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Ashes to Ashes: Complete BBC Series 1 [2008]

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Actors: Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster, Montserrat Lombard
Studio: Contender Entertainment Group
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~£39.99~~
Buy New: £24.97
You Save: £15.02 (38%)

New (13) Used (1) from £22.00

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

38 reviews
Sales Rank: 162

Format: Closed-captioned, Pal, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Language: English (Unknown)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 4
Running Time: 480 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1

EAN: 5030305620561
ASIN: B001265O6G

Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: May 5, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours

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•	Life on Mars
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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
A triumphant return for DCI Gene Hunt, Ashes To Ashes takes some of the characters from the superb time-shifting police drama Life On Mars, and moves the action to the early 1980s. So it's out with the Cortina, in with the Audi Quattro, and straight down to some terrific television.

Joining DCI Hunt -- again played with terrific force and stature by Philip Glenister -- is Keeley Hawes, as DCI Alex Drake. Like John Simm's character in Life On Mars, DCI Drake suddenly finds herself in 1981, with no clear reason why.

This provides the platform for another terrific show, the first series of which is fully present and correct here. Ashes To Ashes is tonally a little different from Life On Mars, but maintains the wonderful attention to period detail (and a healthy 80s soundtrack to match), and the willingness to mix in some fun alongside the serious business of police work.

Ashes To Ashes is some achievement. It grounds out an identify for itself, stepping out of the shadow of Mars. And the rapport between Hawes and Glenister is a real highlight. But there's so much to enjoy here, backed up by the promise of another series in the offing. For now, though, there's plenty to get your teeth into here, thanks to a quality, very British drama that's simply compelling television. --Jon Foster

Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Grows on you July 16, 2008
Holly Ford
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

When I first saw the first episode of Ashes, I thought 'this is like a take-off of Life On Mars. I hated Alex with a passion, and thought they'd completly ruined the legacy of Mars.
However, throughout the series it did grow on me, and when I bought the DVD, I quickly started to love it. Alex went from annoying and snobbish in my mind, to funny and engaging, and I geuinly love her, now.
The addition of Shaz to the team makes everything that little bit better - she's a real gem. Now, watching old episodes of Life On Mars, I can honestly say that in a lot of ways I actually prefer Ashes to Mars. Everything in Mars just looks so dark and dingey in comparism.
Give this series a chance, I garentee it'll grow on you.

5 out of 5 stars

Addictive and sexy July 13, 2008
Heavy Soul (Berlin)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Life on mars was fantastic already. I did not get hooked by the first Ashes to Ashes episode but kept watching and got to really love it. Maybe it is because I can relate more to the 80s than the 70s, everytime music starts in ashes to ashes I was going like Uuh I remember that, the same with the fashion and details. The series is perfectly produced and the actors are great. I like how Chris and Ray have developed. And, quite frankly, Gene Hunt becomes one of the most sexiest characters on TV ..... Fire up the Quattro..... Now Bollinger Knickers you can either punch me or kiss me ..... Gene Hunt Chapter 1, Verse 2 .... - just a few of the utterly un-PC scruffy quotes by Gene Hunt. Of course, the female lead, Keeley Hawes, is great too and carries her part tremendously. Ashes to Ashes is very recommendable, either if you know Life on Mars or you dont, Ashes to Ashes stands for itself as well as it does as a follow up.

3 out of 5 stars

Should probably never been made.... July 5, 2008
Cazanya (Sweden)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

I loved Life on Mars! Its one of the best tv programmes of recent years.
And Im not sure making a spin-off from it was the best way to go.
I liked that the end of LOM left you in a bit of confusment,what was a dream? What wasn't? However when you see this, what really was a dream is pretty clear (unless series 2 suprise the hell out of me)and I didnt want to know what!

Ashes to Ashes isnt bad. I still love to watch DI Hunt (Philip Glenister is a brilliant actor) and some stories were great but I have trouble with Alex.....Keeley Hawes is good but I cant decide how I feel about her character. She's a bit annoying and not in a funny way. It's what make this show hard to review....I loved Sam and I loved watching him and the other characters was a huge plus but in this they're still great but the main character...well lets just say I didnt feel anything for her. For all I care she can stay where's shes at......

Im giving it 3 stars cus I still can't get enough of Hunt and as said some of the stories are good BUT I do hope they'll take series 2 in another direction and maybe give Alex a personality make-over.....

2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing sequel to the sequel June 23, 2008
David Moss (St George, UT USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

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 and Chris out of their native Manchester. They look totally out of place in ( a poorly reconstructed) 1980's London.

In Life on Mars, the contrast between Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt is essentially about how they approach police work and their backgrounds appear generally similiar (working class Manchester). For reasons best known to the writers themselves, the contrast between Gene Hunt and 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 face in the rear view mirror of the car for the upteenth time (real excessive repetition here), it was obvious who the clown was, and that coupled with the discovery of Alex's mother's affair earlier in 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 as in 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...

2 out of 5 stars

A dissapointment. June 22, 2008
Neutral observer
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

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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