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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Comedy > Detective > Time Travel > Life On Mars – The Complete Series (2008/U.S. Remake/ABC DVD)

Life On Mars – The Complete Series (2008/U.S. Remake/ABC DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Episodes: C

 

 

In an example of a U.S. remake of a U.K. hit not working, ABC/Disney decided to try and turn the big British hit Life On Mars into a hit of their own and their version ended after only 17 episodes when it could have run long than the U.K. version.  Why?  For starters, here is our coverage of the first season of the original hit:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8816/Life+On+Mars+%E2%80%93+Series

 

 

The U.S. version has Jason O’Mara as Sam Tyler, the detective who lands up back in 1973 after being struck by a car.  Turns out ABC produced a TV movie remake first with O’Mara, a different cast and director, but were not happy with that one.  It does not appear on this set either.  I am not happy with this one, especially when there were opportunities to make this work in ways the original U.K. show did not.

 

Despite getting a cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Gretchen Mol, Lisa Bonet and Michael Imperioli, the show is a mess.  When they begin, they rush everything in the worst possible way.  Then they botch the transition by not allowing it to unwind smoothly or in a realistic way, even though they were able to license the David Bowie remake of the Marillion hit.  The first confrontation with the police chief of the past (Keitel) rings bad and brief, then the show moves on including an early, cheap shot reference to The World Trade Center Towers that epitomizes how frivolous the production is overall.

 

The shows then are often remakes of the British shows and are so slap dash about it that you wonder why anyone bothered to remake this in the first place.  Wonder what the network would have done if this were a hit?  Either way, we strongly recommend you see the U.K. original before even considering this retread, which is dumbed down, throws science out the window and is barely about any mystery or suspense.  At least the original knows how to send up police procedurals.  This version does not know what that is!

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is soft throughout, foiling some good looking shots here and there.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is very dull throughout with a narrow soundfield and limited sonics.  The combination is disappointing and not as good as the U.K. version on DVD.  Extras include deleted scenes, audio commentaries, bloopers, two making of featurettes and an interesting piece Flashback: Lee Majors Goes To Mars that is as good as anything here.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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