"24: Legacy" Works -- Even Without Jack Bauer

This Jack Bauerless iteration of the series follows decorated Army Ranger Eric Carter played byamp160Corey Hawkins pictured at topamp160six months after he returns home from a successful mission to kill terrorist leader BinKhalid amp160In classic actionmovie fashion the reluctant hero is thrust directly into the path of an imminent terrorist threat amp160Khalidamp8217s guys have already killed Carteramp8217s squad and stormed into his home and after stashing his wife somewhere amp8220safeamp8221 and barely escaping with his life he seeks the help of the CTU a move that sucks exagent Rebecca Ingram Miranda Otto back into the fray as wellEven though Iamp8217ve never seen the original certain aspects were still recognizable the most familiar being the concept of the showamp8217s events passing in real time amp160For the most part it seems accurate but on occasion it feels like they play kind of fast and loose with it See Iamp8217ve driven cars before and something as simple as going to a store a mile or two away can turn in a timeconsuming ordeal amp160So either thereamp8217s never any traffic or everythingamp8217s really close in proximity to Carteramp8217s crib amp160However I understand that watching a guy sit in traffic wouldnamp8217t be entertaining so they get a pass when they cut a small corner or twoIn one of the many parallel plotlines the legendary Jimmy Smits plays Senator John Donovan who besides running for president is also Rebecca Ingramamp8217s husband amp160Gerald McRaney whom I recognized from his role in the movie Focus also House of Cards Castle and This Is Us plays Donovanamp8217s fatherpolitical advisor Both of these gentlemen bring some serious gravitas to the table making their less actionpacked segments a little easier to lock ontoIn another parallel plot Carteramp8217s brother Isaac Ashley Thomas is a drug dealer with whom he has a strained relationship that apparently stems from Isaac having been romantically involved with Carteramp8217s wife prior to their marriage amp160I couldamp8217ve done without the drugdealerfromthehood aspect of his character mainly because Iamp8217m sure there are plenty of other vocations he couldamp8217ve held while still having the same personality but hey the terrorists are still middleeastern so whatamp8217s another stereotype amp160Something about the way the amp8220hoodamp8221 characters talk feels a bit off to me as well but not enough to distract me just enough that I noticeInitially Hawkinsamp8217 Eric Carter came off a little generic to me amp160Itamp8217s not his fault he does a great job dotting all his iamp8217s and killing all his terrorists but we donamp8217t get too much time with him before heamp8217s thrown into hero mode amp160Most of his backstory is shared through expositional dialogue and the showamp8217s format eliminates the prospect of a flashback limiting what we know to what we see This method works great for developing the stories of the present but when the bulk of his time is spent running or shooting or driving or yelling into a cellphone it leaves something to be desired in the ways of character development amp160I donamp8217t root for Carter because heamp8217s so damn cool and likeable I root for him because I know heamp8217s the good guy and thatamp8217s a little too easy right amp160Hopefully Carter gains a little more personality over the season because I believe Hawkins is more than able to deliverOverall the plot feels a little like someone said amp8220What if after Seal Team Six came home from killing Bin Laden almost all of them were killed by his stateside followers in a plot to retrieve and activate a list of terrorist sleeper cells that one of the Seals stole from his house Just change Seal Team Six to Army Special Forces change Bin Laden to BinKhalid and add a clock Voilaamp8221 On paper that may seem uninspired but its execution is really what brings it home All of the simultaneous plotlines are absorbing enough that we donamp8217t fall asleep when weamp8217re not following Carter around and with every twist and turn they reveal a stronger more integral connection with the main plotLastly the production quality is pretty dope I didnamp8217t see a single effect that wasnamp8217t believable including the stunt work the depicted technology and the muzzle flashes smoke etc amp160Sure every once in a while someone will say or not say something that leaves me questioning why they didnamp8217t just make a different decision in that moment but most of the time I succumb to the notion that the alternative just wouldnamp8217t have been entertaining amp160Couple that with the fact that the writers do seem to stick to the rules theyamp8217ve created or inherited in this case for this world and the result is something pretty damn watchable24 Legacy combines elements of suspense action and drama with a proven formula handed down from its various predecessors The result is something that newbies to the franchise and longtime fans alike can jump right into with little to no preparation amp160I may not know much about this Jack Bauer guy but Iamp8217d definitely like to see how the rest of Eric Carteramp8217s day goes24 Legacy will premiere on Sunday after Fox39s telecast of Super Bowl LI before moving into its regular 8amp160pm time period the next nightClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160amp160

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"24: Legacy" Works -- Even Without Jack Bauer

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