Smallville - Series 3 - Complete (Box Set) > Reviews > SuperTeen to Superman - the saga STILL continues

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Outstanding
Soundtrack	Outstanding

Advantages:	lots of extras
Disadvantages:	series starts to get confusing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As it turns out, America thought that this series was rather successful enough for a 3rd season to be aired (a 6th is currently being aired as I type, if I am correct).

Now, don't get me wrong, I like the idea of exploring the idea behind Superman, as he was younger, that is, BEFORE he decided to be Superman.

As a TV series, it does stand out, as being one with a little more thought put into the storylines and emotions of the characters in the story. Acting is superb, with only a guest actor occasionally screwing up the show.

This season starts where Clark was in Metropolis, having run away from home, feeling guilty about his adopted mother's miscarriage. In the last season, we learn that there is also red kryptonite, which makes Clark act as though he was on drugs. Well, when he had an attack of guilty-conscience, he put on a high school ring, in which was embedded a piece of this red kryptonite, and heads for Metropolis, where he has no conscience, doing almost anything that comes to mind, robbing a bank in the first episode of this season.

Clark's adopted father, Jonathon, does manage to bring Clark home, with help from Clark's real father, Jurell, but not after Clark screws up his entire life, making a deal with Metropolis' biggest crime boss, to break into Lionel Luthor's office in the city to steal a package, which they later find out actually contains a sample of Clark's blood.

The entire season ricochets with Clark's decision to run away to Metropolis that summer. Changes in relationships with Lana, Chloe and Pete have occurred, and Clark has to fight to restore all of his personal relationships.

This season also sees the entire Superman story get twisted and complicated. Clark finally finds a girl he believed that he could have a relationship with, but turns out to be obsessive and tried to kill her own father because of her obssession with him. This season also sees Lex going into the asylum and his performance is outstanding in that episode, if in none else. At the end of the season, we also see Lex putting his father, Lionel Luthor in jail for murdering his Lex's grandparents, for the insurance money.

The story, when watching the show on TV was a little hard to follow, but because of the fact that the DVDs place all the episodes within reach, the story then becomes easier to follow.

Special effects in this TV series went overboard - for a TV series, that is. In the first episode, we see Clark jump a bike through a bank window, we see him blow up a police squad car with his heat vision, we see him and his father fall out of a skyscraper, plus a serious fight scene...the special effects are great - for a TV series. If you are one of the fortunate few to have a HD TV, then you will appreciate all the finer points of this show's special effects.

One reason I like this TV series is its skill for placing very appropriate background music, instead of just some "music that sounds good". I particularly remember "one thing" from Clark's date with a girl other than Lana and Chloe, and then there is "show me you're here" from the first episode, where Clark's parents were moving out because of financial troubles and Clark was still in Metropolis, as far as they knew...

Very well done.

Like I said eariler, the story does get a touch confusing as the season (and the series as a whole) progresses. In the last season, we saw Clark destroy the spacecraft which brought him to Earth, because he thought that his father was controlling him through it. But in that same season, Clark finds a series of caves, in which there are Native American cave paintings, which appear to be linked to him. Well, of course they are, and it turns out that there is some mechanism by which his biological father from Krypton can communicate to him.

This season was apparently so successful, that Christopher Reeve made a guest appearance, himself in a couple episodes.

For true fans of the Superman movies of the 80s and Smallville, this was a historic episode, for the rest of us, it is still memorable, because you have to marvel at the success of the franchise.

Luckily, this series is not structured like a soap opera, where each episode relies on the previous one - each episode can stand on its own. So, if you have some time to spare, you can take in an episode when you can.

Long story short: good acting (although I find that they make Clark appear like a goodie-two-shoes at times), enough of story to grab your attention, but sometimes too much story to comprehend and follow, great special effects and a soundtrack that actually contributes to the mood of the show - unless you want to buy a TiVo just to get reruns of this show, buy the DVD box set - it also makes a great gift for the teens, in case you do not know what to buy.