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by R.J. Carter Published: October 6, 2003
Running time: 922 minutes + extras.I love technology. When I was a kid, if you wanted to see your favorite TV episode, you had to wait until they re-ran it. As a young adult, you could rewatch it if you remembered to tape it on your VCR--as long as you didn't watch it so much that the tape wore out, or broke, or got tangled in the machine, or accidentally got recorded over. In this age of DVDs, now you can go out and own a whole series, free of commercials and with the clearest of details. The WB's hit series, Smallville, is one of the latest to find its way into the digital domain. For those who don't know (so listen up, both of you), Smallville is the story of Superman when he was just young Clark Kent, a farmboy growing up on his father's farm in Kansas. He still has all these powers and abilities that he has to hide, but they're new to him, and he doesn't really understand why he is the way he is. He has the support of his family (who know his secret) and is surrounded by his small-town friends (who do not), and among whom are Lana Lang and destined-to-be arch-foe, Lex Luthor. In this first season, there was criticism that the series seemed to suffer from the Kryptonite "freak-of-the-week" syndrome--monsters or super-powered people created by contact with the meteor rocks that followed the wake of Clark's rocket to Earth. And to be sure, 16 of the 21 episodes have that central problem. But more than anything, Smallville is driven by characters and relationships--something that even non-fans of Superman can relate to and, ultimately, is the guiding strength of the show. The menus on these DVDs cycle through the Remy Zero song, with images fading in and out--it's a very smooth looping job. Although I wonder why they provide a "Features" option on every disk only to tell you to go see Disk 6. The episodes are enhanced for widescreen televisions, so you can see them just like on the Sunday replays. However, these aren't letterbox format, so you have to have a compatible television. The set features six disks, each one labelled with a portrait of different Smallville characters. Disk One: Clark Pilot, Metamorphosis, Hothead, X-Ray Disk Two: Lana Cool, Hourglass, Craving, Jitters Disk Three: Lex Rogue, Shimmer, Hug, Leech Disk Four: Chloe Kinetic, Zero, Nicodemus, Stray Disk Five: Pete Reaper, Drone, Crush, Obscura Disk 6: Jonathan & Martha Kent Tempest and Special Features SPECIAL FEATURES: Hardly anyone buys a DVD anymore just because the picture is clearer. They buy it for all the extra bonuses we've come to expect from the medium. Warner Brothers provides a spattering of them--not a great amount, not the expected Remy Zero "Save Me" video or audio commentary on every episode (although you do get just that on episodes 1 and 2 from Alfred Gough and Miles Millar; David Nutter joins them on "Pilot."). But the features you do get are still pretty cool, and include: 1. Deleted scenes from "Pilot" and "Metamorphosis." These also come with audio commentary by Millar and Gough. Nothing earth-shaking in here, but you do get to see some of Pete Ross's relatives at the creamed corn plant prior to Lionel Luthor's buyout. 2. "Pilot" storyboard to screen. This features some very cool side-by-side comparisons of the scenes to the original storyboards, which look a lot like they were done by Man of Steel writer/artist John Byrne. There's more footage here than I expected. 3. Interactive Tour of Smallville. This bit is a nice little touch. The sub-menu is a symbolic map of Smallville with certain landmarks accessible via the remote control. Millar & Gough talk you through the main places of interest in Smallville: Smallville High, Main Street, Lex's Estate, LuthorCorp, Lana's House, Kent Farm, and the Corn Fields. While visiting each, you get to see which are sets and which are actual locations. Maybe on Season Two we'll get to go inside the Talon and meet the locals who come in for coffee? 4. Original TV Promo. This would have been very cool if it has been the promos for the first season. But it's apparently for the second season, since it includes scenes from the "Tempest," as well as a few bits from Season Two episodes. 5. Something new Now these are rated "very cool." A teaser for the upcoming "Tarzan" series (called "Tarzan and Jane" in this teaser, and which premieres in less than 6 hours at the time of this writing.) There's also a teaser for a new series called "Fearless" which I haven't heard of yet. The problem with both of these teasers is that both are far too short--barely 20 seconds each. But it's enough to put us all on alert to keep our eyes peeled for some very innovative shows in our future. 6. DVD ROM It's not enough that the disks be packed with things for your television. These days, you can also access special places on the Internet if you have a DVD-ROM drive (as Pa Kettle might say, "Gonna have to get around to getting one of those one of these days.") Log on to Chloe Sullivan's personal computer and view the "Wall of Weird." Or hack into the Luthorcorp Intranet, and find out what strange goings on Lex is up to. Overall, this set is a high quality addition to your library. The case itself is in book format, not fold-out like some series box sets or (thank goodness) the usual clip-cases that Warner Brothers stubbornly insists on using instead of the keep-cases all other companies have gone to. Handsome artwork on both the book and the slipcover, and a well-designed program guide under the guise of a "Smallville High" yearbook. Very highly recommended. DVD reviews at The Trades contain clickable graphics which will take you directly to the item's Amazon.com page. These referrals help us to continue bringing you quality entertainment news and reviews. |
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