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24 - Season Two

24 - Season Two

List Price: $69.98
Your Price: $52.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best show ever on Television
Review: IMO much better than Season one, this is as intense as it gets! Season two is better than any TV shows or movie I have EVER seen... yes THAT good!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb!!!
Review: 24 is really great. I thought Season 2 won't be that interesting as compared to Season 1, but I was wrong! Better see for yourself! FOX, hurry up with the Season 3 DVD!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An unprecedented and totally absorbing action series
Review: I seldom watch TV. It's even rarer that I watch TV with a purpose. Very few items interest me nowadays. But this is different.

'24' is simply the most gripping, jaw-dropping and exciting series I have ever seen. I hadn't seen the first season but got introduced to it by relatives. And after one hour, I just wanted much more. This series simply glued me to the TV set in a way that I had never been before. Since last year's September, when the series started in Holland, my weekly algorithm depended largely on Sunday, 22.00-23.00, when it was broadcast. Every weekday just brought me a little closer to the next hour. Does that sound obsessed? Maybe. But it's totally due to the series.

What's going on? Now that David Palmer has been established as President of the USA, all seems to go well for a while. But then, suddenly rumours start about a nuclear bomb placed in LA. Special agent Jack Bauer, who already saved Palmer from a complot in the first season, is ordered to discover what the bomb threat is about. What makes it extra difficult, is that he has less than one day to accomplish this... Meanwhile, his daughter Kim gets into trouble too. She nannies a little girl who has a cruel father, and tries to keep the girl out of her father's hands. The President himself doesn't have an easy time either: there's a lot of mess going on in his staff and he continually has to solve problems, while he still has to manage the upcoming crisis about the nuclear bomb. The fourth storyline is that of the Warner family: one of the family members is suspected of having links with a terrorist organization and this gets the whole family (father Bob, daughters Kate and Marie and near-son-in-law Reza) into great problems. And finally, we get a look into the situation at the anti-terrorist command centre CTU that tries to support Jack Bauer wherever they can.

Most of these storylines are very strong, especially the one of Jack Bauer of course because he's the story's main character. The whole burden of finding this bomb effectively rests on him. And though I wonder what kind of stuff Jack uses to remain so incredibly active during one day (normal human beings need at least a month for all this), his character is extremely impressing. He's not always a nice guy, and definitely has a neurotic side. But his strongest aspect is that he puts his mission before anything else, even in the most peculiar situations. He's the ultimate portrait of a man with a mission at that. President David Palmer is a very sensible, almost human statesman who would have been very credible as a real president. He's a person full of warmth and authority. And I could just go on about all other great actors: the roles of CTU agent Tony Almeida, Kate Warner, presidential adviser Mike Novick and many others are splendid as well. Actually all storylines are very exciting an interesting - except the one of Jack's daughter Kim. She's stumbling around from here to there, meets all kinds of weird people, but actually doesn't contribute anything to the greater story - while all other characters do.

Of course it *is* possible to write a lot about the evolution of the series' story, like many other reviewers have done. But I don't think it's good to spoil anything too much: this series is meant to overwhelm you, every minute again. Uncovering details that happen in all those 24 hours would only lessen the experience. What I can say though, is that this is no James Bond story. '24' is certainly a thriller, and you shouldn't think of it as just some pretty entertainment. It's about suspense, everywhere at anytime. I even heard about someone who simply couldn't stand the large number of plot twists and suspense anymore. For me it just let me reach for the next broadcast. And I doubt how many will think otherwise. Go and see it, more I cannot say. This series has a really unprecedented effect.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is the Greatest Show in the history of Television. Season Two of the most Groundbreaking, innovative show is here for the world to own .

Season Two has more twists, more action, more emotion, and more of the same intensity that makes this show so addictive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Faster, Better, Crazier - Season Two is better!!
Review: I enjoyed Season One and wanted more. And this time, Season Two is available. Although in my country have yet to be aired, I just can't wait and get this DVD Boxset... and finally, after watching the entire run of Season Two... this is the best season out of 2 I have seen this year!!!

Season Two has become much faster, better and crazier compare to Season One. It has a simple story to start with - there is a bomb in United States of America. Enter Jack Bauer, grieving at what he has lost in Season One and had resign from CTU. But the President Palmer needs him to locate that bomb... and its another 24 hour run of his life... that almost nearly kill him.

I have to admit, this is the best Season Two I have watched. This time I didn't get sick. Watching all 24 episodes had me up and reeling for more. It has the action any TV fan would want. It has the story anyone will enjoy. And most of all, the intensity of the story that grips you from beginning to the end.

With the extras of over 40 deleted scenes, 2 featurettes plus other extra stuff, you can't go wrong with this season. And most of all, you can never go wrong with this series.

I can't wait for Season Three to be out on DVD (because I am not able to watch it in my country) but at the mean time, Season Two will keep you watching... and the clock is ticking again...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We need heroes
Review: As human beings, struggling our daily battle, we need someone to look up to. We need an example of endurance. We need a shining beacon of devotion and commitment. We need a paradigm of virtue.

Jack Bauer and David Palmer serve that purpose in the significant and extraordinary "24". Watching them in action in every episode is inspiring - and inspiration is the name of the game.

In the phenomenal second season the developments in the series are overwhelming; if the first season changed the way we look upon the products of the small screen, the second season enhances everything and take the events and action to new heights we've never imagined.

Consider the fact that every bit of information you gather on the show before seeing it will reduce the experience - so all you really have to do is to take a seat and prepare yourselves for one of the wildest rides of your lives.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best show
Review: reallly its the best series i even seen b4!
dont mess it

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than the first season
Review: Simply if you liked the first season you will even like more this one, you can't stop watching till you are done!!
let hope that the third season will be good as the second one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 4.5 stars, here's why
Review: I don't watch TV except for sports and the occassional syndicated episode of the Simpsons or something else that's on at the bar. I am a 24 addict but still cannot bring myself to watch it week after week on FOX. I'd much rather buy the DVD package and watch the thing in a matter of a few days (this time it took me 6 days), sort of a Kiefer-binge I guess.

I was skeptical as hell about the second season because I didn't think anything could be better than the first season. I'm very glad I bought it now.

the only thing I really wanted to write this review for was to mention something I didn't care for on the DVD package. on each episode's submenu, there is a picture next to the menu. if you see the picture, you can pretty much figure out what happens in some of the episodes. I suggest looking away while playing with the submenus, like I did. or you could cover up the screen with your hand (there are actual benefits of having a 13" TV). the people who put this thing together should've played a little to us who didn't watch the show when it was on TV.

that is all

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 24 more hours of pure entertainment
Review: Season One of 24 was near-perfect television: movie-quality, with great characters, great cinematography, inventive action, clever plot twists, heart-rending drama, and satisfying conclusions.

Season Two is even better.

The story picks up a little over a year after the events of Season One. Main character Jack Bauer, who was already a loose cannon in Season One, is now even more unhinged. He's just as crazily determined as Mel Gibson's character Riggs in "Lethal Weapon." Just as deadly too. This makes him the perfect candidate for the mission at hand: find a nuclear bomb, somewhere in the LA area, that is going to go off sometime in the next 24 hours. Bauer shows no mercy in his quest.

I understand that some viewers, many of whom enjoyed Season One, refused to watch Season Two just because they didn't buy it that the same character could go through yet another crazy day. I find this ridiculous. That everything happens within a 24-hour period is the show's premise. Not watching it because you think it's impossible is like not watching "Star Trek" because you don't believe in alien life, or not watching "Buffy" because you don't believe in vampires. You have to buy into this show, for sure, but once you do, you find yourself swept along with it.

Season One pushed the envelope of what can be shown on television, but Season Two tears the envelope to shreds. I'm mostly a jaded viewer, but still I was shocked by the amount of carnage and violence on display. I lost count of how many terrorists Bauer killed, and how many people were tortured. So be aware that this show doesn't skimp on the violence quotient, which is fine for action junkies such as myself.

The budget must have been significant for this season, as the quality of the production is high throughout. No expenses seem to have been spared. Let me just give you an idea. There is a scene where a terrorist is tearing down a runway in a plane that's holding the nuclear bomb. Bauer and his agents are in hot pursuit, in humvees. All of this is shown as it actually happens - the plane going super fast, the humvees right behind. Bauer gets on the roof of the humvee and shoots at the plane. All of this is shown in the same angle, so you can see that they are actually doing the stunt, that it's not camera trickery. Now, normally that would be something you'd see at the end of a big-budget film - but this was just the middle half of episode 13!

That's just one of the many great action scenes at hand. Episode 9 features a well-done combat sequence, in which Jack takes on a team of rogue US commandos. There's more machine gun and small arms fire in this one scene than in most big-budget feature films. There's another great night-time alley battle in Episode 20 or thereabouts, in which Bauer and two comrades are holed up in an abandoned building, while a squad of heavily armed terrorists track them down.

The show isn't just all action. There's lots of drama on hand, as well. Normally I shy from the stuff, I find too much of it comes off a bit Lifetime channel-ish. But the drama reached here is better handled than just about any other movie I can think of. The heights reached go way beyond the normal strands of television. Jack's yearning for reconciliation with his daughter, the President's resolve to stand firm, the reunion of Jack and Nina Myers, George Mason saying goodbye to his son, Jack saying goodbye to his daughter from an airplane, and the resolutions to all of these plot threads in the final episode; every one of these scenes, and more, are carried off effectively.

I considered Season One to be like a well-done feature film, stretched out over 24 episodes. Season Two is the same, but it could just as easily be compared to a novel. There's foreshadowing, set-ups, and resolutions, which each episode working as a chapter. Things mentioned in early episodes sometimes don't come into play until near the end of the series. That's one of my favorite things about the show. It never once insults the viewer's intelligence. It requires he or she to keep up with events, to remember things. Nothing is spoon-fed.

Season One was originally only greenlit for 12 episodes, but was expanded by Fox to 24 episodes mid-season, requiring the producers to sometimes grasp at straws to continue stretching the tension. However, Season Two was greenlit for 24 episodes from the get-go, meaning that there is no mid-season slump, this time around, and that the story evolves and expands naturally.

So, is everything perfect? Well, not exactly. Most reviewers will bring up the oft-ridiculed Kim Bauer plotline, in which Jack's nubile daughter runs from one bizarre encounter to the next, each more unbelievable than the last. Season One's mid-season downfall occurred when Jack's wife suffered from amnesia, a plot development that just about everyone hated, but in no way does Season Two slump so bad. I didn't mind the Kim plotline, because I enjoyed the dark comedy of it all. I mean, the girl goes from being chased by a maniacal guy who's gone buck wild for no reason at all, to being chased by cops, to meeting a deranged loner who lives in a bomb shelter, to getting involved in a hostage situation.

Now, most of the scenes with Kim involve her running around. She wears tight clothing throughout. The actress portraying Kim is a very shapely, beautiful young woman. 24 is a Fox Television program. Girl in tight clothes, running around. Fox program. NOW do you see why the Kim plotline was added?

The DVD release is flawless. Unlike Season One, there are actually chapter stops! This alone is cause for celebration. There are 6 audio commentaries spread throughout the season, and deleted/alternate scenes for most episodes. You have the option of integrating these scenes back into the episodes by selecting that feature on each episode's menu, or you can watch all of them, separated from the shows they're from, on the bonus 7th disc of the set. This is a nice feature, as I prefer watching the episodes without interruption, and then watching what was taken out later. The video and audio presentation is flawless.

In short, 24 is a fast-paced, action-packed, emotion-pulling tour de force; an intelligent, mature, supremely-crafted piece of entertainment that surpasses any other action TV program I've ever seen. The final episode is just as satisfying as the conclusions of "Die Hard," "Lethal Weapon," "The Rock," or any other action movie you could name. If you are a discerning viewer who believes there's nothing on TV worth watching, get ready to have all of your notions blown away.

The only way I can sum it all up is this: for years now, I've been a TV snob. Never watched "Friends," never watched "Law & Order," never watched "CSI." As far as I was concerned, the only show worth watching was "the Simpsons." I still think it's the best show in TV history, but that's a story/review/debate for another time. So when I say that I think Season Two of 24 is certainly equal to - and in a few ways better than - the Simpsons, please understand that this is the highest praise I can give.


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