I would fail an administered polygraph test miserably if I said I have not been looking forward to this moment since 3:01 AM EST on December 16, 2006.  No, I am not talking about the second coming of Christ, but rather the greatest American hero of modern times…Jack Bauer in Hi-Def!  What exactly is so significant about 3:01 AM, December 16, 2006 you may ask?  Well it’s none other than the date and time I ventured out to Wal-Mart to get the impossible to find, at the time, Sony Playstation 3.  It was later that weekend that I was introduced to the world of Blu-ray and I have not looked back since, except to reflect on that magical moment of seeing the crystal clear blue Bahamian waters and the tiny goose bumps lavishly spread across Jessica Alba’s exotic tanned flesh in Into The Blue.  Ahhh (thoughts of serenity race throughout my brain and ricochet off my skull until)…the fingers snap…my attention is broke…back to the review I embark in discern.

Who is Jack Bauer to me?  Jack Bauer is my fictional reason for waking up every morning.  He is the role model I choose to personify and embrace.  I shudder when I think of what my life would be without ever knowing about Jack Bauer.  I strive to be Jack Bauer in everything I do as I struggle to overcome the odds and achieve what I deem at times to be impossible.  He is the sliver of hope that we the people can change the world, even if one person has to bear the burden at times.  Jack constantly defies the odds and proves that one person can make a difference for the greater good.  Jack Bauer will always do whatever it takes to get the job done right.  He may not necessarily do things the way you or I would want him to, but at the end of the day he still delivers the goods.  Underneath that harsh abrasive exterior he possesses a charitable heart of gold, especially towards the people he chooses to let into his life.  To be in Jack’s inner circle is to never wonder whether he has your back.  Without a second thought he would lay down his life to protect you.  He is the leader I can only aspire to be one day.  He is my champion and my hero.  He is Jack Bauer in 1080P and he is everything to me.

The following events happen in real-time. Tick…tock…tick…tock…

The Film 

After a lackluster Season 6, mostly because of the failed family plots, 24 returns with an explosive Season 7.  Is it me or do you notice how every TV show that tries to interject treacherous parental plots always fails (i.e. Prison Break)?  The lackadaisical family plots nearly destroyed 24‘s Season 6 (that and Ricky Schroeder as a CTU Agent from Denver).  Thankfully, with Season 6 behind us now, Jack is back, with the usual plot mix-ups and sudden twists that originally wooed the hearts of primetime TV viewers back in 2001.  Be prepared to be captivated all over again with that familiar uncontrollable urge to start the next hour immediately after each show’s end.

In case you have been living under a rock for these past eight years, the television show 24 is shown in real time, taking place over a period of one day, or 24 hours.  There is a real time clock that continues to tick as the show goes to commercial breaks emphasizing that the time never stops.  Unlike other shows, 24 does not make use of character flashbacks or slow motion techniques, thus grounding you in the reality of the 24-hour period.  If you should choose to watch a season of 24 continuously, let’s dub it a marathon, then a whole day in the life of Jack Bauer would take an investment of approximately 17 hours.

24: Season 7 was originally scheduled to air on January 13, 2008.  Because of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, it was officially postponed until January 2009 to ensure a nonstop season, a trademark of the show where every week features a new episode with no holiday breaks or hiatuses in between.  To alleviate the sadness of the fans who missed their beloved show, a feature-length TV movie, also presented in real time, titled 24: Redemption, set up the plot of Season 7.  Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, 24: Redemption is only available on standard DVD.  I remember learning of this television movie event during Comic-Con 2008 and feverishly awaited the airing of it on November 23, 2008.  That’s a good way to waste your summer away, huh?

Season 7, also affectionately known as Day 7, premiered on Sunday, January 11, 2009.  Season 7 is supposedly set four years after Season 6 and features the show’s first female president, Allison Taylor.  Another interesting tidbit is the fact that this is the first season to take place outside of Los Angeles.  The season begins and ends at 8:00 AM.  I would hate to ruin anything for the people who did not see the show or season yet.  Let’s just say that the bad boys from Sangala, as first introduced from the television movie 24: Redemption, take their fight to American soil while Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) must save the world again from terrorists and home grown private military contractors, but not before the ultimate showdown with a former friend Jack thought was long gone.  It sounds absolutely riveting, thrilling and too good to be true doesn’t it?  Well it is!  24 is a roller coaster ride filled with complex turns, speed bumps and sharp objects around every corner just begging to be plucked.  If that is not enough enticement, how about acknowledging the fact that everyone’s favorite daughter and the hottie from The Girl Next Door, Elisha Cuthbert, is back for Season 7?  I’m sold!  Put me down for two copies.

In a rare event, up until this point virtually unheard of, Season 7 arrived on Blu-ray disc the very next day after the season ended on television, May 19, 2009.  Kudos to Fox Home Entertainment for making the fans not have to wait until the usual December DVD release time frame.  Unfortunately, Season 7 is currently the only season of 24 that is available on the Blu-ray format.  Season 1 was announced back in 2007, but it never came to fruition.  Personally, as I adjust my suspenders of disbelief, I am just ecstatic to have anything 24 to watch on Blu-ray.

Video 

24: Season 7 makes its Blu-ray debut with a sometimes impressive 1080P AVC MPEG-4 video encode presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio spread over six 50-GB discs.  I say sometimes because there are some really bad examples to be found here of rough grain, compression artifacts and minor banding issues.  However, with that being said, 24 has never looked so good!  The Blu-ray transfer is definitely a step up from its HD television broadcast counterpart and it is not even worth wasting our time discussing a comparison between the DVD sets.  Let’s just say that I opened my Season 6 box set last week and used the discs as coasters for this little get together I was hosting.  I will hopefully be replacing them sometime soon with their respective Blu-ray families.  Although, there are some rough spots here and there, the video presentation is a remarkable upgrade from what HD television viewers are used to with rich and deep blacks and extra fine details.  The show’s color palette is often overblown and thus produces a washed-out look at times, but this is faithful to how it is shot, not a fault of the Blu-ray transfer.  The inky blacks more than make up for the contrast issues I just mentioned.  Here’s a thought I just had.  Maybe some of the issues mentioned above could be alleviated with a seventh disc in the next box set to give the episodes just a little more breathing room.

Audio 

Using an expletive from the vocabulary of Jack Bauer, one word describes the audio of Season 7‘s Blu-ray release…”Dammit!,” followed by the words “this audio is good.”  Fans will rejoice in aural pleasure with the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track found here.  The television broadcast never really sold me on the audio, but the Blu-ray edition makes me a believer.  From the explosions and constant gunfire to the opening-ticking clock, your subwoofer will get a firm workout alleviating the need for that 5-minute abs video.  Not since True Blood have I been this impressed with the audio quality of a television show on Blu-ray.  The rear channels are almost always actively engaged.  I like that!  Most importantly, the dialogue audio is impeccable.  No matter where the camera or sound is panning to the dialogue always remains distinguishable.  This easily earns a 4.5-star rating from me as I slowly release and take my finger off the trigger.  Did you hear that?  On this Blu-ray release you will.  I just have a hard time awarding it a 5-star score, much like other reviewers out there, as there are just so many more examples out there of perfect audio.  24 falters in score only because it is a television show with a lower budget than your typical Hollywood blockbusters.  Therefore, the audio will almost always be a bit less in quality.

Special Features 

Finally, we come to the special features department where I am excited to report that all of 24: Season 7‘s supplemental package is in High Definition.  The special features are identical, minus the High Definition part, as to what you would find on its DVD counterpart.  Most importantly, for special feature junkies, there is plenty of material to keep you busy here for almost a whole day if you are a diehard fan of such.  Let’s get out of the pool, grab a lounge chair and discuss what you can expect to find here.

• Audio Commentaries – There are a total of 12 audio commentaries spread over an obvious number of 12 episodes.  The audio commentary participants vary by episode from the actors to the directors, but sadly to note, Kiefer Sutherland does not partake in any of them. 
• The Music of 24 – This was actually pretty cool.  I found this an interesting piece to watch as always being a fan of the show’s soundtrack.  This is a 13-minute look at a recording session mixed together with multiple clips from the series.  It’s sort of like a 24 music video for diehard fans.
• Deleted Scenes - There are a total of 15 scenes accumulating a length of 26 minutes with optional commentary from Co-Executive Producer Stephen Kronish and Producer Paul Gado.
• The Ambush - This 13-minute documentary explores the exciting stuntwork and effects that went into making Hour 19.
• The Untold Story – This 16-minute short documents the effects of the Writer’s Strike on the show and what changes the writers made for Season 7 to redeem themselves from the mistakes made in Season 6.

Final Thoughts 

How do I recap a season that totally exceeded my expectations?  Well, by encouraging others who have not seen 24 before to start from the beginning.  That’s right.  I am not going to make my sales pitch and tell you Season 7 is the best thing since Michael Jackson’s image on a piece of toasted bread.  That’s up to you to decide.  Seriously, if you jump in right now you will be lost.  I know.  I made this mistake before.  I tried to jump into Season 5 to see what all the hype was about.  Not only did I not understand the show, but also I did not even like it.  If it were not for an unplanned rental of Season 1 from Blockbuster, I would have never found the role model I have been searching for my whole life…Jack Bauer.  My wife and I watched Seasons 1-4 within a month’s time and we were anxiously waiting for the December 2006 DVD release date of Season 5, which I finished in under a week.  That’s right.   Can you believe it?  At one point in my life I used to anxiously await DVD releases.  The television show 24, to me, is like oxygen.  You just got to have more and more!  Ironically, Season 5 went on to become my favorite out of all the seasons.

As I mentioned before, Season 7 totally rebounded and redeemed itself from the failed plot points of Season 6.  That is not to say Season 7 is perfect in every way, far from the truth, but it gets the show back on track with its formulaic foundation that anything can happen and eventually does happen.  The shocking moments fans learned to love from the past seasons are all back in full force.  You just have to brace yourself in for the ride.  The Blu-ray release of 24: Season 7 features the highest quality production values that has ever graced a viewing of the show with exceptional video, near reference quality audio and supplemental features package that will keep diehard viewers busy on end.  I can’t recommend this enough as a MUST buy, but beware of my disclaimer above.  As much as I hate hearing myself preach to my readers to go out and rent a standard DVD, I cannot emphasize enough how beneficial this will be to newcomers of the 24 franchise.  I care about all my fellow 24 fans and I want you to have the absolute best viewing experience.  Of course, with regards to the loyal legacy fans, there should be no doubt in your mind that this Blu-ray set is worth every penny in capturing 24 in its best viewing experience ever.  “Dammit!”…Go get it now!

I hope you enjoyed my review of the 20^th Century Fox’s 24: Season 7 Blu-ray release.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.  I look forward to receiving any feedback from my readers.

24: Season 7 was released on Blu-ray May 19, 2009.  If you like what you read in the review above, then please show your support for our site by clicking the shopping cart link above to order and save with Amazon’s Everyday Lowest Price Guarantee.  Thanks!