Life on Mars USA…

I almost watched it but ended up skipping it. My plan was to watch it and post my thoughts for anyone who hasn’t seen it…but since I STILL haven’t seen the original UK version, I wouldn’t be the most reliable critic.

> but since I STILL haven?t seen the original UK version, I wouldn?t be the most reliable critic.

I would say that in the context of this thread, your virgin opinions would be very valuable.

>* The setting of New York is bestest, as you?ll realise when you see what they?ve replaced ?The Highway In the Sky? shot with?

WTC?

The WTC thing is a bit crap IMO. You can just imagine the dumb audience thinking ‘ohhhh…oh my god this is pre-nine eleven!! NOW I understand what’s going on!’

They’ve hammered home a few of the anachronistic jokes a bit more in this one – overplayed like a Series VIII gag. “Diet Coke, eh? That’d be something!”

?You want a Pepsi, kid, you?re gonna pay for it!?

It took me years for me get that joke…

i saw the LA-based pilot, and it wasn’t great, tbh. nowhere near as good as the UK version.

i’ll check out the NY one though to give it a chance.

> nowhere near as good as the UK version.

The bigger problem with the LA-pilot was that it was fundamentally shit before you even started comparing it to the UK version. The proper show is also going to suffer in comparison because when you see a remake of something you love you’ve got to get past the barrier of it not being the ‘proper’ version. Once LoMUS gets past the UK based episodes that’s when the show will properly have the chance to shine but before then it’s going to have to cope with being second best with anyone who’s seen the original, however good it is.

The problem is, they’re clearly planting elements of the series 1 story arc, so we might have to wait a while before they go off on their own tangent.

Meh.

Pretty unenthusiastic about this. It was slightly better than The Office US Pilot though and that begat a great remake, so maybe there’s still hope.

Found Harvey Kietel surprisingly underwhelming (may have to download the LA version and compare to Colm Meaney).

Damn if only someone with an ‘L’ was online.

Watched the first ten minutes or so. WEIRD. It was completely shot-for-shot – in fact, I’m not *entirely* convinced that it wasn’t actually John Simm’s face in the bit where he sees himself reflected in the car mirror! The only difference was that it didn’t dither about the opening bit – where the original pissed about in the present day for half an hour, this one had it over and done with in a few minutes. But other than that… hmmm, well, I don’t see the point of shot-for-shotting it so entirely. It’s the same reason the Office pilot didn’t work – why watch Americans repeating the same dialogue when you can just watch the original? Also, it’s already clear that the series will follow the same pattern, thanks to the “red dress” flashes. And, well… where’s the point in that? We all KNOW the answer to the mystery. Unless they’re going to change it, in which case I’ll retract that.

(it’s also harder to watch him going “back” when you know already that it’s just a dream after all. In fact, it felt like the US version made that more obvious, by flashing back and forth for a while as if he was slipping out of consciousness. I seem to recall the original was a lot quicker – and thus more ambiguous – about it)

The WTC bit was nicely played, I’ll give you that. Maybe if I hadn’t read Ex Machina, the idea of using it to emphasise a different world might have surprised me more.

Anyway, I’ll watch the rest of ep one when I get the chance. Who knows, it might veer off a bit more. And I am intrigued to see how Keitel plays it, since he seems on the surface to be so different to the Gene Hunt we know and love.

(and there’s my other gripe – as I’ve said many times before, why keep the same character names? Ashes to Ashes has already established the idea of other characters having similar experiences to Sam. Why not have this be a parallel version, happening to a totally different guy somewhere else in the world? Turn it into a franchise!)

The only difference was that it didn?t dither about the opening bit – where the original pissed about in the present day for half an hour, this one had it over and done with in a few minutes.

I quite liked them staying in the present for a while in the British version. Helps really establish the character’s origins and the fact he has something to lose.

Still, 10 minutes is still probably enough time to do that too.

it?s also harder to watch him going ?back? when you know already that it?s just a dream after all.

I was never a 100% convinced of that in the original either. Sure it can be interpreted that way, but I always felt it was somewhat ambiguous. It’s fair enough that the American version will be going in a different route though. (Not that I really like the idea of remakes by another English speaking country but it’s pretty much the done thing in the States.)

(and there?s my other gripe – as I?ve said many times before, why keep the same character names? Ashes to Ashes has already established the idea of other characters having similar experiences to Sam. Why not have this be a parallel version, happening to a totally different guy somewhere else in the world? Turn it into a franchise!)

I think that is an excellent idea! That way it’s not a remake at all, just more of the same phenomena happening elsewhere, allowing the British continuity to stand, but hooking in Americans with their own cultural iconography too. It would promote creativity too, cos they’d be forced to create a new plot right from the very start.

I won’t spoiler it for anyone who’s coming to it fresh, but… that ending. Bloody hell.

It’s the first one.