Rating: 
Summary: The Best Show on Network TV
Review: It's very fortunate that FOX had the guts to give this ground breaking and unique show such a publicity push and made it the networks prestige show. It certainly deserves it. Putting the first season on DVD was an even better idea, as 24 enjoys the support of a loyal group of viewers.24 is a collection of 24 hour long episodes, that takes place in chronologic order over one day. Sounds crazy, and it must have seemed even wilder to TV execs who think putting a gay character on a comedy show is a big "risk". 24 comes together wonderfully however, continuity problems a distant memory. The day is centered around anti terrorist agent Jack Bauer, played expertly by Kiefer Sutherland (who deserves the Emmy award). Jack becomes embroiled in a complex and fiendish plot which involves Serbian mercenaries, a soon to be President African American, and Jacks own family. Senator Palmer is a great presence, but his devious and ambitious wife is even better. The story has many twists and turns, while the show stays sharp to the very end. Nothing is as it seems, traitors and tricks abound throughout the 24 episodes. The last episode is one of the best hours of television you are ever going to watch, with Jacks final confrontation with his arch nemesis, Victor Drazen (Dennis Hopper). I don't want to give anything away, but the finale proves that this show is not afraid to take risks that other series would never dream of. Season 2 on October 29th. Buy the DVD to tide you over until then.
Rating:
Summary: One show that will go down in history
Review: WARNING : GET PLENTY OF SLEEP BEFORE WATCHING THIS, BECAUSE YOU WILL BE UP ALL NIGHT. What an unbelievable show. This has to be my number 1 favorite show on TV, if not one of the most popular in America. If you have not seen season one, rent the separate DVDs, or buy the whole package. Week by week, Fox's famous show has left millions of people on the edge of their seats. Breath taking moments take you right into the life of Jack Bauer. You actually feel like you are in the show with him because of the "real time" aspect. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves action and suspense, and even everyone who doesn't. This DVD set will take you all the way from the kidnapping of Kim to the gut wrenching, tear jerking conclusion. Almost every episode leaves you wondering what will happen next, and you will want more. And don't forget about one phrase once said in an add : "If you EVER think you know what will happen next, you don't know 24." PS : do NOT see season 2 before this season, or it will ruin the entire twist at the end.
Rating:
Summary: A television masterpiece
Review: The 24 concept was a risky one. It was a show that, as likely as to become a hit, was likely to be an utter failure. It took great writing, fantastic directing and brilliant editing to make this strictly real-time show exciting enough to work; and though the concept began to fail in the following (still excellent) seasons, in the first one the real-time rule is very strict indeed. Each episode takes precisely one hour (including commercials); the event occurring in each episode take precisely an hour in the reality of the show. By keeping a steady rhythm of non-stop action and suspense, as well as truly surprising plot-twists, and top-notch editing which uses excellent and original technique (split screens, showing different events occurring in different places at the same time), 24 is one of the most suspenseful, exciting programs seen on television. Risky, I say, not only because of the real-time concept, but also because it is absolutely essential to watch every episode of the season to truly appreciate it. It's very difficult to make the viewers interested enough to watch every single episode. That is why most series give more weight to each episode as a whole, rather than an entire season; in 24, the whole is much, much more than the sum of its parts. Each season of 24 functions as a complete work, more like a 24 hour movie than a TV series. In that aspect, it may be the most impressive product of American television since the first season of Twin Peaks (the one directed by David Lynch). That is why, like Twin Peaks, 24's first season is well worth owning on DVD. I actually know many people who, seeing only some of the episodes while it was aired on TV, were not too interested, but became hooked when they saw it from the beginning on DVD. 24 truly is a series that rewards the loyal viewer like few others. The leading man here is, of course, Kiefer Sutherland. Kiefer made a transition that is quite the opposite of the norm: he went from a career as a second-rate film actor, to a first class TV superstar. Although the character of Jack Bauer becomes much more complex in the second and third seasons, one of television's most fascinating anti-heroes, Kiefer manages to impress in this season as well. He is overshadowed, though, by some fantastic supporting actors - Sarah Clarke as Jack's partner, Nina; Carlos Bernard as co-worker Tony Almeida, who balances out Jack and becomes one of the most important characters in the following seasons; the impressive Dennis Haysbert as the dead-serious idealist Senator David Palmer; Penny Johnson as his snaky wife, Sherry; Misha Collins, Zeljko Ivanek, Michael Massee and Richard Burgi as the wonderful villains; and a surprising first-rate superstar as the lead villain, whose identity it would be a shame to reveal to someone who is yet to watch the series. And last but most certainly not least, Xander Berkeley as George Mason, the egocentric, the sarcastic, the corrupted, but ultimately the most real and human character on this show. Berkeley becomes especially impressive in the second season, but in this one he does have his moments. It's hard to write about 24 without spoilers; so I'll kindly stop writing. The bottom line is, this DVD is very much worth the watch, and is a fantastic gift for anyone. I'm yet to meet someone who watched the first episode of the series and didn't become instantly hooked.
Rating:
Summary: Season 1: smaller, leaner, smarter than Seasons 2 or 3
Review: If you haven't seen 24 at all, then I envy you for the wonderful experience you have in store when you sit down to watch this amazing show. Each season is like a 24-part feature film, loaded with the best action, plot twists, great characters (especially the dark and 3-dimensional Jack, whom Kiefer Sutherland plays exceptionally well), and major suspense. Once you watch an episode or two, you'll be addicted! Of the 3 seasons so far, the first is probably the best. It's not as big, loud, or fantastic as seasons 2 or 3, and there are only a handful of lives at stake in 1 (as compared with millions in 2 and 3). But 1 is tighter, smarter, and more focused, and it has fewer distracting side plots (like Kim getting caught in the cougar trap in Season 2). (Many criticize a sub-plot in season 1 in which one of the main characters develops amnesia; but if you think all the trauma this character has gone through, amnesia is really not so implausible.) Season 1 is also more realistic: During a brief lull in the action, we see Jack so tired that he almost falls asleep. After many harrowing hours without food, he finally gets a chance to eat, and scarfs down his food like someone who hasn't eaten in a day. When driving across town, we see him stopped at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. Waiting at a light would be boring in any other show, but it's very suspenseful in 24, because lives are on the line and every second counts. In Season 1, someone's cell phone doesn't work. And so on. Seasons 2 and 3 are still very, very good, but the writers tried too hard to continually out-do themselves with more action, more explosions, more lives hanging in the balance, and the story at times feels to be a bit "over the top." The secondary plot-lines sometimes feel like an afterthought of the writers. Also in 2 and 3, the producers succumb to commercial pressure, and load the cast with actors that are too young and too beautiful to be credible in their roles. They also go for the product placement big time; almost every vehicle is a Ford. (Though, we have to appreciate Ford for supporting a high quality series that is not always a huge commercial success.) Even though seasons 2 and 3 are more fantastic, they are still quite good, and very addicting. In fact, I really admire the writers for not repeating their formula every year. In each season, the writers and producers reinvent the show and come up with distinct, unique storylines. I was one of the first to buy Season 2 on DVD, and I'll order 3 as soon as its announced.
Rating:
Summary: An extremely clever and entertaining DVD
Review: 24 is without a doubt one of the most thrilling and intelligently written television series that I've come across. Kiefer Sutherland and the entire cast puts on an excellent performance, and each episode will keep you guessing to the end. 24 is smart, exciting, and guarantees action-packed entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Three Families
Review: I have to admit that when I heard about 24's format -- the entire season's output focusing on the events of one day -- I was skeptical. No matter how intricate or exciting the storyline was, surely television audiences would not be patient enough to watch the hour-by-hour account of one federal agent's mission to prevent the assasination of a presidential candidate on the day of the California Democratic primary. Unsure about this concept, I tuned in to the first episode in the fall of 2001...and became an instant fan of 24. I watched about 22 episodes on first run...missing only a couple due to outside obligations or cable TV outages. Now that I own the boxed set of Season One, I have seen the entire series and can now write a few words about it. Although it is very much an action-suspense thriller (closer to Tom Clancy than to Ian Fleming), 24's tale of vendetta-driven terrorists plotting to kill Sen. David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert)on the day of the California primary is also the intimate story of the implosion of three families. First, the Bauer family. When we first see Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), the setting is almost dully domestic -- he's playing a game of chess with his teenage daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert). But shortly before he gets a call from one of his fellow agents in the Counter Terrorist Unit, we see the domestic tranquility is belied by some tension. Kim is openly rude to her mother, Teri (Leslie Hope) and will soon sneak out to go partying with her friend Janet....which will be one of the worst choices she's ever made. And as we watch the series unfold, we'll learn about the straining effects of Jack's job on the marriage and of Jack's affair with fellow CTU agent Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke). The second family implosion involves the Palmer family. Just as it seems everything is going perfectly for Sen. Palmer and his picture perfect family, we see as 24 unfolds that all is not well here, either. Skeletons from the Palmer children's past are surfacing on the very day that David Palmer seems poised to win his party's nomination for the Presidency, and he is forced to see how far his ambitious wife Sherry (Penny Jerald Johnson) will go to keep ugly family secrets out of the public eye. And finally, there is the Drazen clan. Serb nationalists who supported Milosevic's iron-fisted rule, they were targeted by American forces and lost several family members as a result of a covert operation to take out the Drazen patriarch. Now they are bent on revenge and will do anything and kill anyone to get it. Yes, 24 does have its flaws (the travails of wayward Kim and Teri's amnesia are a bit over-the-top for some viewers), but overall this is a fine piece of television drama.
Rating: 
Summary: Immensely entertaining, but the story doesn't quite add up
Review: Okay, let me begin by saying I love this series and I'm confident you will too. However, there are some faults with both this DVD package and the overall storyline of the first season. This, however, will not keep you from enjoying what is essentially a 24 hour movie packaged as a weekly television show. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Jack Bauer, a federal agent for the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles. Around midnight, Jack is called into work where he meets up with fellow agents Nina Meyers (Sarah Clarke), and Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), among others. Jack soon learns that one of his own people might be working against him in a plot to assassinate presidential hopeful David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert). As if Jack's troubles aren't enough, wife Terri (Leslie Hope) calls with news that dutiful daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) has snuck out with a friend and is missing. Jack's day only gets worse from here. 24 is presented in a real-time format. Each episode represents one hour in Jack Bauer's struggle to protect Senator Palmer and his own family. Each hour is complete with surprising twists, and first-rate acting. You'll be stunned more than once. There are a few problems with the first season that lower the rating of this set. These problems are understandable however. Initially, it looked like the show might be cancelled in the middle of the first season's run, which forced the producers to conclude some story aspects early. Then the show was picked up for a full season, and they were forced to regroup and keep the story going for more episodes. This lead to some lame twists in the middle of season one, though I won't reveal them. Of course, if you've already read the Amazon review, at least one of them has been spoiled for you (note to Amazon, great job with that by the way!). However, said lame twist bothers me a lot less than the season's ending twist, which will leave you saying, "huh?" It doesn't make complete sense. Fortunately, you can come up with explanations that make the twist work. It just takes a little stretch of the imagination since the writers never bother explaining it themselves. 24 is very much about stretching the imagination, however. For a series like this to work, you have to let some things slide. I mean, sure it takes Jack three to five minutes to drive to just about anywhere in L.A., but would we really want to see Jack stuck in traffic for five hours? I personally would not enjoy that. This particular episode compilation is also short on special features. And I mean immensely short! There is one alternate ending and I believe that might be it. So one star off for the far-fetched ending, and one star off for the subpar DVD set. The episodes themselves will mostly wow you. That's a promise.
Rating:
Summary: Finally FOX is doing something smart!
Review: I'm hooked to this series. I have every episode taped and the suspense was killing me as I waited for the next episode. I wonder what season 2 will be like. This is extremely good move from the people at FOX. This gives people a chance to buy it and discover the series before season 2 starts! I am definitely telling one of my friends the DVD set is out and to buy it because season 1 of 24 was the best show this last TV season period! It blows the competition away! It has twists and turns, suspense, great action scenes, great actors such as Keifer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper. The tension mounts as the show goes on and you will be extremely tempted to watch all 24 episodes in one sitting. This is one DVD set I want without a doubt. Thank you FOX! The plot for everyone who don't know is simple and complex. Keifer Sutherland plays Jack Bauer who works for the CTU. He has to stop a black presidential cndidate from being assassinated on the day of the California presidential primary. His wife and daughter are put in danger. There's a mole in the CTU working for the bad guys. Buy this if you're a fan! Buy this if you haven't checked out this quality show!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't make any plans.....
Review: Being the typical television cynic, I read the advance reviews of 24 and seemed intrigued by the premise of one 24 hour period shown in real time, but decided there was no way Fox would keep it all year. I didn't want to waste my time starting a show that would never have a conclusion. I was wrong. I never watched season one on TV, but I became hooked on season two. Wanting to know the back-story of all the characters' pasts, I bought this DVD set. Watching this season and knowing going in what happens to some of the characters (I won't spoil the plot twists they way our friends at Amazon have done) can sometimes be bad, but I will say that I watched Nina's actions with an eye I wouldn't have if I had not seen season two first. I had the opportunity to watch this DVD set in large gulps, three to four episodes at a time - I was in Germany on business and with no English TV to watch, the DVD sets I brought gave me something to watch on my laptop. Watching the show this way is very satisfying. There's no waiting for next week to see how things turn out...just click on the next episode. I was never a big fan of Kiefer Sutherland, but after watching his range of range of emotions dealing with all that is going on to him as a professional with a job to do, as a father of a teenager, and as a husband trying to repair a damaged marriage, I'm impressed. He really makes you feel his emotions. You get the feeling you know Jack and want to see him make it out of this in one piece. Another reviewer mentioned this show is the story of three families, The Bauers, the Palmers, and the Drazens. I agree completely and will not rehash their thoughts, but I would like to add another family, the one at CTU. These are folks who have obviously worked together for years and we get to see what happens when they are thrown a curveball (Once again, I will not spoil any surprises). How they interact with each other and react to outsiders is at least as interesting to see as the other families. I gave this DVD set only four stars because of the lack of extras and the fact that each episode is one long track; there are no chapters like other TV series that I have bought. You have to scan through to find the spot in the episode you are looking for. A minor item for sure, but enough to drop this set from five star perfection. It is still a fine production. I spent quite a few nights staying up late watching "just one more episode" because this show kept me on the edge of my seat. This production shows proves that there still are new ideas for television. It is definitely worth the money, and your time will be well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Season 2
Review: I never thought after Season 1 that they could do it again, but they did. There are twice as many shocking moments in this season than in the previous. Even people who are not fans of action/suspense/political shows would love 24. DVD is the only way to watch it though because I think I would go crazy having to sit through commercials and waiting a week to find out what happened next. This DVD is recommended for everyone. Also, I was so hooked on this show, I watched the entire first season straight through because I couldn't sleep until I found out what happened next. I slept, then did the same thing with Season 2 :)
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