’24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY’ REVIEW!
How many of you are stoked to see Jack Bauer back on TV? When ’24’ first came out it was definitely a ground breaking show, but what can we expect in its return to Fox? Check out this great review for the first episode below and share your thoughts after the JUMP!
(Source: screencrush)
For better or for worse, the first two hours of ’24: Live Another Day’ are just more ’24.’ The same strengths that made the show a touchtone of ’00s culture remain, but so do the weaknesses. It’s still broad and silly, painting international politics with an embarrassingly large brush and playing fast and loose with the real time format. But it’s also superb entertainment, the rare action show that actually delivers Hollywood scale excitement. It’s all anchored by Kiefer Sutherland, who slips back into the role of Jack Bauer with ease. Somehow, he’s managed to make Jack darker, tougher and crueler and we can’t wait to see what extremes the show will toss at him this time.
The supporting cast isn’t bad, either. It’s good to have Mary Lynn Rajskub’s Chloe back in action and making her a a member of a rogue hacking team led by a Julian Assange-type is just the kick in the pants this character needed. It’s also nice to see Kim Raver’s Audrey and William Devan’s Heller back (they were last seen in season six), but the new characters are proving more exciting. In Yvonne Strahovski’s Kate Morgan, Jack finally has a white hat adversary who’s as good at this game as he is. Benjamin Bratt, John Boyega and Stephen Fry get less to do, but all three feel perfectly at ease with this deadly serious but oh-so-silly universe. Most intriguing is Michelle Fairley’s mysterious villain, who seems like the kind of conniving mastermind that defined the baddies of ’24′s best seasons.
New faces aside, it’s still ’24′ and that’s okay. It’s still shot with handheld cameras that make the action feel immediate and visceral. The split-screen effects are still a fantastic way to layer exposition and transition between scenes. The subject matter (drones!) is perfect fodder for the show, which has never seen a controversial subject it didn’t want to chew up and spit out, like Jack taking a bite out of a terrorist’s neck in the opening episode of season six. This is handsome, silly, and preposterous popcorn entertainment and we’ll have more specific thoughts as the show continues over the next few months. With only 12 episodes this season, there’s no reason for the show to have any fat anymore. So far, the return of Jack Bauer is lean, mean and wickedly fun.
Welcome back, ’24.’
