DVD : Smallville - The Complete First Season

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Essential for viewing the show's second season ...
Having never been a comic book reader, I was skeptical about "Smallville's" ability to hook me into its story arc. I do, however, happen to be a fan of the coming-of-age story, whether in print (e.g., Salinger) or the big screen (e.g. "Stand by Me"). So I dove into "Smallville" with the hope that the characterization would be solid enough to overcome any ignorance I had toward the "Superman" comic series.

The series greatly exceeded my expectations. Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk have incredible chemistry as Clark Kent and Lana Lang, respectively. But Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luther steals the show. His acting and his character are rendered in such a way that -- even though one knows he winds up being Superman's antagonist -- the viewer is left to ponder just exactly HOW this transformation will take place.

And this leads me to another significant point: even though, as I said, I'm not familiar with comic fiction, I quickly came to realize that Superman is a deeply-rooted American myth. I found myself immediately understanding the overall theme of the show, and also grinning with delight at each double entendre.

Season One does have two main weaknesses. One is the character arcs of Chloe and Pete, played by Allison Mack and Sam Jones, III, respectively. Please note that I felt the weakness was in the characters, not in the acting. Both actors do a great job; but I think they could've been given more substantive emotional roles. I realize this may seem ironic given the season finale, but I thought Chloe's development, in particular, did not flow smoothly.

Season One's other weakness has been mentioned repeatedly: the monster of the week. While the writers do a good job showing how Clark, Lana, etc, deal with these Krypton-influenced villains, it was difficult to continuously suspend disbelief throughout the whole season.

Nevertheless, this season is essential for Season Two, which is one of the best coming-of-age story lines that I've seen in a long while on television.

Kudos to the actors, writers and directors for a job well done and kicking off a fantastic series.

Rating:

- Clark Kents's Adventures Begin!
This is a very well written and casted show! The storylines are interesting and the characters very well developed and consistent. A great show! Tom Welling makes a great Clark Kent!

Rating:

- A wonderful show that brings on the action.
When the WB moved "Buffy" to UPN and cancelled the short-lived "Popular" during spring 2001 I was upset; but that didn't last long because during the summer of 2001 the WB announced that they would bring on a TV series about Superman during his teenage years, I said finally yes something worth watching. The show was called "Smallville". I didn't watch it that much during its first season because I was in college working a lot and studying, so I recorded it to watch over the weekends. When I first saw it I knew that it would be great. This season rocked. Brian Robbins is the man.

Rating:

- A Modern Indepth Look Into The Trials Of Kal-El
This 1st season is a great introduction to Clark Kent and his struggle with being abnormally strong, super fast, and impervious to harm. He discovers his true origins and falls in love for the 1st time. It's Superman in his adolescence and it's wonderfully done!

I didn't start watching this show on a regular basis until it began it's 4th season. I caught some old episodes on ABC Family and was instantly hooked!! I've been a fan ever since!

Rating:

- I love smallville
I had only seen bits and pieces of Smallville before on tv and did not know what
I was missing! After I bought the first season I couldn't believe what I had
been missing! What a great show!

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