24 - Series 1 - Complete (DVD 2002)

The series 24 somehow passed me by, but I eventually borrowed the DVD box set… and promptly lost out on a whole bank holiday weekend (they tell me it was sunny) avidly watching the whole 24hours over three days.

A great great series – the plot twists & turns each hour but they ensure the end of each finishes with such a great cliff hanger that means you just keep watching. How the TV series viewers coped waiting a whole week I have no idea.

The main character, CTU agent Jack Bauer, is convincing and although the plot does push reality to the edge with threats to the Presidents life, it clings to the real world & leaves the viewer avid for more.

What can I say that others haven't?

The answer is not much, but I'm such a huge fan of the show that I had to stick my opinions in.

The first wave of enthusiasm for 24 passed me by as I am never one to jump on the band wagon. A simmering interest passed me by when the box sets started coming out. Then I was off work ill and a friend had the first three series on dvd, so he lent me the first one.

BLEW MY MIND!!!

I could not just watch one episode. It was always a case of,
"I'll just watch one more......"

Never happened!

You know the formula by now. Series takes place over one day, twenty four episodes, each episode (with ads) is an hour and was an experiment to see if real time could be done on the small screen. Thrills, spills, danger, excitement, cliffhangers and yet another surprise around every corner.

You have to love this kind of stuff though. My girlfriend has just sat through the first series after I purchased it here on Amazon and although she got into it and was interested to see what happened next, the shockers in the last two episodes went by without so much as a flicker.

Twenty four episodes of pretty much the same plot was daring and it pretty much works. There are weaker moments and to be honest, even as a huge fan there were times that I found myself saying,
"For god's sake!! Not again!!"
as the plot took yet another turn to fill the obvious void.

This has been ironed out in future series, as has my other mild complaint. It's not really a complaint as the story moves at such a pace that there is probably no call for it. There is no comic relief. No down time. Now, the story is good and the plot twists are fantastic and keep you guessing. There really is no time to joke around, but sometimes you do just need a light hearted moment to bring you down and get you ready to be thrilled again.

The cast is perfect. Keifer is perfect for Jack. Even his voice is perfect for the character who has a back story bigger than the complete works of Shakespeare. Elisha Cuthbert as Kim again is totally spot on. She's the eye candy the men love, she's sexy enough, strong, feisty and also gives Kim Bauer the edge on combining all of this with being dopey and helpless enough to get herself into yet another scrape. The rest of the cast compliment each other beautifully, so much so that it really works.

On the whole, this is the ideal programme to watch if you like action, plot twists, suspense, cliffhangers and general all round goodies, baddies, goodies who may be baddies and all that.

Totally recommended, 24 is addictive with that added twist of real time.

A winner!!

This is definatly one of the best addictive suspence thriller series that will grip you to the end.
The way this series is made is unique as there are picture-in-picture scenes where the it flips back and forth. the whole 24 episodes are in a one day 24 hour cycle, so each episode is 1 hour in actual time, so 24 episodes make it a one full day, where things happen at a fast rate.

Definatly a must see as there are now 5 series made and has a very large following.

24 is an innovative, action packed thrill ride staring critically aclaimed kiefer sutherland as a ruthless CTU agent Jack Bauer. Jack must use every resource at his disposal to prevent terrorist attacks. However, Jack must do so against the clock, whereby every episode reflects real time action, ive never watched a more eventful show in my entire life...

Season 1 is by far the most subtle, having a less explosive action than the forthcoming seasons, however for this reason it retains to be one of my favouraite. The real time aspect, whereby we see the characters perform as they would in real life, skipping nothing, adds to the dramatic tension the show is renouned for.

The plot of season 1 is relatively straight forward, but as events unfould you find it to be the most exciting, dramatic, amazing show your ever going to watch. Jack must prevent an assassination attempt on a senators life, while balancing his families life in the other. It is amazing how often the writers clash these events to make the day one of Jacks longest.

Note, 24 is not for the light hearted, Jack will do anything he must to protect his family and protect his country.

With award winning writing, innovation, music, effects and sound, 24 is now in its 6 season, picking up 13 emmy nominations (more than any other tv show), featuring on the Ground breaking TV list (Aside the simpsons).

Rating: 9/10 or 5/5