familiar face who you should recognize from Saw VI (2009), Shut In (2016), or The Umbrella Academy series.

Also, we have Kimberly-Sue Murray and Jacky Lai who have both been on several episodes of Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments TV series.

Finally, I really should mention Laura Vandervoort though she won’t be in the first couple of episodes of V Wars. You should know Laura Vandervoort from Jigsaw, the TV series Bitten and the new horror sci-fi movie Rabid (2019).

A very soapy vampire series

I wanted to like V Wars but I really didn’t. The style is way too soapy for my liking. This can work just fine if you go the campy route of a vampire series like True Blood. Unfortunately, V Wars seems to take itself desperately serious.

Also, Ian Somerhalder did not work for me as the bleeding heart doctor, who just wants to save the people turning into vampires. His whole “they just have a disease”-spiel gets increasingly tired. Especially when he’s seen quite a lot of murder and blood upfront. Dr. Luther Swann (Ian Somerhalder) comes across as both pretentious and extremely naive. About everything!

And don’t even get me started on the look of the actual vampires. I mean, WTF?! When we first see a person turning (don’t worry, it happens in episode one), I thought the guy was turning into a werewolf. His face becomes all-teeth and looks like he’s about to turn into a canine animal of some sort. It did not work for me at all. 

More importantly, it seems like the way these vampires drink blood is very sloppy and not too practical. This is not what I’d expect from creatures who supposedly live off of drinking blood.

Watch Season 1 of V Wars on Netflix now!

V Wars is out on Netflix with season 1 now and it almost feels like a little horror treat for fans of vampire stories. In the midst of all the cutesy Christmas movies, we get something that is decidedly not related to the holidays. Something I expect many will embrace.

The V Wars series is an adaptation of the comics by Jonathan Maberry and Alan Robinson. If you’ve watched the trailer then you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Did the trailer look good to you? Go for it! Otherwise, you shouldn’t really expect to love this new Netflix series. 

Basically, I’d say that if you like your vampire series with a big helping of soap drama, then do check this one out. If you prefer dark and brutal stories with deeper meaning, then you can go ahead and skip it. Especially since it’s also full of weird plot elements and story development that makes no logical sense whatsoever. And again, the vampires look ridiculous!

All ten episodes of V Wars Season 1 is out on Netflix globally from December 5, 2019.

Details

Creators: William Laurin and Glenn Davis
Directors: Brad Turner, TJ Scott, Kaare Andrews, Marita Grabiak, Bobby Roth, and Ian Somerhalder
Stars: Ian Somerhalder, Adrian Holmes, Peter Outerbridge, Laura Vandervoort, Jacky Lai, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Kyle Breitkopf

Plot

A fast-spreading disease that turns victims into blood-sucking fiends pits two best friends against each other in a fight for humanity’s future.