Life On Mars Review: The Best Time-Travel Korean Drama

Life On Mars is a remake of a British show with the same name that aired in the middle of June 2018. The audience and critics liked the drama a lot, and it got good ratings and reviews.

If you’re looking for a review of the Life on Mars drama to help you decide if you want to watch it or not, here is the review without any spoilers.

Summary & Cast

Han Tae Joo is the leader of a crime investigation squad. He has an accident while looking into a murder case and wakes up in 1988. He doesn’t know why, but now he is a detective at a small town’s police station. He tries to solve a series of murders to get back to the present day.

Han Tae Joo is played by Jung Kyung Ho. He is a forensics scientist from the present who goes back in time. He would rather trust facts and evidence from science than people.

Kang Dong Chul, the head of the murder team, is played by Park Sung Woong. A detective who solves cases by using his instincts and intuition.

Yoon Na Young, played by Go Ah Sung, is a passionate ace detective who wants to be a star detective.

Life On Mars Review

Most of the time, crime and investigation dramas seem boring. They can’t always keep up with the cases or events in the drama, which leaves gaps. But this drama is not the same. While watching the drama you will become a part of it, you will feel thrilled about each case.

The camera work is beautiful. Scenes from the present day are shot with a blue filter, which makes the image cold and clear. The scenes from 1988 have a warm yellow-green filter that makes the whole drama feel old.

Jung Kyung Ho’s acting gave life to his character and the impressive screenplay. The female lead is one of the most impressive and well-done female characters. She is not portrayed in a stereotypical way. Instead, she is shown to be thoughtful, smart, and calm.

The story was told in a fascinating way by showing how the main character lives in the past and how his mind is constantly brought back to the present through TV or Radio channels. This is why this show is so good: we get to learn about the serial killers’ pasts from the male lead’s point of view.

The chemistry between the main characters was out of this world. Even though some of them didn’t get along well at first, they gave off a warm feeling. As time went on, their friendship grew.

The basic structure of the drama is similar to the original, but the Korean version makes the story more dramatic. It has more detail and is better done. The writing, directing, and acting are what make the Korean version different from the original. The characters are much easier for the audience to relate to.

Overall, it is one of the best adaptation dramas. It shows that a good drama doesn’t always need a complicated love triangle or a one-sided love. A good drama just needs a great plot and excellent acting skills of all the actors in it.

User Reviews

Here are some of the reviews from the users over the internet.

“I watched the original BBC show, which is great. But this one has more stories and depth. The actors are great, the 80s fantastically recreated, music, direction. I could say that I like this one more than the original and the original is very good.” – GaBerlinn (IMDB)

“This drama is insane. It has the perfect mix of mystery, suspense, thriller, crime, and comedy. I can’t wait to rewatch this a thousand times.” – Elizabeth (MDL)

“Just watched and I am in love with this drama. The writing, acting, cinematography and directing are top notch. The ending is dark though with reference to depression and suicide.” – Zkee (AsianWiki)

“This drama is really amazing. Just the thing that disappoints me is that this drama is not among the list of best dramas. This is not advertised much and this masterpiece is not valued.” – Riyana (Google Reviews)

“It’s one of favourite underrated crime thriller. I absolutely loved the mix of comedy and crime, it was done really well. Also loved the team and their dynamic.” – Elizabeth (MDL)

FAQs

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