Life On Mars – Series Two (2007/British U.K. Version/Acorn Media DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: C+ Episodes: B-
Life On Mars was a hit show for a good reason
in its original U.K.
version. It may have started out a
little roughly, but Series Two
turned out to be even better than the first and Acorn Media has released the
concluding series on DVD not long after the first and after ABC/Disney issued
their weak U.S. remake on DVD. You can
read about both at these links:
U.K. Series One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8816/Life+On+Mars+%E2%80%93+Series
U.S. Complete Series
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9057/Life+On+Mars+%E2%80%93+The+Co
In the
case of the U.K. Series, it actually gets better as it goes along, especially
here where the energy and character development are on a slow upswing like good
television used to be a long time ago.
This set has the final eight hour-long episodes and instead of
flatlining, the show picks up nicely.
This goes all the way to the last show and the way they end the series
is classic. The cast, including John
Simm, Philip Glenister and Liz White are even better this time out and we
recommend you start with the first set, have some patience, then get to this
one to enjoy the show the most. It is
worth the effort.
For those
unfamiliar with the set-up, Sam Tyler (Simm) is a great forensic detective who
is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. Is
he sick? Is it a time warp? Whatever it is, see the U.K. version.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is still styled down a bit and is
similar to the first set, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo mixes are
better than the last set, making this more involving. Extras include behind-the-scenes footage of
episodes 3, 5, 7 and a tour of the set (48 minutes), The Return Of Life On Mars documentary (45 minutes) and The End Of Life On Mars (28 minutes)
which should only be seen after finishing the entire series.
- Nicholas Sheffo
