Sunday, March 25, 2007

LIFE ON MARS (2006)

[asin: B000E9X0A4]
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Yeah, definitely. It's a bit on the predictable side and I think British cop shows like this one have a tough time being "tough" since UK cops can't carry guns 99 percent of the time. Still, great acting, reasonable writing and good classic rock music kept me watching the entire first series (or season as we know them in the US).
Technically any good? While there is an over all story arc, not every episode feeds directly into it. This is a good because it shakes things up, but it means every episode needs to be really strong to keep people coming back--not every episode was as strong as I think it should have been. I didn't lose interest because the basic premise was still interesting. However, the writing does feel a bit stretched by the final episode. Luckily, everything resolves...almost. The acting, as I said, is spot-on (or "very good" as we know it in the US) and the production/direction is so solid I have nothing to say about it. It really does look like 1973 in the show, by the way.
How did it leave me feeling? The final episode of the six episode series left me feeling almost satisfied. I felt that the main plot had set up the conceit that when Sam (the lead) works out his neurosis with his dad, he'd return to the present day from 1973 and the series would end. Instead, things resolve nicely, but he doesn't wake up from his coma in 2006. Instead, there's a second series.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now: of course, it's only available on region 2 DVD in the UK, but you can go out and buy yourself a region free player (mine is a Philips 5960), order the DVD from Amazon.co.uk OR you could send a bunch of emails to BBCAmerica.com demanding they rerun the first series. Why am I so gung-ho despite my not quite stellar review of the first series? I just saw the first episode of the second series and they managed to make things ten times more interesting than the first. Seriously, folks--check this show out.

Orignal From: LIFE ON MARS (2006)

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