Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-05-15
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 472 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
How would the modern face of policing cope in the land of The Sweeney? That’s the question posed by Life on Mars, as DI Sam Tyler (John Simm) a modern cop transported back to 1973 after a nasty car accident. There, he finds himself dealing with the significantly rougher attitudes and behaviours of "old-school" British policing, as exemplified by his new boss, DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). It’s a fish-out-of-water story, as Tyler attempts to teach his new colleagues some very modern methods, while attempting to get used to sheepskin jackets, wide lapels and man-made fibres.

This first series of the hugely successful BBC programme sets the scene and introduces the characters that make up Tyler’s new world, but stumbles a bit by trying too hard to explain exactly how he got there (the "coma" subplot just gets in the way). Life on Mars is at its best when Glenister is on screen--he’s bigoted, chauvinistic and aggressive, and goes through each episode alternately bellowing or scowling. But he’s a product of his times, and in his heart, all he wants is to catch the bad guys. For Tyler, it’s all about the means, while for Hunt it’s all about the ends. They may not like each other much, but their on-screen chemistry is undeniable, and just one of the things that make this excellent series so watchable. --Ted Kord

DVD Description
Life On Mars is the smash-hit cop show starring John Simm as a detective who is involved in a car accident and wakes to find himself transported back to 1973 – a world dominated by Ford Cortina’s, sheep-skin jackets and very hard coppers.

Synopsis
LIFE ON MARS is a throwback to the crime-fighting style of the 1970s, drawing its inspiration from such TV series as THE SWEENEY and THE PROFESSIONALS. As was characteristic of classic 60s fantasy, the creators have taken some risks with the show’s politically incorrect references, daring to be slightly subversive. While its creators are quick to brush off comparisons to fellow time-travelling TV series QUANTUM LEAP, there are obvious thematic similarities, however unconscious. John Simm (HUMAN TRAFFIC) ably stars as Sam Tyler, the fish-out-of-water detective who must piece together the mysteries of his own predicament, while solving the crime du jour. The show takes its title from David Bowie’s haunting theme song.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant!!!
I love Life on Mars, John Simm is fantastic in it. A DVD you just have to own.

Great cars and music too...

One word - Incredible!
Well, the BBC did it with the updated Dr. Who and now they've gone and done it again. This is a terrific show and a wonderful update on the old 'cops on the box' action drama.
The basic premise is intriguing - is the hero in a coma, back in time, crazy - but it's the 1970s feel that gives it the biggest kick, and that's especially down to the big shoes filled by Gene Hunt. What a wonderful creation. A man so desperately wrong, in so many ways, yet a man who's basic instincts are often so right -- to get the scum off the streets at any cost. (Hunt - a nice play on words, too!)
This is an intelligently scripted show, that leaves you guessing as to what really is going on with regards to Sam Tyler, the hero, and the 2000s vs 1970s comparisons are often cringingly, but humorously, spot on. It's one of those shows you hope will never end.
Hunt and Tyler are the main characters, both wonderfully fleshed out. The supporting roles are adequately filled, but nothing special, but then they don't have to be as the show stands up so strongly on the interplay of the two main characters alone. Of course, there are the nods to 70s classics like The Sweeney, right down to the colour of car they drive and even some of the camera angles at particular moments (though that could be pure fluke).

A hugely entertaining series.

must have
I could go on about how good it is , explaining every detail of the show and its characters but i wont .... this is a must have , simple as !