Every Superhero has a beginning (Smallville)

Member Name: Planescape

Product:	Smallville
Date:	11/06/02 (670 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Script, Good Actors/Actresses, Good full stop

Disadvantages: None , None, none

I first heard about smallville from a friend who just mentioned it in passing, I've always been a Superman fan since I was quite young mainly due to the films and the comics.
When i was first told about the series I didn't really think too much about it, thinking it would probably be a cheap and badly made cash in.

But just recently I decided to download the pilot episode off the internet and I found myself pleasently surprised to say the least.
Within a week after that I downloaded the other 20 episodes and watched them in quick succession.

For those of you who don't know this series is based around Clark Kents/Supermans (Tom Welling) early years as a teenager living in Smallville and attending the local high school. At this point in his life he is just beginning to learn his powers.
As with all teen series there is the childhood sweetheart, Smallviles sweetheart comes in the form of Lana Lang played by Kristin Kreuk. Clarks love for her has been there for a long time and they have barely spoken. At the beginning of the series she is going out with one of the football jocks Whitney.
Clarkes two best friends in the series are Chloe and Pete, Chloe is the editor of the school paper and Pete is a recent addition to the football team.
The episodes are generally separate from each other, with a slight back story behind and they do refer to other episodes at times. The adventures that Clark and Co have during these episodes are based around a 'freak of the week'. This is mainly where someone has obtained certain powers due to the meteors that hit Smallville alongside of Clarks arrival.

Lex Luthor is also a big character in this show but then that's no surprise, but what is a surprise is that in this he and Clark are not arch enemies but they are good friends. Lex was sent to Smallville by his father Lionel to keep him out of the way/train him depending on who's view you agree with. In th
is series Lex isn't a bad character he has his dark secrets as do all the characters but at heart he is a genuinely nice person, a far stretch from the other portrails of Lex.


So contrary to my original thought this show is a cheap cash in, it is in fact a well designed thought out and filmed program. The characters are well rounded and written and you find yourself caring for their well being, especially the relationship between Clark and Lana which you really want to take off.
The actors/actresses who were chosen for the roles were well selected, they all resemble the characters they are meant to play and bring them to life brilliant, Michael Rosenbaum does a great job of bringing Lex's slight arrogant and presumptious nature into the real world.

The special effects in this program are effective but they aren't particularly spectacular but then this isn't due to a lack of money or thought, it's due to the fact that for the majority of his powers you don't really need anything over special. The X-Ray vision is very good though, when looking at people he sees their skeleton or he can somethings see straight through them.


If you watch the show regularly you'll notice that music is a major part of it. The producers have chosen the music for particular scenes very well, Lifehouse - Everything is used at the end of the first episode to bring across Clarks feelings for Lana, this works very well.
EVa Cassidy - Time after Time is used for a funeral sequence and this works very well with the scene and makes the audience feel somber along with the characters.


The show is very much like other teen shows, Buffy or Roswell but there is a stronger emotional feeling to it, the actors and actresses bring the characters out brilliantly and you really feel for them.

My advice is either catch this on TV or download it if you have a good connection.

You won't be disappointe
d.

Summary: