24 - Season
One & Two Boxed Sets
Picture: C+
Sound: C+/B Extras: C/B+ Episodes: B-
Kiefer Sutherland, already an underestimated character
actor capable of lead roles, surprised the entire industry with his role of
Jack Bauer in 24, a new hit TV series from Fox that has him as an
exceptional US anti-terrorist agent.
Each season consists of 24 shows covering one day of an operation, so
commercially successful that the third season is on the way.
The first two boxed sets are the subject of this review. Box One has the original show that brings
Bauer and his Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) trying to save a U.S. Senator (the
really good Dennis Haysbert) in the running for The White House. The show emphasized its time clock measuring
every moment (including the commercial breaks, not included here) and uses of
split screen and variations thereof.
The first season overdoes this a bit, and the digital way it is done
does not age well, but it is not awful and the actors bring the material above
its semi-predictability. Season Two has
Bauer called back in after leaving the CTU for good over the last mission, as
there is a true nuclear threat in Los Angeles only he may be able to help out
on.
The show is so tightly plotted that giving away anything
beyond this would spoil the flow of the narrative, but Bauer has wife and
daughter. Also, he has some great
co-workers in the unit. There are
familiar character actors you likely cannot name (Xander Berkeley) and big
stars you can (Dennis Hopper). The
first season establishes things well, then the second knows it cannot rely on
some of the formula and gimmick of the first, so it gets a little darker. The only other problem is that with
‘terrorism” such a media obsession, suspending disbelief is not always easy. However, for what it is, 24 is one of
the smarter entertainments TV has come up with recently.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 images on both boxes
are not equal. Box Two is a bit
clearer, though only marginally so. Box
One shows its earlier digital work, a problem that plagues shows like The X
Files and Star Trek – The Next Generation. Purists would like those things kept that way, but the
restorations that were also upgrades on the original Star Wars films
have been creating arguments about this issue ever since. It is passable, but distracting on Box One,
and more tolerable on Box Two for two reasons: it is not used as much and the
technology is smoother. Color sometimes
has a Video Black problem, but this is better than flat out non-anamorphic
broadcasting, so it has that going for it.
Sound is different for each box. The first offers Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, which decodes in Pro
Logic surround, but is not bass heavy and has limited dynamic range. The second Box offers Dolby Digital 5.1
AC-3, in which an immediate difference is noticed. Bass is present, the sound is comparatively warmer, the
soundfield much more naturalistic. It
will be interesting to see how Box Three compares.
Extras are lite on Box One, with Season One intro, Season
Two preview teaser, and a section on alternate endings for the final show of
Season One with optional commentary.
Box Two has extras on every DVD, plus a stand-alone seventh DVD of
extras. Unlike the DVDs in Box One, Two
has chapter stops on all the episodes.
Box Two also has deleted scenes, commentaries on one show per DVD, and
the bonus DVD has 22 more deleted scenes with optional commentaries, and behind
the scenes featurettes. Naming some of
them would actually spoil the show if you have not seen it, so we will not.
There are some gadgets, but this is not in the escapist
James Bond mode, though it is not exactly The Sandbaggers, or The
Ipcress File either. As the show
continues, they will have to up the ante, so the producers will be challenged to
come up with something stronger. Season
Three will tell us how much they succeeded, but you have to see the first two
in order, or it will not make sense. 24
is at least worth a long look.
- Nicholas Sheffo
