24 - Season 4 [DVD]

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!

The acting is generally good, as Kiefer has really honed his character of Jack to perfection, and has good dramatic material to work with as he is torn between his new girlfriend and his job. The story starts with Jack working as an assistant to the secretary of defense, whose daughter he is in love with. When they both get kidknapped by (surprise, suprise) evil arab terrorists, Jack forces his way back into CTU to rescue them, and discovers that their abduction was just the start of the dangers on the horizon. What is different about this series is that there are several climaxes, compared to 2 in series 1 (presidential assasination attempt, capturing the Drazens) 2 in series 2 (stopping the nuke, averting war) and 2 in series 3 (stopping the drug barons, finding the virus). The different threats are plausible and keep the viewer hooked. Unfortunately once again, the show is going after foreigners. Not since Gaines has the USA been threatened by an American terrorist cell. We've had Slavs, Arabs, Europeans, Mexicans, the British, and now arabs again as the enemy, as well as the Chinese. The show's attitude to islamic fascism is much more crude than in series 2, and the only arabs shown in a good light are those who have been completely americansised. Not to sound like Mr.Moore, but the rightwing nature of Fox TV has been transferred to the script, where the only anti-war pacifist figure is a cowardly homosexual.

The tone of this series is different from the first three, as everything feels bigger and more Hollywood. Sadly, Sean Callery's normally edgy and atmospheric music has become a little too grandiose and overblown for the show. The action is worth a mention. If you thought the season 2 finale was impressive, the body count in this season is obscene, with Jack literally taking down well over 60 people by the end of the day. Even Chloe machine guns a terrorist at one point.

This series is a depature from the previous seasons in terms of style and scale, and whether you think this is a good thing is a personal choice. I still think the first two seasons where the best. What is significant is that this season shows that the 24 team can still make an innovative sequel that is plausible, and worth watching. Every 24 fan should get this series, but don't expect much from the special features, which are a bit to tech-heavy for my liking.