Life on Mars

Overall it's a good series and I really hope it end well but its quite disappointing. The acting for the main character was amazingly done. And I really hope that season 2 will come but maybe it will not happen.

Great acting, great cinematography and really great and unique storyline. Usually with these kinds of storylines you get so many plot holes but in this drama everything matches and has a logic behind it. Honestly I am baffled why the number of reviews (and I'm guessing overall viewers) are so low compared to other dramas. It could be due to the fact that there is no bold romantic relationship involved, although it exists. Overall, first 3 episodes couldn't get me hooked but starting ep 4 it was addictive and I think this is going to be one of the most memorable drama endings I have ever watched. No forced sad/happy ending or trying to just wrap things up. It was really satisfying to me.

I watched the original BBC show, which is great. But this one has more stories and I think depth. The actors are great, the South Korean 80s fantastically recreated, music, direction... I could say that I like more this one than the original and the original is very good! (even though I gave to both 9 stars).

Life on Mars has a solid story, however it doesn't really deliver in the end, though the serial killer story was intense at the begining. The small cases that took place and created the puzzle of the main story, the relationship between the members of the police team and the performances, were the highlights of the series. Especially the cases were really interesting and entertaining. The bromance and the dynamics of the team were so good that I'm wishing that there would be a second season, taking that epilogue in mind and the fact that they didn't really explained why he went back in time and how. But overall, it was enjoyable.

I'm not a fan of the writing style that pushes the viewers too hard to interpret and speculate. You're expected to accept whatever is presented to you. If writers were to do so, they need a better structure and understanding of world building. Take for example the British series Utopia, it does it brilliantly.

The director must really love the Dolly zoom, although it looked good but I wish there was more visual variations even at the cost of it being experimental. You are already pushing your skill ceiling in all departments so why not shoot for the moon?

Anyway, it's a solid watch and will probably appeal to everyone.