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| Ashes to Ashes: Complete BBC Series 1 [2008] | ![Ashes to Ashes: Complete BBC Series 1 [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510PN0LW-oL._SL160_.jpg)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 31 reviews)
Sales Rank: 23
Category: DVD
Actors: Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster, Montserrat Lombard
Publisher: Contender Entertainment Group
Studio: Contender Entertainment Group
Manufacturer: Contender Entertainment Group
Label: Contender Entertainment Group
Format: Closed-captioned, Pal, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Language: English (Unknown)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Media: DVD
Running Time: 480 minutes
Number Of Items: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1
EAN: 5030305620561
ASIN: B001265O6G
Release Date: May 5, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Scary Monsters & Super Creeps! April 10, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I enjoyed Ashes to Ashes so much more than Life On Mars. OK, so we knew the concept before broadcast, but for me that didn't spoil the enjoyment at all.
I was 16 in 1981 and remembered the songs in the soundtrack so much more than I did from Life On Mars. Maybe that was the key? Who knows.
The humour is better in A2A and Gene Hunt finally comes of age. He is witty, pervy, deceitful and yes, even thoughtful.
Superb series from start to finish. Now where's that credit card...
Better than Life On Mars! April 6, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
As it says on the tin! this is much better than Life On Mars and the humour is spot on.
The 80's here we come!
Same Gene Pool, Different Animal April 5, 2008
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
I liked Life on Mars. I loved Ashes to Ashes. I found it to be vastly more entertaining, funnier, creepier and more of a roller coaster ride of emotions than LOM which hung its angst on a sleeve and continued to wipe its head.
I love the fact the protagonist is pro-active and is aware of what's going on. The show is quite funny but also eerie in parts and it took a few shows for the tone issues to settle in. I don't think the writers or director showed an ounce of finesse in the first two but after that, it really was a pleasure to watch. (The Thames ride? Please. Too many Gene Huntisms saying "Aren't I so un-pc", but that happened in LOM too.)
The show plays around with the fluidity and imprecision of our own memories and Alex is dependent on hers to bring her back to modern times. The audience is never quite sure about Alex's memories and even Alex questions them on occasion as little bits arise in her dreams that weren't there before.
The writers and producers cautioned the audience that Alex would be smug, knowing, and not suffer fools. She's a bit posh but also has a wry sense of humor that tickles to no end. Keeley Hawes does a marvelous job with a tricky role: she has to be in 1981 but also know that this is "probably" all in her head. She also has to come in with both barrels blazing, not caring if anyone likes her or not. The character isn't supposed to be cute and loveable and is much the better for it.
The arc of the drama is compelling and we spent many nights in a heap of tears on the couch toward the end of the 8-episode run. Glenister is less obvious than in LOM and it's a good thing. Gene is older and a bit wiser but retains his Gene-ness. I found him more likeable in this and on a few occasions downright attractive...who knew?
It's a terrific ride through the first season. They answer some key questions and resolve year one quite satisfyiingly without answering the big question.
Highly recommended.
Certainly flawed, but overall quite interesting, and surprisingly post-modern April 2, 2008
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
It is probably wrong to compare Ashes to Ashes to the previous Life on Mars, despite the fact that both programmes come from the same creative team and exist in the same thematic universe. Still, Life on Mars was such a benchmark and such a surprisingly rewarding piece of work that such comparisons are really hard to resist. With Life on Mars we had an intelligent piece of television that offered a great story, subtle character interaction and a genuine imagination; blending elements of science-fiction with psychological character analysis, as well as juxtaposing ideas of archaic, twentieth century police procedures with the more high-tech but sterile policing of today. Ashes to Ashes is somewhat similar in the respect that the idea of self-analysis and an attempt to correct the future by way of the past is central to the development of the main character, but somehow it lacks the dynamics or sense of overall purpose that really made Life on Mars such a valid and exciting piece of work.
At its most extreme, you could argue that the series here is nothing more than a shameless cash-in; with the producers and writers copying the format of Life on Mars completely and giving us more of Gene Hunt and his particular blend of politically-incorrect, heart-on-sleeve policing against an environment of warm nostalgia. However, even here, the use of the early 1980's as the principal timeframe already shows the character of Hunt to be something of a woeful anachronism; as out of time as the stranded heroine Alex Drake against a backdrop of feminism, class war, immigration, privatisation and a gradual acceptance of homosexuality. Also, the potentially interesting political climate, with the shadow of the Falkland's, tyranny of the Tories, confrontation between races, terrorist attacks and the royal wedding are all reduced to minor details intended to flesh out the creation of a world that is continually undermined by shoddy writing, haphazard direction an attempt to condense the more iconic aspects of 80's culture into a sort of microcosm that feels at odds with a decade supposedly in its infancy. Or is it?
The thematic concerns this time around are less about the clashing of cultures and backgrounds in a way that makes for satisfying drama, and more about the creation of a self-aware universe that not only comments on itself but on the notion of the "sequel". As with the audience, Alex Drake understands completely the world that she has entered into and is trying to control it to her advantage. She knows about the characters because she's experienced them through the writings of Sam Tyler in the same way that we the audience experienced them by actually watching Life on Mars. This does rob the programme of some tension, particularly in the first couple of episodes before the characters finally settle into their new roles and the broader aspects of the story become apparent, but it does open the story up to more intriguing ideas and interpretations regarding the role that Alex has in creating the world from her own memories and distorted idea of what the 80's really were.
Unlike Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes was less immediate and for me, and this was the programme's greatest flaw. Once it gets going its fantastic; the examination into Alex's parents and the factors that could possibly have led to their demise is rich with drama and emotion and really pays off in the final episode. However, for me, there were far too many lose ends leading up to this, and far too much of the writers having DCI Hunt do outlandish things in an attempt to appease the audience who buy into the whole "iconic" thing and want Gene Hunt catchphrases on their-mobiles. The emphasis on the drama should have remained with Drake consistently, because it is here where the story comes together; with more interplay between her and her parents and less of the Hunt sailing a speedboat under the arches of Tower Bridge and firming machine guns, like he's some colourful cartoon caricature. Or maybe that's the point?
Given the fact that the first three episodes were so weak that I almost gave up on this completely - there didn't seem to be any direction in regards to the plot in the same way that Life on Mars so skilfully blended the past, present and visions of Sam Tyler into a jaw-dropping drama - the only way I could interpret Ashes to Ashes was as a post-modern pastiche akin to Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive trilogy. And it makes sense; with the world of Ashes being a complete "construct"; a self-aware artifice create by the character for the character as she lays dying with a bullet in her head, attempting to make sense, not only of the historic chain of events that led to this tragedy, but also the world created by Sam Tyler that was never fully explained. Sure, there are flaws in this theory, but there are also flaws in the show; with far too much pandering to the whims of Hunt-aficionados and less of the tight, tense, labyrinthine blending of self-examination and the self-preservation of a dying brain.
It will be interesting to see where the writers take this in the second series. Hopefully we will have more of Alex and more of an insight into the creation of this world in the respect of tying up the loose ends of the second series of Life on Mars. At any rate, if you're looking for more iconic Gene Hunt action then Ashes to Ashes won't disappoint. It's louder, bolder and less subtle than Life on Mars ever was, and here he's pretty much the main character. If you want to involve yourself in the story of Alex Drake and her highly emotional plight then you might have to overcome some serious flaws in the first three or four episodes, but believe me, it's probably worth it.
Well, I thought it was great!!! April 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Gene was funnier, some cracking lines, beautifully delivered. The series was more amusing than the one that should not be named! The sidekicks came into their own more. The fact that we knew that Alex was not actually in 1981, added a further dimension, her trying to control what happened was interesting. There are so many whats, ifs, buts and maybes about attempting to better a great first series, but in my opinion they did a good job, particularly the last episode, which I found really enjoyable. I think the majority will have seen LoM and AtA on TV and are going to buy this whatever. If you haven't seen this, or the previous series (LoM) I would recommend them both.
Enjoy.
P.S. Great Soundtracks in both series as well!!
Cheers
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