Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

24 is one of the most critically-acclaimed shows on television today and it's easy to see why. When we had left Season Two of 24, President Palmer had been infected with some sort of disease and we see him falling to the ground in anguish. Season Three actually doesn't pick up where that left off. Palmer is now fine and has been treated. Now if you don't know the basic idea of 24, here goes.

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is a CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) field agent based in Los Angeles that handles extreme situations. He's known for his shoot first, take names attitude approach, but is tolerated because of the excellent results he always seems to get. As evidenced by the title, the whole series happens in 24 hours, each episode happening in real-time, counting down the intense moments minute by minute. The show makes perfect use of split-screens, allowing the viewer to get multiple views of each situation that is going on. Each situation is integral to the plot and somehow all ties into each other. That's why this DVD set is so good, because if you miss one episode, you will most likely be lost, and this enables you to watch episode after episode. It could be detrimental though, since I have spent late nights just watching them one after another because I wanted to see what was going to happen next.

The basic plot (well, it's anything but basic) is that a deadly virus that kills thousands of people, potentially millions, slowly and painfully is going to be released unless President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) complies with the at-first unknown terrorist. A man known as Ramon Salazar whom Jack went undercover with in a covert operation is a primary suspect because he going to meet with the sellers of the virus. Jack has to gain the trust of him again and set up the buy so that CTU can snatch the virus away.

Meanwhile, back at CTU, Tony Almeida Carlos Benard is now Deputy Director of the agency and is trying to coordinate all the teams together to get information on the terrorists. He has a slight distraction to deal with, as his wife, another CTU intelligence agent, Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth) is caught up in a not-so-fun situation at a hotel in which a vial of the virus has been released and she has to handle the situation since she is the ranking officer on site.

If you're wondering about Jack's sometimes-annoying (Ok, almost all the time) daughter, Kim (Elisha Cuthbert), she's still here! But, lucky for you, she's not nearly annoying this time around. She has got a position as a level one analyst at CTU, basically being a computer tech. Lucky for Chase Edmunds (James Dale), Jack's partner in the field and field ops agent himself, she is also dating him, initially unbeknownst to Jack. If you know Jack's character at all, you know that this probably won't sit too well with him, since he is extremely protective of her.

Back at the White House, President Palmer has another situation to deal with when one of his biggest campaign supporters is blackmailing him into firing his brother as his Chief Advisor. He asks his devious ex-wife, Sherry (Penny Johnson Jerald) to help him dig up some dirt to get back at his supporter. But this turns out to be a much bigger situation than he would have thought...

So, as you can imagine everything comes to a frantic and furious ending. I can't even begin to delve into every sub-plot of this story since it would ruin surprises and it would take me all day as well! Just know that this is a tremendously fast-paced, pulse-pounding show that will have you trying to guess what is going to happen next. The level of detail and great camera angles, great action, emotional tie-ins, etc. make you think this is a movie production, not network television. I liken it to ABC's Alias, my other favorite show, not only because of the cliff-hangers at the end of nearly every episode, but also for the ability to turn a TV show into a true movie-like experience.

Every actor and actress is superb, save for Chloe, a computer/visual/audio technician at CTU, a mindnumbingly annoying and stupid character that just seems to fast get on your nerves. Dennis Haysbert is really good, as his emotions are shown to make him a worthy President. I find myself at times thinking that he would be an able candidate for the actual Presidency if he choose to run with his demeanor. Of course, Kiefer displays a intensity that matches his character perfectly. Reiko Aylesworth steps up big-time here, as she has a much larger role than in Season 2, and displays a strong woman character that any female would love to see on a testosterone-charged show. Plus, she's beautiful to boot!

There is a separate seventh disc that has all the special features. While each disc has deleted scenes on it, you can watch all 45 of them on the last disc. But, geez, haven't they heard of a play all button?? That is highly annoying that you have to click on each one separately. Each one has the option for commentary by writers and directors of that particular episode. Each disc also has audio commentaries on a selected episode. There is three featurettes on the seventh disc; "24: On The Loose" that shows how they put together a riot scene in a jail, "Boys and Their Toys" in which they show how they coordinated F-18's from the military to do a fly-by during a scene, and "Bio-threat: Beyond the Series" which is mildly disturbing, showing how the threat of a virus is plausible, but also making sure the viewers realize the threat is somewhat fictionalized and cannot kill as many people as the show says that quickly. Last of all, there is a multi-angle study of the Episode 12 "Midnight Shootout" sequence in which you can switch the camera angles from A, B, and C from your remote. All in all, a very awesome set that showcases an exciting 24 hours.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older