Nonureva Really Surprised!

Holstra Boring, long, and too preachy.

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

kikkapi20 It's become a running gag now in England that American remakes always flop. The Red Dwarf US pilot is hated by American fans, and the overseas version of Fawlty Towers wasn't to include Basil, the main character. Thank God the BBC haven't allowed there to be a US Doctor Who. Anyway, along comes Life on Mars, one of the biggest success stories for the BBC in years. And as with everything successful in Blighty, America came a'calling. Was this similar to the weak remakes of old? Sadly, yes, it was. The biggest insult to the original thought comes in the form of its ending. And without spoiling it, Life on Mars' US ending is possibly one of the least original and cheesiest endings a US remake ever had. Which adds to the cheek of the writers asking permission to change the ending, due to the original not being "creative enough". My one piece of advice to viewers is to avoid this remake with a 1 mile pole, and to purchase the UK original. It's on both DVD and iTunes around the world now, and was successful enough to gain a second run in the form of Ashes to Ashes, totaling 5 series compared to America's one series. America's version of Life on Mars really was a "God awful small affair"... cheesy ending I know, but fitting for the show itself.

Adam Brown If you think of a very successful British show like Life on Mars, it was only a matter of time before some network in America adapts it for American audience. My initial impressions before seeing this show was it was going to be no where near a good as the original British version. While I have to say that this show is not as good as the UK version,it is however a very enjoyable and entertaining show.The show does do a very good job at recreating 1970s New York with many cultural references which occurred around the time, such as the anti war protests and the Irish gangs. In addition, the acting from everyone is very good, especially from Jason O' Mara and Michael Imperiolli (who plays a drastically depiction of Ray Carling, as opposed to Dean Andrews portrayal in the original series). The story lines are also inventive in how the writers have taking story lines and plot elements from the UK version and added their own twists and ideas to the series, which helps give the show its own identity.Despite this, the show does have some flaws. Like I have previously mentioned, the show is not as good as the original. Another one of these flaws is Harvey Keitel as Gene Hunt. While Keitel is a good actor and his acting credit is seen here, I felt he was miscast as Gene. While he does display the same brutish attitude, he is unable to deliver the same tongue and cheek humour that the original character (played by Phil Glenister)had. Furthermore, the ending to the series is very poor and one of the main reasons why this remake is inferior to the original.Overall, Life on Mars USA is an enjoyable, if not flawed remake. If you look at it as a show on its own, it is pretty descent, however if you compare it to the original UK version, it is simply not as good. Anyone that is a fan of the original series should definitely give this a look, and even if you haven't seen the original, its still worth watching

dolphingirl-ellen I am a A2 media student and for my coursework I am looking at the cross cultural difference between Britain and America through Life on Mars both the UK and the US versions. I have only watched the first episode of both versions but I was completely blown away by the UK one, it is smart and funny and keeps it audiences at the edge of their seats. It doesn't treat us like idiots it lets us form our own opinions about what is going in regards to who the killer is and then adds a huge twists, one even the characters didn't see coming. The casting in this is great and their is a fantastic relationship between Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt in it as well. The US version however is a complete let down. It is in my opinion a very poor imitation of the UK one. The script is virtually the same expect they have added an identical twin and several chases, one involving guns. I guess a guy using a baton stick to take down a suspect isn't exciting enough or dangerous enough for American audiences. Then you have the characters they do not in any way live up to the originals, the relationship between Hunt and Tyler is non existent in fact the guy playing Hunt isn't any good at all, he lacks something that made the British Gene Hunt a perfect character. all in all I think that the Americans should stop remaking British shows and just leave them how they are. The originals are brilliant and should not be messed with. No one Life on Mars US flopped!

chunkylover_34 I always get addicted to shows that get canceled. Normally I never rent or buy television series on DVD unless they truly interest me. The shows I have rented and/or bought on DVD have consisted of the following; Family Guy, Burn Notice, Black Donnleys, Brotherhood, and Life on Mars, it is a pretty bad track record. The only problem with the show is the series finally seemed a bit slapped together, otherwise I thought the show was brilliant. It had all the elements that I love in shows (police procedural, 70's style action, science fiction and yes a bit of romance) however, the show was hybrid enough that it worked well together. What is really gonna kill me is if I don't see the British version of the show.