24 - Series 1-3 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)

...I say, we were amazed. 24 has all the makings of a superb series and the first season is full of twists and revelations that had me surprised until the very end.


Ok, I will get to the point now, 24 is a real time epic which focuses on the life of CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) agent Jack Bauer in Los Angeles. Each episode focuses on one hour in his very eventful day. We meet characters that we don't know if we can trust them ...
...Los Angeles within the next 24 hours. Jack finds himself reluctantly being dragged back into the life of a CTU agent. The President of the United States has been informed of the nuclear threat and it is the first time in his term of office he has had to deal with terrorists. Will he survive the day? Will he help Jack in his time of need? Will he do what's necessary to save the city of Angels? In this series we are greeted with old and new characters, ... more

I heard about this programme a few years ago when it was advertised on Sky One but I never got around to watching it as I missed the first few episodes, and after that, you really can't just pick it up. I eventually got round to watching the first season when my sister bought it on DVD along with the second and third season. We had open minds and decided to give this cyber action/thriller a go. Well what can I say, we were amazed. 24 has all the makings of a superb series and the first season is full of twists and revelations that had me surprised until the very end.

Ok, I will get to the point now, 24 is a real time epic which focuses on the life of CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) agent Jack Bauer in Los Angeles. Each episode focuses on one hour in his very eventful day. We meet characters that we don't know if we can trust them or not, we meet terrorists who want to destroy America and its reputation and of course we are also given a tale of love, between a man, his wife and his daughter and the things that we do for the people we love.

Season 1 of this extraordinary series sees Jack battling many enemies at once. His agency has discovered that there are terrorists planning to assassinate a senator who is running for president. Jack's teenage daughter has been kidnapped by unknown captors and he soon realises that the people he works with may be involved in both crimes. Jack has to deal with the fact that there may be a mole in CTU, someone who he knows that is helping the terrorists and soon he has to do terrible things. Soon he has to help these terrorists and do whatever they say in the hopes of saving the people that he loves. The day is made even more difficult as this particular day is the Californian Presidential Primary so the senator cannot shy away from media attention in order to defend himself. It's going to be the longest day of Jack's life.
The first season was excellent and was a brilliant start to the series. It had so many plots and character twists that I was always on the edge of my chair while watching it.

Season two starts off eighteen months after the conclusion of the first season. It sees Jack coping with personal loss, coping without his work at CTU and trying to talk to his estranged daughter Kim. Events make Jack's life a little more complicated when CTU brings him in for help. They have just received intelligence that a nuclear bomb is set to be detonated somewhere in Los Angeles within the next 24 hours. Jack finds himself reluctantly being dragged back into the life of a CTU agent. The President of the United States has been informed of the nuclear threat and it is the first time in his term of office he has had to deal with terrorists. Will he survive the day? Will he help Jack in his time of need? Will he do what's necessary to save the city of Angels? In this series we are greeted with old and new characters, some are good, some are bad, but does Jack know which people he can trust? Again this series is full of twists and little secrets and I loved this series and watched the entire series in a matter of days. I didn't think that this series was as good as the first but I loved some of the new characters. I think what made this season not as good as the first was Kim's storyline, for me it had no purpose and I thought her time in this season was a waste and could have been used more wisely.

The third season and my personal favourite follows three years on from the events in season two. Jack is back in L.A after spending six months working undercover to bring down the dangerous drug lord Ramon Salazar in Mexico. The first episode starts off with Jack overseeing Ramon in jail as he's seeing his lawyer. Then Jack hears from CTU. The FBI has received a phone call from terrorists who demand the release of Ramon Salazar or else they will release a deadly virus into Los Angeles. Jack has a very difficult and life changing decision ahead of him. He could help CTU in the race against time to find the virus before the terrorists release it, or he could go straight to the source by breaking out Ramon Salazar himself. Jack also has to deal with a heroine addiction he gained while in Mexico as he had to take drugs to fit in with the drug lords. This day proves to be the most difficult to Jack; will he make it to another one? I loved this series and found it to be the best out of the three. Most people say it is the worst but I loved how all the characters have developed and changed since the first and second and how we find out about all their different problems and worries. The acting is perfect as usual but I think that this time there wasn't as many plot twists as the other two series which I think is why not many people like this one. However I thought it had a strong storyline and followed through until the explosive ending.

The Cast
Kiefer Sutherland Jack Bauer
Carlos Bernard Tony Almeida
Sarah Clarke Nina Meyers
Elisha Cuthbert Kim Bauer
Dennis Haysbert David Palmer
Xander Berkeley George Mason
Reiko Aylesworth Michelle Dessler
This is the main cast that mainly appear in all the three series.

Special features include
Season 1 Alternate Ending,
Two Parts Documentary 24 Exposed,
Episode Commentaries from the Cast and Crew,
On The Button the Destruction of CTU Featurette,
45 Season 3 Deleted and Extended Scenes,
Three Season 3 Featurettes,
Blood on the Tracks Featurette,
Lock and Load Featurette,
The Longest Day Music Video,
Multi Angle Scene Study.
There are many special features but none that are really worth watching. The season one alternate ending is quite interesting to watch and see how it could have ended. I liked the on the button destruction of CTU. It shows all the special effects that the 24 team had to use. It is very interesting and not that long. The deleted scenes from season three are quite good and interesting to watch. It hasn't got the best array of special features, but honestly it's the programme that you are buying the DVDs for.

My overall opinion

24 is one of the greatest series which I have ever seen. It has excellent storylines that never fail to impress me and the acting is simply wonderful. Kiefer Sutherland is fantastic as the leading man and provides a scary yet emotional and caring Jack Bauer. Sarah Clarke is wonderful as Nina Meyers and I think she is one of the best characters on TV. Reiko Aylesworth is stunning as Michelle Dessler, a CTU agent and the love interest of Tony Almeida. She is definitely my favourite character who sadly doesn't appear until season two but has a pivotal role in season three. The storyline and script for each series is always strong and brilliant and always has me watching episode after episode because I always want to find out what happens next. This is a great series which I definitely recommend and it is one of the best to come out of America so far, so go watch it!!!

There are 20 discs in this box set including over 50 hours of tense action.
 

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