This is topic My mini-review of "24" in forum The Afterlife at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 08-17-2003, 10:47 AM:
Recently borrowed the just-released series on DVD. The positive comments: Good production values, good acting, etc.
The negative comments: Plot holes so big you could drive a truck through. (Minor spoiler ahead...)
The show begins where a government counter-terrorist agent Jack is told there may be a hit on a senator running for president. Then, a short time later, he's told there may be a traitor in his department. And, without any additional information, Jack begins his investigation by shooting a co-worker in the leg with a knock-out drug dart gun, and faster then you can say; "I don't need no stinkin search warrant..." performs his own acts of terrorism by breaking into computers, private business, car-Jacking (yuck-yuck) and causing innocent people to die. (Well, to be fair, sometimes he only causes suspects with important information to die.) This is all OK in the counter-terrorist agency he works at, because apparently every agent there has easy access to each other's desks, computer files and bedroom.
Hitchcock had 'MacGuffins' to move his stories along, but here is an example where the entire plot is a 'MacGuffin.' If this was a 'Dirty Harry' film from the 70's I could live with the plot holes, but today audiences should get a show thought out better. The actors do an excellent job slinging this poorly thought-out hash, and the directors keep things moving, but the 'creative' writers need to take 'Plot Believiblity 101' class.
Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 05-31-2008, 11:46 PM:
It has been 1749 days since the last post.
Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 05-31-2008, 11:46 PM:
With the release of the new Special Edition DVD set, I decided that now was the time to re-watch the first season of 24. I started at Midnight on Monday morning and watched the entire season in real time. If you haven't done this, I highly recommend it.
Anyway, I personally feel that Season One is the best single season of television I have ever seen. But this viewing, which was the first time I had seen it in about 5 years, left me with a few new impressions.
First off, I was struck by how much better this show was than it is now. I still enjoy it, but it has become too glossy, repetitive, and predictable. I think that the creators have lost sight of what made the show good in the first place. Continuing with the format was a mistake. They should've just renamed it THE JACK BAUER POWER HOUR (which is what everyone calls it anyway), and made the series more conventionally episodic. Every season promises a "new take" on the premise, but it's not long before it falls into the same old rut. I'm very excited about Joel Surnow's recent departure, and I hope that Howard Gordon's leadership will revitalize the series next year. But I'm not very optimistic.
Anyway, the other thing which bothered me this time around was a lack of focus midway through the season. Amnesia? Come on. This type of thing taints what would otherwise be near perfection. Also, there needs to be more humor. I would like to see entire plotlines dedicated to things like Kim trying to find her lost cat or Chloe trying to get the cable TV to work. I know it's never gonna happen, but wouldn't it be awesome if it did? These are the most humorless characters on the planet.
But despite these complaints, Season One holds up very well. The ability of the show to effectively maintain such a high level of adrenaline for 24 hours is impressive.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-31-2008, 11:59 PM:
The "Jack Bauer Power Hour?"
Sounds like a fundamentalist Southern Baptist televangelist TV show. Not 24. I sure as hell never called 24 some "power hour" shit.
I have the previous Season One version of 24 on DVD. I missed that season, but decided to pick it up when Target was selling it for $19.99. The first season was definitely the best for that series and it's been going steadily downhill ever since. I don't think it has ever been deserving of the Emmys it has won. Basically it's a prime time action-oriented soap opera with story lines just as stupidly predictable as any soap opera. The biggest failing of 24 is that for every bright idea they come up with for the script they counteract it with at least 2 stupid ideas of characters doing unbelievably idiotic things to get themselves in trouble. I fucking hate the hell out of stupid characters. I end up rooting for the bad guy to kill their dumb asses. But no. As predictable as the story always is, the bad guys do something even more stupid than the good guys. Basically this shit is teleplay writing done at the last minute and on auto-pilot.
I didn't really miss 24 for the previous Winter/Spring half-season. I'm not sure if I'll care at all if the show ever gets back on Fox again. It has become pretty damned lame.
Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 06-01-2008, 12:12 AM:
Jack Bauer Power Hour.
Say it out loud a few times. Way better than 24. I think the first time I heard it referred to by that name was on the FREE ENTERPRISE audio commentary. I fell in love with it instantly.
The show is coming back next year. They're doing a 2-hour TV movie in the fall, and then the new season starts in January. They're saying that this year will be different, because it's set in D.C.. I don't think they quite understand the concept of "different."