Everyone has a
future. Clark Kent has a destiny - if he’s willing to accept and
able to master the awesome powers and responsibilities that come
with it. The fascinating reinterpretation of Superman mythology
and its classic characters continues in an event-packed 22-episode
Season Three.
The show stars Tom
Welling as Clark, Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang, and Michael
Rosenbaum as Lex.
CRITIQUE
Smallville
has seemingly gone downhill since the first season. Season Three
begins with “Evil” Clark as he is under the influence of red
kryptonite, but haven’t we seen this before in season 2’s “Red?”
Another recycled storyline is the villain in “Magnetic” being able
to make people fall in love with him, which seems almost identical
to the ability of the villain in season 2’s “Heat.” It is clear
the writers are running out of ideas, especially when they
basically rip off The Fast and the Furious in the episode
“Velocity” that looks at illegal street racing; Pete gets into
trouble when he owes money. The episode also uses unfairly tricked
out cars, but that's beside the point.
Ironically, the
worst episode this season is one with a new idea (“Relic”). Also, is
there anyone out there who likes shows where the characters flash back
to the 60’s? Well, this happens in an episode, and it isn't
interesting. On another note, Clark tries to decode the meanings and symbols in the Native
American caves in almost every
other episode. With Smallville in its fourth season on TV, that
is still the never-ending story.
However, there are interesting moments such as Clark discovering his new hearing abilities and Pete’s
farewell episode. This season does include one of my favorite episodes
in the show's history: “Asylum” features three returning villains from
Clark’s
past, and is full of drama and suspense. The episode “Crisis” is also
excellent; its chilling plot (Lana’s future death) will keep you on
the edge of your seat from the very beginning.
THE VIDEO
Warner Bros. presents
Smallville in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors look
pretty good, picture quality is accurate and detailed, and
overall there are no major complaints about this presentation. Optional
subtitles include English, French and Spanish.
THE AUDIO
Warner Bros. presents
Smallville in English 2.0 Dolby Surround. Dialogue and sound
effects, as well as the music of the week, are emitted clearly
through the front speakers.
THE EXTRAS
The special
features include deleted scenes, audio commentary by
the cast and creative crew on select episodes, a gag reel,
"The Chloe Chronicles II" (segments about the weird
events in Smallville), and a behind the scenes look at
the production of Smallville. The gag reel doesn’t provide much
humor, and the deleted scenes didn’t really contain anything
relevant, except for a cut scene of Clark’s surprise party which
was never mentioned in the episode "Talisman."
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, there was
way too much time spent in caves, and not enough time spent on telling
fresh stories to make Season Three as good as the first or even second
season. Only people who missed Season Three episodes (like myself)
should think about picking up this DVD set. Everyone else, a rental
will suffice.
