DVD Review: ‘Life on Mars: Series 2’ One of the Best of the Decade

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CHICAGO – The concluding eight episodes of the great “Life on Mars” have now been collected by Acorn Media, making a two-box set (“Series 1” was released earlier this year) that is a must-own for fans of British television. Perhaps the biggest failing of the recent ABC remake of the show is that it may have sullied the reputation of the original. Even though I believe it was better than given credit, forget the remake and don’t let its rating failure dissuade you from seeing where it all began.

HollywoodChicago.com DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0
DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0

“Life on Mars” aired on BBC in 2006 and 2007, winning two International Emmys for best drama series and a BAFTA. The show already produced a spin-off (the great “Ashes to Ashes”) and a remake. Innovative, action-packed, continuously clever, and incredibly well-acted, “Life on Mars” plays like a feature film stretched out over sixteen episodes.


Life on Mars: Series 2 was released on DVD on November 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: Acorn Media

John Simm plays Sam Tyler, a modern detective knocked unconscious by a hit-and-run driver who wakes up in 1973. Is he in a dream state? A place between heaven and hell? Or has he actually traveled through time? Paired with a brutal boss (the great Philip Glenister) and attracted to a policewoman (Liz White), Sam has to figure out how to get home again while dealing with the difference between police work in the '00s and the '70s.

"Life on Mars" is easily one of the best dramas of the '00s with raves around the world. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "One of the best TV series ever made." The Los Angeles Times praised it as "Exceptionally well made from top to bottom". Even Stephen King himself called it "One of the greatest limited run television series I've ever seen". Don't miss "Life on Mars".

The four-disc set for "Life on Mars" includes a 45-minute documentary called "The Return of Life on Mars," bonus behind-the-scenes footage for episodes 3, 5, and 7, and tour of the set, and the 28-minute featurette called "The End of Life on Mars".

‘Life on Mars: Season 2’ is released by Acorn Media and stars John Simm, Philip Glenister, and Liz White. The show was created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, and Ashley Pharaoh. The show was released on DVD on November 24th, 2009. It is not rated. It runs 468 minutes.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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