Smallville is a TV series based upon the young life of a certain Mr Clark Kent, as he goes through his adolescent years. More teenage angst I hear you scream! Well, yes. But then what would you expect when you're growing up in a small country town in the sticks, you live on a farm and you're discovering that you're really not the same as all the other kids. The series begins, as it shows you a meteor shower that hit Smallville in 1989 which is how Clarke arrived on Earth. The meteor shower and its effects on the town is a recurring theme throughout the series, but you never tire of it due to the great variation in story lines.
SO WHO'S IN IT?
The series focuses around the following characters
CLARK KENT The star of the show. Discovering his different powers and using them to help defend his friends and others from danger, usually tracing back to the meteor rocks.
JONATHON AND MARTHA KENT Clark's adoptive parents. Found him during the meteor shower and kept him as they couldn't have children of their own. Tried to show him a good wholesome way of life.
LEX LUTHOR First meets Clark after he drives his car off a bridge, hitting Clark in the process. Lex is intrigued by his new friend, after Clark saves him and they become firm friends.
CHLOE SULLIVAN Curator of the 'Wall of Weird', a display of strange occurances in Smallville since the meteor shower. Editor of the school newspaper, The Torch and Clark's friend.
PETE ROSS Another of Clark's school mates, who is always around. Often mediating between him and the girls.
LANA LANG The girl of Clark's dreams, but does she feel the same? Lana has lost her parents during the meteor shower and is adopted, just like Clark.
WHAT DO I THINK?
I was somewhat sceptical when my partner decided to purchase boxsets 1 & 2. I hadn't watched the series on TV, so didn't know what to expect. I was totally hooked after watching the first episode, as you just have to know what happens next. I'm really not a very big TV or DVD watcher, and while this may not exactly be the most intellectually stimulating programming known to man, it is very addictive. You warm to the characters very easily, even though they are slightly cheesy stereotypical American teens. However, their obvious zeal for the roles they play, really brings the show to life and allows you to step into their world. The episodes in the first series are quite simple in as much as they are Clark's first steps into discovering his powers and developing his relationships with both the males and females in his life. There are some good special effect, which are only usually reserved for big budget films, so its nice to see them at home on the small screen as well. I think this is a great enhancement, as without it ,the show would just not have the same impact, and realism factor. Sadly there is a severe lack of extras on this DVD, which would have been a great addition. With so many people to talk to - crew, cast, special effects bods - its hard to work out how they didn't manage it.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?
The answer to this question is most definitely yes. When you finish one boxset, you will undoubtedly wish that you had already lined the next one up, so you could keep watching. I had this feeling when we finished series 2, but I had to wait because it hadn't been released yet! On a value for money side of things, this boxset contains 21 episodes, each approximately 40 mintues long. That's great value for money, when you conside rthat the boxset only cost me £30. For those maths bods out there, that's just over £2.30 an episode.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Very helpful review, despite the opinions of others who have read it, who are clearly only going on how long you've been at Ciao. I love Smallville, and I know what you mean about it's addictiveness and very good special effects. Keep up the good review-writing, and just for the record, it's spelt Clark ;)
May 8th, 2005
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