SMALLVILLE: SEASON 1 (DVD)

Superman's protrayal in media other than comics (and in some cases comics as well) hasn't always been well-recieved or well made. The first couple movies were all right, but after 12 movies, (or however many there were,) the well tends to run dry. Cartoons and other media, such as games and CD's, have always seemed to be a mixed bag. So doing a Superman show nowadays was always kinda risky. It had to fit the tone of today's comics as well as appeal to fans who have been around for much longer. Myself, being a fan since, well, birth, always held a certian sense of skepticisim and doubt when news of another series based on the Man of Steel reached my ears. Especially when I heard that it was going on the WB, infamous for shows like "Dawson's Creek" and the like. The idea of an entire series based on his childhood (or more specifically, his high school years,) was a promising concept. I didn't want Clark Kent becoming another whiny teen. Thankfully, my doubts and fears quickly subsided as I watched the first season of "Smallville," which is thankfully all gathered into this huge (6 discs?? ) set, which gets you all 21 episodes of the first season, including the pilot. The show itself is a wonder to behold, filled with great performances and a wondeful setting, great dialogue, and the stories themslves continue to suprise and amaze. As a Superman fan, it's great to see these cool little moments of a young Clark Kent having to adjust and develop his powers as they appear - as well as try to live a normal life as a teenager with a crush (Lana Lang, which again, fans will love,) and other typical teenager issues. Many characters from the comics (Clark, Lana, Jonathan and Martha Kent, as well as Lex Luthor, and Pete Ross, who is a fairly minor character in the comics), as well as some new ones, (Chloe - Clark's good friend and Whitney - Lana's boyfriend)combine into a well crafted and believeable cast. Fans will snicker and adore all of the little ironic moments, all of which hint at what Clark will eventually become. Little parts here and there, but there nonetheless. The biggest one is the fact that Clark Kent and Lex Luthor... are best friends. I couldn't count the number of times that there was a feeling of foreboding and destinic action in almost every scene with these two, my favorite was when Clark asked Lex how long he thought that they'd be friends. Lex simply replied, "Our friendship will be the stuff of legend." He was certianly right. Best writing ever, for this type of series, anyway. There are always going to be comparisons to other stuff like "Creek," and it does kinda steer that way, but it can't be helped. "Creek" was about a bunch of teens growing up and finding themselves. "Smallville" is esentially about the same thing, only add superpowers and tons of special effects to the mix. Another thing that's unique about this show, in terms of a superhero show, is that it is more about the alter ego than the hero. It's a Superman show that's about Clark Kent. Definately pick it up. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy it immensly. If you're just getting into it, it's a great way to start.

Its unfortunate that there's no blu ray version of seasons 1-5 (season 6 to 10 have them thankfully) however, I'm still amazed by the quality most of the time, particularly on close ups, and have trouble believing that this season came out 20 years ago in 2001! I feel like the first dvd out of the 4 disc set has the least impressive quality as most of the artifacts and over-saturation is visibly present. I dont know whether this is the case but it seems as though there are minor improvements as you switch and watch through all of the dvds in this set as slowly the problems werent as apparent. When I compared the last episode, 21, to its first episode, there were clear improvements which were not major but still noticeable, particularly in how much better it looked. For reference, season 1 was filmed in 1.78:1 amamorphic wide-screen but can be converted to full screen with the proper TV/DVD player. Sound quality is decent as its a regular 2 channel stereo that can be transformed to a 5.1 if your receiver is capable however, even if its not then its at least still better than the original broadcast sound as most DVDs are.. As for the story.. I admit that its not perfect in this season as there are a lot of "freak of the week" episodes that don't contribute much towards Clark or his origins. I do give the show credit for having great and likeable characters with side plots that really make those filler type of episodes very enjoyable. I felt myself feeling very Sympathetic towards our main character Clark (played by the handsome Tom Welling) throughout the season and had high hopes for him as well as to see the downfall with him and Lex. He's not exactly the outsider or loner as the comics/other media portrays him but he has many problems that I think are relatable and makes the writing feel quite dynamic. After seeing the final season 1 year ago (late 2020) I think all 10 seasons are binge worthy and worth it in the long run. Season 1 is the introductory season so as such it starts off very tame and slow with as mentioned before many filler episodes.. it might be your thing or it might not be but looking back what I love the most about this season is just that, how simple and tame everything is... later seasons have so much going for them but its just amazing to see how it all started and how it ends up being so much more complex. As mentioned before, there are 21 episodes in this season that ends with such a great cliff hanger which only picks up as season 2 more than improves everything about the show and characters with a season long arc.

I must confess that I didn't watch Smallville when it first premiered. I thought, "another show about Superman. Geez!" There had already been Lois and Clark which I could never get into. I've always liked Superman, but part of what didn't appeal to me about him is that he's just too powerful. I had wished that he was more vulnerable, more human, to make him a bit more interesting. My best friend, who had been watching the show faithfully from the beginning told me to give a try. I did. And wow, was I surprised, most pleasantly! Here, I'm exposed to Clark Kent as a young teenager (even though it's obvious that Tom Welling is not a teen) who hasn't even reached the pinnacle of his powers yet. In fact, he's a young man struggling to cope with these strange abilities. We find that he has strength and speed, but that's about it. He has an invulnerability that isn't quite at full strength yet. Bullets bruise him, and he can feel the heat of intense fire. Exploring the early years of Clark Kent is more compelling than I thought it would be. How does a teenage boy from who knows where (since Clark doesn't know where he's from) cope with the mysteries of his origins and his upcoming powers. We find that as with any young teen, Clark struggles to do what is right, live a "normal" life, trying to fit in socially with his friends while trying to maintain his secret. Still this series is about "believing to disbelieve." I mean, Metropolis in the middle of Kansas? Clark grows up with a young Lex Luthor? Yet somehow, the writers make this work. The meteor rocks effects upon the populace of Smallville was a great idea (even if they do overplay this card quite a bit as the series goes on). It gives Clark some interesting people to fight who have been infected by the rocks. Ironically, most those infected are teens as well. We are able to draw comparisons of how a "normal" teen copes compared to how Clark copes. As one may predict, the teens often find that too much power corrupts and they quickly begin to misuse their new-found gift. The cast is great in this show. I do find Chloe a bit annoying and also the most unrealistic character. How much access to information can a high school teen have? She spends more time working on her paper than she does doing school work. However, I find that Michael Rosenbaum brings a side of Lex Luthor that I've not yet seen on television or in the movies. Lex is a good guy. We find him battling his father, Lionel Luthor (and brilliantly portrayed by John Glover), and helping out his best friend, Clark Kent, even if he is also curious about the origins of his friend. "The road to evil is a journey, not a light switch," says Lex. We see this a great, insightful line about how Lex will ultimately fall from grace. Part of the appeal of the series is to see how the inevitable rift will form between Lex and Clark. There is also a great supporting cast in John Schnieder, Annette O'Toole, and Kristin Kreuk. My only complaint is of the ill-used Sam Jones III as Pete Ross. It appears the writers began to have a difficult time writing him into stories as Clark seems to have his hands full with Lex, Lana, and Chloe. If you're interested a fascinating "take" on the Superman saga, Smallville is a great place to do it. Second and third season appearances by Christopher Reeve are treats indeed, as he also found an interest and fascination in Smallville.

I was a really, really hard sell on this series, mainly because I didn't start at the beginning, which is critical. I'll spare you the dull details of how I came to purchase season 1. Suffice it to say that I now publicly retract every bad thing I ever said about Smallville. This is an excellent show that appeals to all ages, both genders, comics fans or not, Superman fans or not. The series builds on itself, and each subsequent season gets still better. The first season is mostly freak-of-the-week, as Clark discovers his super-abilities and tries to understand them. The Pilot is super and had me not only engaged, but loving the characters. I still find Lana a bit annoying at times, but have sort of grown used to her. My entire family, ages 8 to 53, half girls, half guys, love this show. The casting of Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole, John Schneider, and John Glover, was genius. They are all absolutely perfect in their roles. Season 1 doesn't showcase Tom's acting talent as well as future seasons when Clark's journey grows in complexity, but he is still exceptional, very likeable, believeable, and gorgeous, much like the young Christopher Reeve. He was a new actor when Smallville started, so it's neat to see him grow and improve over the years, the most notable leap made between the second and third seasons. Feature film quality special effects and stunts abound. The manipulation of time during action is truly fascinating, wherein time is slowed almost to a standstill so that we can actually see what Clark is doing (as he moves so fast!). I love watching Clark and bullets, either standing there taking them, catching them in his hand, or dodging them in slow motion. All in all, GREAT show. Some episodes are stronger than others, but that's typical. My favorites were the Pilot, Hourglass, Nicodemus, Stray, Tempest. Least favorites were Hothead, Cool, Craving, Shimmer, Crush. Even in the weaker episodes, though, the B-story makes it worth watching. The Luthors always keep you guessing! Special features in this set are okay. The tour of Smallville is too brief. The Storyboard was interesting, but by far the best of the extras are commentaries on the Pilot, Metamorphosis, etc. Those are truly fascinating, and everyone is so honest about what worked and what didn't, and the problems they ran into during shooting. Some of these are tricky to access, tho. You have to go down to the tiny arrow next to "main menu" and select it. I was going to give season 1 four stars, just to allow for an even better season 2 and 3, but it deserves five. Future seasons deserve ten!

All I can say is wow!!. This show is epic!! No other Superman show or movie can compare to the greatness of Smallville. Infact no other superhero show can compare either. Tom Welling puts such feeling and emotion into Clark Kent, really bringing him to life. Smallville has people from the other Superman movies starring in here or guests appearances in the show as well. Of course DC comics was involved giving insight. It's pretty epic and well thought out. Of course there are very important episodes explaining his past and who he is, as well as Clark experiencing life and life choices in other episodes. Alot of tie in's explaining how and why things came to be when he will one day be superman. I started renting Smallville via Netflix DVD via the mail. I was halfway through season 2. It was just taking too long for the turnaround time from Netflix. I couldn't wait any longer. I went and bought all 10 seasons on Amazon HD video at $29.99 each. I couldn't be any more happy. Best money I ever spent. I still continue to watch. Thank you Tom Welling, cast, and crew for bringing us Smallville. This show holds a special place in my heart. Highly recommend, you won't be disappointed guaranteed.

Great sweies

Great

Love it

今回、このＤＶＤを買ってみたのですが、 初めは買うかどうかとても悩みました。 というのも私は英語ができないんです（笑 英語ができないのに海外物のＤＶＤなんか買うなよ、 という方もおられると思いますが、なんといってもこの価格！ しかもこれだけでスモールビルの全話（第一期）を見ることができます！ これは驚きです！！ それに今はテレビでも日本語吹き替えが公開されていますし、 スモールビル関係のサイトもたくさんあり、 ストーリーは十分に把握できると思います。 他にも機能としてはフランス語の吹き替えや フランス語、スペイン語、ポルトガル語の字幕 そして『英語字幕』もあります。 コレを使えば聞き取りづらい郡?分の英語も理解することができます。 この機能のおかげで英語が苦手な私もなんとか救われています（笑 あと今までの各話のあらすじが、ざっと記されている冊子も付いています。 もちろん英語表記でですが（笑 そしてやっぱりありました！映像特典！！ １話のストーリーボードを本編の映像に載せて比較したり スモールビルの各場所の紹介映像（学校やクラークの家など）、 そしてボツシーンの収録（コメント有り無しが可能）などなど すでに全話知ってる方も、コレクションとして 購入しておいても損は無いセットです♪英語の勉強になりますし（笑 やはりヤングスーパーマンは高画質で見たいですもんね♪

Una serie fantástica, de cuando superan era adolescente, acción, suspense,fantasía, romance

Quel plaisir de retrouver la première saison de Smallville, la série qui a bercé mon adolescence ! J'ai décidé par nostalgie de me refaire toute la série, mais aussi car je n'ai pas eu l'occasion de voir les dernières qui ne sont hélas plus diffusées sur M6, ce qui est fortement regrettable et incompréhensible. Rien n'a changé, c'est un véritable plaisir de retrouver nos héros si jeunes ! J'en ai même été un peu perdu au début car cela faisait plusieurs années que je n'avais pas vu la première saison et je suis plutôt habitué aux looks des dernières saisons. C'est assez amusant de voir Clark et Lex encore bons amis à cette époque, Lana avec Withney et nos chers Chloë et Pete !! Bref je recommande fortement cette première saison à tous les nostalgiques de Smallville =)

Per chi è amante della serie non può mancare sui scaffali

They changed packaging size in the middle of the series.So, you're collecting each season, faithfully, and then switch box sizes mid way through. Like, isn't there a law against something like that? LOL! But, it made my then wife very very happy to get these time after time. If I wanted to go out with the guys I'd just get her a season and while she was binge watching she didn't really care where I was. So, five stars just for that.