24: Season One
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Movie Reviews of 24: Season One
Movie Review: Believe the Hype!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I saw commercials for "24" a while back, I thought Fox just created another awful show. In fact, the initial ratings were so bad that there was a distinct chance that 24 would only last 13 episodes (Fox only ordered 13 episodes to start with). Well, as we all know, it did finish, and they started a new season. I was shocked because all signs showed that "24" would not have been renewed. Then it occurred to me - they might have kept it around because it was good.Critics were saying it's a great show, but then again, these were the same critics that found shows like "Will and Grace" funny, so I gave them no thought. Out of pure boredom I rented the first disc. I was instantly hooked. This series was unique. Every scene was action-packed, fast paced, intriguing, smart, and well written. When I say fast paced and action packed, I'm not talking about mindless explosions, senseless killings, and pointless car chases. I'm speaking of mystery, fallibility, surprises, and suspense. This series is filled with twists and turns, but unlike ever-other show with twists and turns, these twists enhance the plot, force us to think, and are never, ever contrived.
The show concerns an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate, which mingles the lives of Jack Bauer, his wife, his daughter, his coworkers, the terrorists, and the presidential candidates' family. Unlike a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, this movie avoids every cliché in the book. Characters development occurs, and people's true colors, motivations, failings, and strengths all show up. The typical dividing line between good and bad is divided and spliced with every episode. The best way to put it is that the real-time action kept me on the edge of the seat, the plot and characters kept me hooked.
There were some flaws with it. After the 13th episode, there was a considerable drop-off in quality (a character suffered amnesia for a while, causing me to say "oh no"), but the final episodes put the series back on track.
DVD, not TV, is the best way to watch it. It is something that deserves your full attention, and should not be spread out over 24 weeks with commercial interruptions. In terms of extras, this DVD does offer much, except an alternative ending and a small commercial, but then again, it doesn't need to.
So quit reading this and start watching "24"! It's the greatest action show ever!
Movie Review: Believe the Hype!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I saw commercials for "24" a while back, I thought Fox just created another awful show. In fact, the initial ratings were so bad that there was a distinct chance that 24 would only last 13 episodes (Fox only ordered 13 episodes to start with). Well, as we all know, it did finish, and they started a new season. I was shocked because all signs showed that "24" would not have been renewed. Then it occurred to me - they might have kept it around because it was good.Critics were saying it's a great show, but then again, these were the same critics that found shows like "Will and Grace" funny, so I gave them no thought. Out of pure boredom I rented the first disc. I was instantly hooked. This series was unique. Every scene was action-packed, fast paced, intriguing, smart, and well written. When I say fast paced and action packed, I'm not talking about mindless explosions, senseless killings, and pointless car chases. I'm speaking of mystery, fallibility, surprises, and suspense. This series is filled with twists and turns, but unlike ever-other show with twists and turns, these twists enhance the plot, force us to think, and are never, ever contrived.
The show concerns an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate, which mingles the lives of Jack Bauer, his wife, his daughter, his coworkers, the terrorists, and the presidential candidates' family. Unlike a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, this movie avoids every cliché in the book. Characters development occurs, and people's true colors, motivations, failings, and strengths all show up. The typical dividing line between good and bad is divided and spliced with every episode. The best way to put it is that the real-time action kept me on the edge of the seat, the plot and characters kept me hooked.
There were some flaws with it. After the 13th episode, there was a considerable drop-off in quality (a character suffered amnesia for a while, causing me to say "oh no"), but the final episodes put the series back on track.
DVD, not TV, is the best way to watch it. It is something that deserves your full attention, and should not be spread out over 24 weeks with commercial interruptions. In terms of extras, this DVD does offer much, except an alternative ending and a small commercial, but then again, it doesn't need to.
So quit reading this and start watching "24"! It's the greatest action show ever!
Movie Review: Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, the modern Sisyphus
Summary: 5 Stars
My strongest memory of watching Season One of "24" was at the end of episode 12, where I thought that we had finally arrived at a moment where Jack Bauer could take a deep breath and catch his bearings for a moment. Of course, I was wrong, because this is a series where things go from bad to worse and well beyond as Jack Bauer experiences "the worst day of my life." Creator Robert Cochran worked brilliantly within the confines of his grand design, where events happen simultaneously and in real time. The official mission might be heading off an assassination attempt of presidential candidate Senator David Palmer on the day of the California primary, but there is always some pressing task at hand as the hits just keep on coming from start to finish in this show. "24" is a series where the obvious goal was to throw everything at Jack Bauer and the other candidates, including a large number of kitchen sinks, mostly with regards to his family. I think the casting of Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer was strategic, because as the one "movie star" in the cast he stands out as larger than life against the rest of the ensemble. The Sisyphus analogy is not meant to be superficial, because any sense of success at any given moment in the series is transitory at best. Sutherland's performance holds the series together, but the true star is Cochran and his team of writers. It is the story that gets you hooked and sweeps you along for the roller coaster ride as the bad things just keep happening. Watching the show a second time (and in a shorter time span) gave me a better appreciation for how things were set up, which you do not really notice so much the first time through because you have to absorb all the rapid fire developments. The second season is following the same pattern, and I fear it will be disappointing simply because the ending cannot have the emotional impact of what happens with Season One. I would be surprised if Jack Bauer and company make it beyond 48 hours, but we shall see.
Finally: One of the "advantages" of watching the complete first season of "24" on DVD is that you can do it less to start watching it straight through some time (of course, you have to start at midnight). I am too old to engage in such a dedicated effort, but that is no reason for the rest of your not to give it a try.
Movie Review: Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Summary: 5 Stars
From hearing the first voice-over from Kiefer Sutherland in the pilot, "The following takes places from 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM on the day of the California Presidential Primary. Events occur in real time," I was hooked. And you should be too.Every episode is incredibly well-crafted. The use of picture-in-picture and widescreen are especially expertly done. A digital clock appears on the screen on occasion, and it ticks before commercial breaks and at the end of every episode. This ticking sound soon becomes haunting and heart-pounding. It is one of the elements that keeps your eyes wide open, your blood pumping, and your breath short. Literally. I have on many occasions had to take a water break during commercials.
The story is incredibly suspenseful. Even those who would never speak to a television would find themselves shouting, "No!" "Oh my god!" and "Why?". Although we know that in the magic realm of television, order will be restored, viewers are frightened for the characters. The writers do an incredible job of building suspense and bring the characters to life, as do the actors.
24 has been blessed with a fantastic cast, which, coincidentally, is mostly Canadian. Kiefer Sutherland obviously stands out as Jack Bauer, the federal agent with incredible love for his cause and his family, but a feverish temper as well. Whenever Jack threatens someone, you know he's serious. And you're afraid. Dennis Haysbert and Penny Johnson Jerald have incredible anti-chemistry as Senator Robert Palmer and his wife Sherry, who have a great deal of friction. In front of the press, they're loving and close, but once they are away from the press, everything is different. They test each other. These are only examples of an incredible and believable cast.
24 should have won all of the television awards it was nominated for. The only major award won so far is Kiefer Sutherland's Best Actor in a Drama Golden Globe, which he deserved far more than any other nominee.
I could not let myself miss an episode of the sublimely insane first season, and as soon as Season Two starts, homework will have to wait. It's that good.
{added in the middle of Season Two: It still rocks. I don't know how this season is going to end, but I love the way the show has evolved. Watch Season One on DVD, regardless of whether you've seen any of the episodes of this show.)
Movie Review: Amazing, innovative, breathtaking and magnetic.
Summary: 5 Stars
In the following I am going to count some of the benefits the viewers get out of watching the amazing "24":1. An insight into the formidable, violent - but also exciting - world of war against terror - "24" emerged right after the terror attacks that destroyed the Twin Towers and started to give the horrified, but also curious viewers, a glance at the gray and mysterious area most were vaguely aware of - in a never been seen before approach of 'documenting' events in real time (each episode illustrates the events of a single hour in the lives of the characters).
2. Somebody to admire - There are two dominante roll models in the show:
Jack Bauer, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) operative, strikes the common viewers as the ultimate hero of all times. Nobody is really close to the level of the combative competence and shrewdness he demonstrates time and again - along side with dedication and commitment to his family and country.
David Palmer, the California presidential candidate, also appears as one of the wisest, most devoted, sincere and patriotic characters ever to hit the small screen.
Nevertheless, both are vulnerable.
3. An escape form reality - Upon watching the series, the viewers are going to forget about everything that bothers them and concentrate on the events that keep on happening by the minute on the screen. The action is non-stop; no other series in the history of television had reached the level of intensity this series has reached. There is nothing else one can think of while watching it that it's almost therapeutic.
4. A family get-together - Finally there's a TV series that can hook everybody - adult and minors - side by side in mutual respect. Yes, it is violent at times, but no more than the things everybody sees in movies and in the news everyday. It is also a great source for conversations and debates about the unconventional, controversial and shocking situations that are presented on the screen in an unprecedented density.
5. Something to look forward to - When was the last time you really waited for a new episode in a TV program? Was it back on the days of "Dallas"? Well, the drought is over; you are going to stay breathless during and after most of the episodes, anxious to see and know more. The best advice I can give is to take it one at a time.