Life on Mars: Series 1

This is a review of the first US episode

I just watched the first episode of the US version on ABC - pretty darn good! It's not "loosely based on" the British, but a close translation with many of the very same script lines. Really about as close as you could get, and quite convincing. Gretchen Mol as Annie is not as cute as Liz White, but this is the US, they had to get a blonde...

I think they did a good job, taking advantage of some extra possibilities offered by Manhattan: one thing that really hits Sam Tyler hard in the first minutes after his transition is when he looks up and sees the Twin Towers in all their glory! But to me the original has still got a little extra something. I think it may be Sam himself...British Sam, John Simm, was a little less clean-cut, a little more simpatico. October 10, 2008

DVD IN America Yet?

Want to buy the DVD, but from what I can tell it hasn't been released in America yet. Am I wrong about this? If not, do we know WHEN the DVD is set for American release? October 3, 2008

Brilliant!

This show is fantastic! It has action, suspense, fascinating characters and the puzzle of figuring out why Sam is suddenly back in 1973. The ending just blew me away. They sure as hell will NOT do anything so daring with the US version, and I cringe at just thought of what how the networks will mangle this.

WHY OH WHY ISN'T THIS AVAILABLE IN REGION 1??!?!?!

I will buy a copy for all my friends when they do. August 28, 2008

Best 'Cop Show with a Twist' I've Seen

Life on Mars is a cop show set in 1973 with a big twist - the lead character, Sam Tyler, is from 2006. He is everything a modern cop should be - professional, methodical, meticulous, and politically correct. When his girlfriend (a fellow police officer) urges him to follow a hunch, he scoffs.

Then, in a speeding turn of events, his girlfriend is kidnapped and he is hit by a car. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a time so removed from his own, he might as well be on Mars. The embodiment of this world of prehistoric policing is his new boss, DCI Gene Hunt.

The fascinating chemistry between Tyler and Hunt is what makes the show. Although the show initially condemns Hunt's brute force technique, Hunt is never painted as a villain. Instead, he and Tyler work out a balance, and make an excellent team as they start solving crimes using Hunt's instinct and Tyler's careful evidence-gathering.

Another gem of the show is Annie Cartwright, a long-suffering but good-natured Women's Division police constable. She provides Tyler with a sympathetic ear and level headed advice, and their easy flirting is fun to watch and never feels forced.

The first episode is perhaps a little too packed, as it sets the premise, introduces Tyler to his new world, and has him work a case that may be connected to his girlfriend's kidnapping 33 years in the future. The second episode eases the pace, though, and the show falls into it's satisfying groove.

Every episode has has laugh-out-loud moments and great one-liners, moments of suspense as the characters tackle a case, and moments of creepy surrealism as Sam wonders what reality really is. Every episode also features some rollicking good music! I can't recommend this series highly enough. July 3, 2008

Life on Mars - Simply Out of this World!!

Life on Mars: Series 1 [Region 2]
I cant rate this series highly enough. The premise is that a cop in the here and now is injured in an accident and wakes up in 1973! Bizzare enough I hear you cry, but it only gets weirder and weirder. I have to say that my view might be biased,(ok, the series was filmed local to where I live and have grown up, and yes ok, there are some scenes in the 2nd series that were filmed at my local car showroom) but it does make compelling viewing, if only for you to try and work out what on earth is going on. It is cleverly filmed, mainly out on location. A lot of our technology has been cleverly disguised for the filming! (see if you can spot any sattelite dishes on the houses!) All in all it is a human story of lives and how they can be changed in the blink of an eye.
If you only ever watched one UK show, make it LIFE ON MARS!!! January 4, 2008

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