Life on Mars

An absolutely amazing psychedelic experience blurring any palpable outlines of the reality or, in other words, a bright illustration of the ambiguity of our reality and of the choice we have to choose the type of reality we feel close to our hearts.
All the time I was watching the drama I was feeling like intoxicated, I even couldn't get rid of the goosebumps. However it was a wonderful experience: surreal but also introspective and capable of reminding some philosophical concepts one knows but often forgets.
The storyline consisted of the main intrigue (the srongest point of the drama) and some sporadic detective episodes (very traditional and probably the weakest aspect of the drama). Although many times the events reminded a traditional detective, the main story never failed to captivate.
The acting of Jung Kyung Ho and Park Sung Woong was absolutely amazing: convincing and delicate, undoubtedly, above the average in the kdramas.
Although the soundtrack didn't damage the atmosphere, considering the quality of the drama could be better. Also, in spite of the wonderful experience you have while watching the drama, the strongest point of it is the intrigue and the psychedelic efects which are the strongest the first time you feel them, so it's not the type of dramas you usually will choos to overwatch many times.
However, its a drama with a strong impact witch doesn't leave you indifferent.

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well this drama i guess was really different
it is satisfying in a weird way
you kinda get all confused in the end but you still are like it is good coz the main lead gives a big smile in the last scenes
the criminal cases are interesting they hv a good mystery but not mind blowing ones in sherlock holmes (sherlock is a whole different level)
this drama is not only about cases it also shows us how the main lead starts to warm up to those around him and he finally is able to feel happiness . the character grows a lot within the drama and it is so natural u almost don't notice the change until main leads mom and fiance points out

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LIFE ON MARS IS AMAZING THAN LIFE ON EARTH!

Sorry for the long review. But, I just had to rant on how much good this drama was.
First of all, this review is solely based on the remake, I have not watched the original version and I am not planning to watch it in future. I do know the plot similarities and differences between the shows.
Let's start with Jung Kyung Ho. I had always loved him ever since I watched Prison Playbook. He was impressive as Tae Joo. The way he kept his face straight all the time as Tae Joo was inexpressive most of the times - and the way he gets lost in thoughts and his despairs and struggles with trauma - everything was realistic. By the end of the drama, he had come a long way from being an indifferent cop to becoming a trustworthy friend. His trauma was in obstructing him from interacting with others which gets knocked down by the 1988 team.
Dong Cheol is my favorite character in this show, along with Na Yeong. I saw Park Sung Woong on a BL called Method and I have seen him in some guest roles, so I didn't have much idea how is acting was. But, this show proved that he was an incredible actor. Dong Cheol was street-smart and short-tempered, a stark contrast with Tae Joo. Still, the bromance between the two was amazing. They understood each other completely. I am impressed about the amount of swear words that came from DonG Cheol throughout the show.
I have never seen any of the shows by the rest of the main cast. Na Yeong was impressive. Unlike in most K-dramas, where female cops are mostly dumb and are bad in terms of fighting, Na Yeong shines by her intelligence, analytical thinking and insane fight moves. She is the only one to whom Tae Joo admitted his crazy time-travel story...which shows how much he trusts her. And in return, Na Yeong made him feel at home unlike others who initially were cold to him. Since this is the 80's era, women cops are rare - she is the only one who is wearing the cop outfit and she is always assigned to do tasks for the male cops instead of doing the police work. Only Tae Joo respects her and in the end, everyone treats her as a fellow co-worker than as their made. And though they hinted that they might have a relationship, I was completely fine with no romance, just like in The Psychopath Diary.
Nam Shik and Yong Ki shared a different universe altogether. They were a good as a duo and worked well as cops. Yong Ki was an asshole at the beginning but his character took a turn while we neared the climax.
Everything aside, Tae Joo had a loving family. Both the 80's era family and his present family cared for him. Tae Joo's dad might have been a jerk, but he was really a best dad to Tae Joo. No wonder his death affected Tae Joo so much.
Everyone has different theories on what happened, so here's my take: I think after coming back to 2018, he attempted suicide to be with his friends of 1988. Both the mom, ex-girlfriend and doctor wanted Tae Joo to be happy...that's why he chose the 1988 world. It might be heaven or maybe he really was in 1988, since Hyun Seok calls him. Which is kinda depressing, I laughed because Tae Joo was happy and cried because it hurt that this could be unreal.
I liked that when Tae Joo was in 1998, the narrative for the drama's intro was 'Am I going crazy? What happened?' and then when he was back in 2018, the narrative was 'Am I really back? Or is this a dream?'
One thing bothered me was Tae Joo went back to 1988 to know the truth about his dad's death, but I wished that he also could have pretended Min Seok from becoming a killer in the future. In the end, the victims of Min Seok still died.
Overall: 9/10. Minus 1 for making my head spin because of that ending.

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What would you do if you lost your heart far away from home?

Life on Mars is one of the most well-written and highly satisfying dramas I've ever watched. It was an excellent concoction of mystery, suspense, thrill, romance, bromance, friendships and life.

Han Tae Joo, a forensic detective, is a stickler for rules. His unflinching adherence to the law and cold demeanour had earned him praise among his colleagues. But, when a serial killer is set free after failing to provide relevant evidence, Tae Joo's life takes a turn. What's more? The killer, Kim Min Seok claims to have known him. While on a chase for him, Han Tae Joo is shot at and hit by a car. Waking up, he finds himself transported back to the year 1988… in a small police station and Inguk.
Having to make do with the very little technological advancement and rather crude methods of his new Captain and his colleagues, Han Tae Joo struggles to wake up from his dream… or is it all just a dream?

Han Tae Joo is one curious character. At first sight, he was as interesting as a cardboard with little to no reaction during several crucial moments. It is after he is hurled into 1988 that we get to see him alive and living his life to the fullest. His character growth and choices are the major turning points of this drama, which vaguely reminded me of Signal (2016). It is evident from the initial episodes that he is stuck in a state of coma from which he is unable to get up. Whether he would pull himself up from it or whether he'd 'die solving old cases' was an important question that hovered over the viewers mind.

Seeing the blossoming friendship between Captain Kang, Nom Shik, Young Pil, and Yoon Na Young was heartwarming. The pacing was just right enough for me to find their growth natural and realistic.

The cases were surprisingly interlinked with the past and the future. I have to give it to the Violent Crime unit for solving it with intuition and skills. The 'domestic' approach to investigations was a wake-up call for Han Tae Joo and I loved watching him stumble. (He is, like everyone, a flawed character.)

By the end of certain episodes, I wished that he did not have to go back to 2018. The present, unfortunately, seemed procedural and artificial.
The Sci-Fi aspect is not strong and I understood why several questions remained unanswered. I for one, found the rather bleak ending highly satisfying.

Sometimes it's worth feeling with our whole heart. And I'm sure that Inguk Police Station Violent Crimes Unit agrees with me too.

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Crime solving goodness with wonderful characters!

I've never watched the original version of this show so purely based on this kdrama I think it's amazing! The different mysteries are interesting and enaging but what really makes this drama worthwhile is the characters. The way the characters develop and their friendship grows is really satisfying and fun to watch. The only two problems I have is that I think there could have been just a tiny bit more romance with Mrs.Yoon and the end of the drama feels like it is setting up for a season 2 and therefore it leaves some unanswered questions. I feel doubtful that there ever will be a season 2 so i don't think it should have ended like that but regardless I really enjoyed the final episode despite some plotholes.

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Solid

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 present 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.

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the time travel doesnt feel sci fi..it feels personal

honestly this was beyond anything i expected..
i thought it would just be a normal timetravel mystery but nah... going from 2018 to 1998 isn’t just a plot point here .. it becomes the coreof the story.
What really hits is how the main character is forced to face everything he was running from… especially the truth about his father and the lies surrounding his past.. it’s not just investigation it’s personal healing in mid of chaos.
and the characters.. the chemistry between them felt so natural... the team dynamic slowly grows into something that genuinely feels like a bond not just colleagues working together... thats so engaging
The biggest strength of this drama is how it handles the ending... instead of leaving everything open or extra mysterious it actually gives a meaningful direction... the choice the protagonist makes doesn’t feel random at all
Even after returning to reality.. he realizes something important.. comfort doesn’t always mean happiness and that connection he formed in the past life even if it’s uncertain whether it was real or not still felt more meaningful to him than his present.
That final comparison between both lives .. what he had vs what he felt .. was done so beautifully... it wasn’t about which world was real.. it was about where he felt true connection and peace.
full emotional payoff. .. completely exceeded expectations

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I have a really high expectation for the drama because it received so many great reviews. it doesn't disappoint me but it didn't quite fulfil my expectation as well. pros first, since this is a police investigation drama, the cases must be interesting, and it did. the cases were good and keep me guessing what will happen next. the acting were amazing, every cast did a really great job in acting their roles. the romance were subtle which is good, because i feel like if there's more than this it will feel kinda awkward. okay the cons, the time travel wasn't stressed enough, i feel like the present wasn't talk about enough. the whole, is this a reality or a dream, means the present wasn't supposed to be completely cut off but they did. the chemistry between the team is really important but i can't feel it here, and the bromance was meh as well. the storyline kinda feels draggy in the middle. all in all, it was a decent drama for me

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