DVD Review: 24 Season 1

I’ve somehow managed to avoid the hype on 24 for a while now… well, ever since it came out really… and boy have I been missing out! What a great show this is! I’m way out of date, I know, but oh well… that’s what TV DVDs are for! Kiefer Sutherland stars as Jack Bauer in this unique TV show that basically follows a day in real-time for an entire season… 24 episodes = 24 hours. In Season 1, Jack is summoned by his counter-terrorist agency to protect a democrat candidate from an assassination attempt. What ensues is his family getting kidnapped left and right, and a bunch of high-paced chases and mysteries. Amazing pace to this show… you never even realize that time is passing by. Smart too… they actually timed out how long it takes to drive one place to another, so it’s very realistic. Some silly things too, like daughter Kim (ex-popular mechanics for kids host, Canadian, Elisha Cuthbert) being held hostage not once, not twice, but three times… four if you count jail. And I groaned a few times at the predictable twists. No surprise to me as to who the traitors were, who lived, who died… was really impressed by the strong supporting cast, particularly David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) and his wife (Penny Johnson – last seen as Mrs. Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Liked the Young Guns reunion with Lou Diamond Phillips too, who appeared in an episode before dying. Anyways, great show. This is great TV. I guess I’ll have to keep watching the other seasons now… (9/10).