Rating:  -
Smallville in the third season continues as a good solid fantasy/superhero series. Lex is missing after a plane crash while Clark's dark side--Kalel--is fully in charge at the opening of the season creating a lot of tension as we wait to see how much destruction Kalel will bring upon the world, and on Clark's relationships. This appears to be the start of an on-going theme in this series. Clark knows that he will have an enemy, and the viewer understands the enemy is within Clark though he does not realize it yet.
Other interesting themes in Season Three are: understanding levels of intimacy and truth in friendship, how much of yourself do you share with others, what is a lie vs what is protecting your own privacy, and the ravages of holding a secret. Pete's best friend states in one scene that it has been a privilege to hold Clark's secret because no-one has ever trusted him that much, and in a different scene in the same episode Pete discusses how hard it has been for him due to his fear of betraying Clark. Smallville explores if it is possible to be close to someone without knowing everything about them.
All of this interesting interpersonal development occurs in a matrix of fun and exciting action based upon the superhero fantasy. Definitely worth watching!
Rating:  -
I loved the series finale from the second season (and that was a pretty good season) leading into this one, and by the time I bought this DVD set, we (meaning my mom, sister, and I) had pretty much set up a Smallville viewing party. With the scheduling conflict (they could've kept it on Tuesdays!), we were unable to watch a lot of Season Three on TV, so I'm glad that I bought this DVD set.
This set was the most compelling out of all the seasons I've seen thus far because the main storyline was a lot about Clark's destiny--and how long he'll fight his biological father, Jor-el, and with the Luthors--especially Lionel--staying on the Kent's heels.
What I missed on TV were a lot of surprises and plot twists that still remain throughout the rest of the series. There's the fact that Pete's leaving, Lana and Clark are getting on each other's nerves, Chloe's turned into Lionel's puppet, and Lex has a psychological break, and scrambles to retrieve lost memories, while finding some that he probably didn't want to remember in the first place. No need to put any more spoilers here, because if you're reading this review, you've probably seen them already on TV (or have them on DVD by now).
Getting this season on DVD made a lot of connections that I missed. So much for their junior year, huh?
Rating: -
Show: Okay, I admit it, I'm a "Smallville" fanatic. I can't help it, i just love this show. That being said, the third season of "Smallville" is my absolute favorite. The acting was stupendous, the main story arcs were complete and enthralling, and the vast majority of the episodes were either excellent or superior. The three actors who give the best performances this season are Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, and John Glover as Lionel Luthor. These three actors really drive the emotional arcs of the season. Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk,) Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack,) Pete Ross (Sam Jones III,) Martha (Annette O'Toole,) and Johnathan Kent (John Schneider) perform admirably as well. This season also contains my favorite episode of "Smallville": "Memoria." This is a truly excellent episode that features superior performances from Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover, and Annette O'Toole. This is flat-out the best episode of the series. Other memorable episodes include: "Exile," "Phoenix," "Extinction," "Slumber," "Perry," "Relic," "Shattered," "Asylum," "Delete," "Obsession," "Crisis," "Truth," and "Covenant." (6/5)
Video: The third season of "Smallville" sports a fantastic 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Simply put, the transfer is amazing. Color, sharpness, and detail are all excellent. (5/5)
Audio: The Dolby 2.0 Surround track is excellent. In Pro Logic II, it sounds exactly like a full 5.1 mix. Its that good. (4/5)
Extras: "Exile" features a commentary by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. "Memoria" has a commentary by Michael Rosenbaum and the series producers. "Truth" features a commentary by Allison Mack, John Glover, and the producers. All three commentaries are excellent and fun to listen to.
There is also a fun gag reel, "The Chloe Chronicles" web-isodes, deleted scenes, and an excellent 25-minute documentary "Producing Smallville: The Heroes Behind The Camera."
All in all these extras are fun and definately worth a look. (4/5)
Overall: Warner Brothers has released another excellent season set of "Smallville." Warner Brothers definately sets the DVD benchmark very high, and proves once again why they are the best DVD studio around. Superior show, excellent DVD. Don't hesitate to buy this. Highly recommended! (5/5)
Rating: -
Thank you so much. Quick shipping and great packaging. The dvd was awesome. Amazon.com is the place to shop!
Rating: -
I absolutely adored the first season of SMALLVILLE, and I loved the second as well. The third season is somewhat like ice cream: you know it's not healthy, but it's just so good. You're probably thinking, "What the hell's this guy talking about?" Well, what I'm trying to say is that the third season of SMALLVILLE is a fair step from brilliant - but it's so much fun to watch, you hardly mind.
The main issues that our characters deal with throughout this season are trust, loyalty, and lies. The season picks up a few months after where the previous one left off. Kal-El - a.k.a. Clark Kent (Tom Welling) - is on a crime-filled rampage through Metropolis, controlled by his red kryptonite ring. While on this crime spree, Kal-El attracts the attention of Morgan Edge (Rutger Hauer), a crime boss who ranks just beside Lionel Luthor (John Glover) in the list of Metropolis' most deadly citizens. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) finds himself stranded on a desert island after his airplane crashes. As you may have guessed, the season gets off to a fantastic start. The season opener, "Exile", is one of the series' finest episodes. In "Perry", we're introduced to Perry White (Michael McKean), the future editor of The Daily Planet. The following episode, "Relic", is a personal favorite of mine; in the episode, Clark experiences visions showing him his biological father, Jor-El (also played by Welling), during his time on Earth in 1955. "Crisis" is a clever episode, in which Clark receives a phone call from the future which may help him prevent a murder of one of his loved ones. The late Christopher Reeve makes his final acting appearance in "Legacy". Lex recovers suppressed childhood memories in the moving "Memoria". And in the season finale, titled "Covenant", Clark meets a girl who may be the last surviving Kryptonian woman.
Throughout the season, we're treated to excellent acting (John Glover is just wonderful) and intriguing storylines - not to mention a great soundtrack. But this season's major problem is the relationship between Clark and Lana. As Pete (Sam Jones III) points out in "Forsaken", they have a kind of yo-yo relationship. Clark wants to go out with Lana, but Lana doesn't feel like Clark's telling the truth. Lana wants to go out with Clark, but Clark's afraid that it's too dangerous for Lana to be around him. It's clear that creators Al Gough and Miles Millar were trying to keep the show's fans on the edge of their seats, waiting to see those crazy kids get together, but by the end of the season you find yourself wondering just what's keeping them apart.
While Clark and Lana's on-again/off-again relationship has become tiresome by the end of the season, and there's a slight lack of originality showing as far as the episodes themselves, Season Three boasts great storylines, terrific acting, and some very memorable scenes (the reference to THE GODFATHER from "Covenant" comes to mind). And for the comic book fans, more of the Superman mythos is incorporated into the show. Those who loved the first two seasons of SMALLVILLE will probably enjoy this one as well. I know I did.
TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE SEASON
1. Exile
2. Phoenix
3. Relic
4. Covenant
5. Perry
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