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United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN, SPECIAL FEATURES: 2-DVD Set, Behind the scenes, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Documentary, Featurette, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: 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. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Emmy Awards, ...Life on Mars - Complete Series 1 - 2-Blu-Ray DVD Set ( Life on Mars - Complete Series One ) (Blu-Ray)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Imperfect, but a definite improvement over the DVD,
By
This review is from: Life on Mars - BBC Series 1 (New Packaging) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Life on Mars is arguably one of the better TV shows of the last 10 years, and so I feel no need to pick apart the series itself. Instead, this review will focus on the differences in video and audio quality between this Blu Ray release and the DVD. Life On Mars is presented with a 1080/24p AVC encode and 5.1 Dolby TruHD sound.
As noted by another reviewer the frame rate has been slowed down from 25fps to 24 - this is the format used on many Blu Ray movies as it is said to give motion a more film-like quality which Kudos are trying to replicate here. Having previously seen the show on DVD I could not notice any change in audio pitch or speed of movement caused by the slowdown, although each episode is a couple of minutes longer as a result. In terms of video quality this release is everything I expected. Life on Mars was shot on 16mm film and was intended to have a very retro-70s look, so while there is a definite layer of grain (and the occasional scratch-mark/blemish) present, along with a slight softness in long and motion shots, these are all intentional. Close-up detail and colour reproduction show a definite improvement over the standard definition DVD. However, the biggest improvement comes with the sound, as the TruHD track is deeper and more well defined than anything previously released, especially when it comes to the fantastic early 70s soundtrack. Ultimately, if you're expecting the Blu Ray of Life on Mars to be a pristine, pixel-perfect presentation then you're going to be disappointed. But if you want to see the series at its best and as the production team intended then look no further.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Blu Ray disc, ignore the moaners,
By lottigee (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Life on Mars - BBC Series 1 (New Packaging) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
I class myself as a fan of Blu Ray, I can tell between a good and bad HD transfer and am often annoyed with releases that promise much and deliver less than I expect.
I swithered for a while about buying this disc as so many were not happy, too much grain, bad copy etc. I am pleased to say that none of this applies on the disc I had. Maybe it has been addressed at distributor level and this is a better transfer, or the most likely that anyone expecting perfect is setting themselves up for disapointment. I would say for me, the picture is as good if not better than TV broadcasts and I would reccommend to anyone who doesn't already have the DVD. It's a 1970s show, the picture reflects what the producers want to show, just enjoy it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant series, very poor quality blu-ray.,
This review is from: Life on Mars - BBC Series 1 (New Packaging) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Allegedly shot on 16mm film stock, transferring this to blu-ray should have been a straightforward process of scanning the original negatives. Sadly, the BBC has opted to use the PAL 576i broadcast as source material, and overlay a degree of film grain effect to try and make up the difference. The result is a very mild improvement on the DVD, but too many video artefacts are all too evident. The frame rate conversion leads to some very jittery looking pan shots, there are intrusively visible scan lines whenever there is high contrast, and there is certainly no more visual detail to be gleaned from upping the resolution. The sound does benefit from the process, but this is only half of the equation when producing an HD product. A brilliant series, but a very poor blu-ray release. For those looking to upgrade from their existing DVD of the series, I'd advise to give this version a miss.
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