24 - Series 4 - Complete (DVD)

24 must be one of the best TV shows around. Incredibly exciting, with complex plots, great special effects, and top-notch acting, this is literally edge-of-your-seat television.
Season 4 was not my favourite season, but it was still fantastic. Unlike seasons 2 & 3, it gets going straight away, with a massive train explosion in the first minutes, and you immediately become gripped by the action. The pace is maintained for the first 12 or so episodes, but halfway through it does slow down and begins to drag slightly in comparison. However, even 24 at its slowest is still faster-paced than most shows, and the action soon picks up again with some cracking final episodes that had me actually biting my nails.

As usual the regular actors all do a great job - Jack is intense and sexy, Tony does a brilliant job of portraying a hurt and confused man on the edge of giving up, and Chloe is consistently hilarious in her own off-beat way. The new characters are a bit more hit and miss - Erin Driscoll and Edgar Stiles are both brilliantly portrayed, but Marianne is very cliched, Curtis is boring without any personality, and Audrey is a little annoying - she appears shocked every time Jack has to hit someone.

Overall though it's amazing television, and the sort of programme that once you've bought the boxset, you'll end up watching about 6 episodes in a row because it's so exciting.

The boxset itself is attractively presented - a plastic book-style design with a glossy cover and a cardboard slipcase. I also have to say a word about the special features - WOW! An entire extra disc of features includes:

-Breaking Ground: Building the New CTU (approx 18 minute documentary on building the CTU set and shooting there)
-Blood on the Tracks (approx 15 min documentary on shooting the train explosion, including interviews with the directors and special effects guys)
-Lock and Load (short documentary on the weapons used)
-Nissan Short Film (a beautiful 20 minute promotional film - not much relevance to 24 though!)
-24 The Game (Kiefer Sutherland introduces a behind the scenes look at the PS2 game)
-The Longest Day music video (video for the trance version of the 24 theme)
AND A MASSIVE 40 deleted scenes, which can be watched with or without commentary from director Jon Cassall. Many of them are several minutes long and include entirely new characters or subplots. They also clear up lots of loose ends, such as what happened to Behrooz.

A word of warning though - try not to look at the pictures on the DVD menus, as they often show scenes from the ends of episodes, and can give some of the plot away. Other than that, buy it and enjoy!