24 in HD

The Seventh Taylor · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 401

I just watched 24: Redemption which was quite interesting. No LA setting, no CTU, virtually no high tech and hardly any plot twists. Oh, and a female US president. Very refreshing.

Supposedly, it plays some time between season 6 and season 7 which came as a bit of a surprise for me because I thought S7 was going to be the first one connecting seamlessly where the previous episode stopped. Either I have been mistaken or the creators have changed their minds during the long interval caused by the decision to postpone the series for a whole year following the 2008 writers' strike.

According to the description, the DVD version (out in the US since November 25) lasts about 10 minutes longer than the broadcast version. This sounded odd to me, considering they're telling the same story which is supposed to span a 2-hour 'real time' period. Only now I realize the broadcast version is significantly shorter than that due to the commercial breaks. In fact, the 88-minute DVD is still far short of two hours. Probably, the 'missing scenes' partly fill up the ad time.

Anyway, I'm surprised neither Redemption nor any of the six previous seasons have been released or even announced on Blu-ray Disc. If my memory serves me well, Fox has been a BD stalwart since a long time and 24 has been shot and broadcast in High Definition since several years. I'm not sure exactly since which season (anyone?). They've even started releasing a 'Special Edition' collectors box set reissue of the series, at least of S1, but again on DVD.

Remarkable. I hope they'll come soon -- and the packaging (of the Eurpean editions especially) will fit nicely with the earlier DVD sets. It would be one of the first TV series out on BD.

Brandon B · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 392

The potential SAG strike might have played into it as well.

Yuri · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 162

I've just started watching season 7, starting with the first two episodes. Somehow, from the very first minute, everything looks different. I find it difficult to put a finger on it but it doesn't look quite as polished. Is it a new director? A different camera crew? Is it the actors or the acting? The new music score? Is it the harsh light of Washington contrasting with the golden sunshine of southern California? Is it that more of this takes place in bright daylight and in dreary office spaces instead of the atmospherically lit CTU bunker?

My guess is they switched from chemical film to digital video. I'm not sure why. Is it they want a more realistic look? To me, it has an adverse effect. It actually looks more amateurish to me. It could also have something to do with the acting as I can't get away from the idea of watching actors, instead of being immersed in the action and the drama.

Mysteriously, by the third episode (I've watched the first four in one go) I don't notice it anymore. Have I already got used to it? I don't believe so. Whatever it is they did differently, I think they switched back. Is anyone else having the same feeling?

Plotwise, without spoiling anything, I can say it reminds me a little of Die Hard 2 and Die Hard 4. From how it goes so far, I like it a lot more than season 6, which was one of the poorest in my opinion.

PS3SACD · Site Admin Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 316

Season 7 will be released on BD as well as DVD. It's the first 24 season on Blu-ray Disc as far as we know. Both are scheduled for May 19, 2009.

24: Season Seven [Blu-ray]

The Seventh Taylor · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 401

The seventh series is since yesterday also released on Blu-ray Disc in Europe:

24: Complete Season 7 [Blu-ray]