Customer Reviews

Disappointing sequel to the sequel - By: David Moss, 23 Jun 2008
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS A SPOILER TO THE PLOT OF THE STORY

Life on Mars stands out as one of the best examples of television drama for many years. This spin-off series almost comes across as a parody of it.

It's a mistake to transplant Gene, Ray & Chris out of their native Manchester. They look totally out of placein ( a poorly reconstructed) 1980's London.

In Life on Mars, the contrast between Sam Tyler & Gene Hunt is essentially about how they approach police work & their backgrounds appear generally similiar (working class Manchester). For reasons best known to the writers themselves, the contrast between Gene Hunt & this story's protagonist - Alex Drake - is clumsily exaggerated; He, the uncompromising working class Northerner, she, the plummy voiced daughter of a Barrister.

Contrary to other reviews, I found the ending fairly predictable. Having seen the scene of Alex's father's facein the rear view mirror of the car for the upteenth time (real excessive repetition here), it was obvious who the clown was, & that coupled with the discovery of Alex's mother's affair earlierin the series, left very little doubt as to the probable cause of the car explosion.

It's hard to believe that these were the same writers who had written such a tight storyline asin Life on Mars. Ashes to Ashes is lazy writing.

I would have hoped that this would mark the end of the story, but I'm afraid it's all too apparent that there will be a follow up. Ordinarily I would have looked forward to a new series. Now I'm just curious how bad it will be...

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A dissapointment. - By: Neutral observer, 22 Jun 2008
A disappointment on nearly every level.
It is such a shame that the legacy of Life On Mars has been reduced to the caricature that is Ashes to Ashes.

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SAME AGAIN!!.. - By: Mr. L. Legrove, 17 Jun 2008
..THE SEQUEL TO LIFE ON MARS, THEY ARE BACK MINUS SAM TYLER - IN PLACE A YOUNG FEMALE WHO PLAYSTHE PART AS EQUALLY AS GOOD. MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS ARE STILL IN IT AND GENE HUNT IS GOD! HONESTLY, THIS IS A MUST FOR FANS OF 80S POLICE SHOWS! BUY IT!!

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The Manc Lion Returns with a Roar - By: Mrs. Ann M. Dawson, 09 Jun 2008
After much anticipation the Manc Lion returned. The Gene Genie returned more mature & more laid back. Philip Glenister's on screen chemistry with Keeley Hawes works well, & the storylines have been excellent - & Gene's one-liners have been up to scratch from "Life on Mars". The music has been brilliant & the DVD is now well watched. I look forward to the next & final series with bated breath. Just keep up the good work, writers, actors & BBC.

Thanks for a very good spin off series.

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Well Let's be honest here... - By: Victoria Fletcher, 16 May 2008
One can say almost without a doubt that yes, Life on Mars was a better show.
But Ashes to Ashes is entertainment at quite a high. The premise isn't exactly fresh anymore, but they don't treat it like it should bein the show either. You have a main character who knows the premise themselves, which gives it a different air entirely.
Keeley Hawes takes a few episodes to get used to this, but she does even out after the first couple. And her chemistry on screen with Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt is fantastic, every bit as good as John Simm, although for entirely different reasons.
We all know how Life on Mars ended, so there seemed to be no surprise waiting for us at the end of this show. We still watched though because it was a welcome break from other shows that seemed to take themselves too seriously. It was also a welcome return of characters we grew to love. And a great soundtrack didn't hurt either (whether or not some of the songs were earlier than 1981... oh dear..). But the suprise was that after 8 episodes what we thought were foregone conclusions, weren't.

So sure it isn't as great as Life on Mars. But then that was the first & those tend to always win out don't they? But this is a bright, flashy, entertaining show, with great acting, a fine on screen chemistry between the leads, one of the best soundtracks ever for a TV show, & some of the greatest dialogue you'll hear since well... Life on Mars. If you liked Life on Mars for the gritty, hard nosed approach, you might not like this latest incarnation... but otherwise most should be pleased enough. And it likely will attract a larger audience.