Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:625
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On the eve of the return of the Jack Bauer power hour I feel it's time to offer opinion on the previous season of 24.
24 is awesome television. All four seasons so far have delivered countless twists and turns that have kept you watching to the bitter end. If you've been under a rock then you may be asking 'what the hell is 24?'
Keifer Sutherland plays Jack Bauer. A special agent who works for a US organization titled CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit). Each season deals with a threat to US security and Bauer is at the heart of the offensive against the enemy. So far we've had an attempt on the life of a presidential candidate, a bomb threat in Los Angeles, nuclear terrorism and a spot of virus terrorism. Each episode deals with an hour of the story so we start at say 8am with the first episode and finish up at the same hour 24 episodes later.
Season Four sees the US come under attack from terrorists. Their first move is to kidnap the secretary of defence and make him stand trial live on the Internet. All this happens in the first few episodes so you wonder where
the season is going. But it soon emerges that the real intention of the terrorists is to launch a nuclear warhead on a major US city. Jack is back in the field despite his past relationship with CTU. This season there's more crazy technology, inept terrorists and characters who may or may not make it to the final episode without taking a bullet.
Since the first season 24 has ditched the 'real time' concept and just let things play out in an hour. To be honest there's no noticeable difference with or without it. For me season four was just as entertaining as it's previous entries. What I liked about this season is that it amped up the dilemmas for Jack. It also didn't reveal its main threat until half way through the season. It was then that it all kicked off and each episode delivers on the action.
There are shocking moments throughout which I don't want to reveal as 24 is best enjoyed not knowing where the show is heading. At its heart 24 is gloriously stupid but that's what makes it one of the most addictive and polished shows on the small screen.
Roll on season five!
-Previously on 24-
Season Four comes in a seven-disc boxset. For this season Fox have changed the packaging slightly. Instead of the fold out digipack we now have a more easy to manage plastic tray system.
The first six discs contain four episodes each. The show is shot with a view to Hi-Def television. Therefore the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers are excellent with rich colour and a great amount of detail.
This season also has a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It's not up to a Hollywood blockbuster standard but having this kind of mix enhances the show.
Before I go on though there is something incredibly annoying on this release. On every disc is that FACT advert which tells you not to download movies, as it's comparable to stealing a car. Well that's all well and fine but people seeing it will have bought the set. Do we really need reminding of FACT every time we play a disc from the set? I think not.
-Beep Beep Beeeeeeeeeppppppp-
The seventh disc of this set contains a modest range of extras to supplement season four.
'Breaking Ground' is a featurette on the construction of the new CTU offices. It offers a decent amount of behind the scenes info on the production design of the movie.
'Lock and Load' is a twenty-minute look at shooting a major scene in the season. It's a great look at how the show is planned out and orchestrated with involvement from real marines.
'Blood On The Tracks' is another featurette that looks at the train sequence that kicks off the storyline of season four. Again it's a good look behind the scenes. Refreshingly 24 opt to go for the real thing rather than CGI in most cases.
Those that caught season four on Sky will remember the adverts for Nissan that played in the breaks. All these little segments make up a short film that can be seen in full on this dvd. It's got style but essentially it's just a long advert.
The Longest Day music video is just a load of clips set to a thumping beat. Quite what the reason for this is, I don't know.
Also on the disc is an extended advert for the 24 video game. You too can be Jack, only without the cuts and bruises.
There are also a couple of commentary tracks that feature cast and crew. They offer some good insight into character and technical aspects of the show.
-Finally-
If you've never seen 24 then I recommend it as one of the most entertaining things on TV. Currently a lot of online stores are running a promotion where every season can be bought for under £20 a set. For this price it's an absolute steal and where else can you get 1005 minutes of excitement for that price?
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
24 is one series I'd have loved to have watched but I've never seen an episode. Markd.
Danielle89 21.10.2006 20:24
My Mum has been going on about this forever lol. Must try to watch it at sometime to shut her up a bit plus Im even more intrigued after reading your review. Well done - Danielle x
Collingwood21 21.10.2006 16:43
I bought the box set of series one VHS for a tenner about a year ago and have still never watched it!
Hard to believe, but after all these years,24is as vital and compulsive as it always was. ... more
For this fourth series, the rules are still the same: all the action takes place in real time, and the series again follows a single day in the life of Jack Bauer...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Hard to believe, but after all these years,24is as vital and compulsive as it always was. ... more
For this fourth series, the rules are still the same: all the action takes place in real time, and the series again follows a single day in the life of Jack Bauer...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
24 is an innovative television drama where the entire series takes place in one day. Each ... more
of the 24 episodes covers one hour told in real time. 18 months after day 3 CTU has a new leader Erin Driscoll a steely government agent who made firing Jac...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
The Terror-Alert Level Has Just Been Raised...Although retired from CTU, Jack Bauer finds ... more
himself in the middle of a terrorist plot after the U.S. Secretary of Defence and his daughter are kidnapped. But it's soon evident that the kidnapping is part of...
Advantages: Truly Addictive!! Amazing entertainment without leaving the house :) !!! Disadvantages: Not good if you have other things needing to be done!
![24: Complete Season 4 [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78496931.jpg "24: Complete Season 4 [DVD] [2004]")
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