is there life on mars?

[llywela]

Gah.

Had a fit of masochism and decided to watch the first episode of the US remake of Life on Mars, just to see what they'd done with it. And, um...well. The less said the better, really.

I think the biggest problem it had was that it wasn't sure what it wanted to be, a faithful copy of the original or its own story, and ended up falling down somewhere between the two. So that although it is almost scene-by-scene identical for large chunks of the episode, right down to dialogue and direction...it also over-simplifies the plot tremendously. You could argue that this is because the story has to be compressed into a much shorter airing time, 60 minutes reduced to 40...but they also veered off on rather a major, time-consuming tangent all of their own as a result of the plot changes, sacrificing characterisation for action. There was none of the polish and finesse of the original, and certainly none of the charisma. Where every single character in the original is bursting with personality and individuality right from the first moment, the characters here are almost uniformly bland. Even Gene, incredibly enough considering what an important character he is for the original - in this he made barely any impression at all!

Bland, in fact, is the best word to describe the episode - and probably the last word anyone would use to describe the original, which was so vibrant and eye-catching and had such instant impact.

Bleurgh. Well, I wanted to see what they've done with it, and now I know. They have butchered it. I think I'll just stick with the original, thanks all the same!

Comments

[siluria]

Ah, I am glad that my decision to leave The US remake alone was a good one. I really wanted it to work, but I wanted them to take the concept and not the entire chuffing script. British humour really doesn't translate that well.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Absolutely - the original is so very firmly rooted in Manchester, everything about it. They needed to just take the concept and make it their own, but this...? They just copied the bulk of it, making a few changes here and there to allow for the different location and culture. And it is poor quality copying, as well. The vibrancy of the detail in the original is completely lost. No originality, no personality. Totally lacklustre. Definitely one to miss!

I'm assuming, though, that they will have to find at least some ideas of their own at some point, depending on how long the season is supposed to run, given that the original has only eight stories in each season!

[siluria]

Maybe it might actually find it's niche if they have to write their own story lines... then again they could just rip off old Starsky and Hutch episodes instead.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Meh! Not that I expected any different from the remake. LoM is one of the most brilliant shows ever, writing, directing, acting, style all excellent. And let's face it Simm and Glenister can't be recast, they are Sam and Gene. I have no idea why someone would even consider to make a remake of it. *makes frowny face* I don't feel any desire to give this a try to be honest!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Well, I won't be watching any more! I just wanted to know, rather than just assume. I mean, they could have taken the concept and made it their own, with brilliant re-writing and casting...but no. Too much poor quality copying and not enough originality.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I can't quite being myself to look.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Sensible decision.

I mean...it wasn't bad. Just tremendously bland compared to the life and colour and vivacity of the original. It felt as if the makers somehow hadn't grasped the whole point of the original, which was the intense psychological trip, and instead were trying to turn it into a serious police drama, and the result was this weird mishmash. And the characters! Might as well have been blocks of wood most of the time.

*sigh*

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Woe!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Shall avoid with a ten foot barge pole, I think.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

You do that. The wisest choice for anyone who has seen and loved the original, I think.

I wanted to watch that first episode, though, just so I'd know. And now I do and need never watch again!

[wildcard-sej.livejournal.com]

The things you do for us! *hugs*

I haven't seen anyone else comment either way on the US version (yet), but I don't think there have been any US remakes of UK shows that have really impressed British fans so I'm not really expecting much of this one either. Besides, I'm barely finding time to keep up with the shows I'm already interested in without looking for any more right now. ;)

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Aye indeed - the things I put myself through so that no one else has to!

I've only seen one person on my flist comment on the US version, and they hadn't seen the UK version either and were just terribly confused. Having seen what the US showmakers have done with it, I'm not surprised - they totally emphasised the case and action at the expense of the characters and of the mystery and intrigue that need to infuse the show for it to have its true impact and meaning. I'm not sure they actually get the point of it at all, just saw its success and wanted to cash in. You can see where they have tried to copy all the major iconic moments...but totally rushed them, and thus completely robbed them of even half the impact of the original. There's no life, no colour, no vivacity. Just bland all the way.

I never had any intention of watching it as an ongoing thing - like you, I struggle for time and so limit my show watching - but I was curious to see just this one episode to get a feel for what they were doing with it. And now I know I definitely need never watch again!

[hercircumstance.livejournal.com]

The American Life on Mars is a downgrade on every level. They really need to shoot off into their own direction and use the pieces they have as they can instead of trying to shoe horn them into the British shoes. The new Sam is bigger than Hunt! No wonder their dynamic is off. No one thinks Hunt can intimidate Sam in that way (or anyone else). I'd like to see them take their Sam in a different direction. This one doesn't seem to be able to pull off the complicated in the head stuff well. Then do something different. If new Hunt can't be like the old Hunt (US censors won't let him even talk correctly for one thing) let him go in his own direction.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Downgrade is definitely the word. I really don't think the show makers have grasped the point of the original at all - they just shot for action and adventure at the expense of characterisation and mystery, and the result was this bland mishmash. And New York is completely the wrong setting for any kind of copy of the original story, which is so firmly rooted in Manchester of 1973 - a gritty, industrial city in economic decline. They are going to have to write a lot of their own stories to suit the location to stand any chance of making this show their own - so many of the original stories are completely un-translateable.

Man, re-makes just never work, do they?