Stars:
Tom Welling, Kristen Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Eric Johnson, Sam Jones III,
Alison Mack, Annette O’Toole, John Schneider, and Julian Glover
Writers:
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar
Based
On “Superman” Created By: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Directors:
David Nutter, Michael Watkins, and Philip Scricca
Executive
Producers: David Nutter, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins, and Joe Davola
Feature
length: 91 minutes
Extras:
Audio Commentary By Producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and Pilot Director
David Nutter, Interactive Map Of Smallville, Storyboard To Screen, and Deleted
Scenes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 and French, Spanish, and Portuguese Language Dolby
Surround 2.0
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese,
Bahasa, Thai, and Korean Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Snap Case
Chapter
Stops: 24
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Surround Sound
Year
of Television Broadcast: 2001/DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
Canadian
Rating: PG
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
I
have never watched a single episode of “Smallville” during the entire first
season, but I can say that after watching the feature length DVD release of the
series pilot, I will tune in if not do an advanced review of the second season
premiere this fall. The pilot is really two episodes that take place quite
literally minutes after the ending of the first one that put together form the
feature length premiere. The opening is fantastic as the series quickly
establishes the arrival of the last surviving being from Krypton along with
large chunks of kryptonite, which shower down upon the town of “Smallville”
and the outskirts. This opening is not only visually stunning, but gets out a
large amount of information in a short time as we see visually the triangle that
will form between the series central characters of Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, and
Lana Lang. I was originally turned off to the idea of seeing a show about
Superman without the suit, but the producers and writers as well as the
directors have done an excellent job with creating a new mythology for young
Clark Kent and a young Lex Luthor, who is not a bad guy in the pilot. As the
series creators say in the commentary track, this is about how teenage Clark
Kent becomes the character we are familiar with and how Lex Luthor gradually
changes over the course of the series to the antihero we are familiar with. I am
very impressed by the way that have managed to pull it off and still make the
series accessible for a new generation as well as give fans of the films and
comic something to watch.
For
reasons not made clear, Warner Home Video has only released “Smallville” on
DVD officially in Canada though stores on and offline have the pilot available
for pre-order and in some cases one might find it out already. My brother bought
my copy at some unnamed store in Manhattan for $14.99 and I am pretty happy with
it. The packaging does not even state anything on “Smallville” being only
available for distribution in Canada so I guess that is why American stores have
been able to get it and sell it. The image is presented in a matted widescreen
(1.78:1) aspect ratio enhanced for 16 by 9 TVs. While not crystal clear, the
image is sharp enough I think to please those who have been tuning into the
series on The WB with standard analogue broadcast or cable access. A full
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is included along with French,
Spanish, and Portuguese Language Dolby Surround Soundtracks along with English
Captions and Closed Captions and French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Bahasa,
Thai, and Korean Language Subtitles encoded on to the DVD as options.
The
commentary track also has it’s own set of subtitles, which I wish more studios
would utilize since it makes listening easier since sometimes the cadence in
one’s speech can obscure what someone might say. The subtitles are helpful and
cut down on having to reverse a scene in case one was not sure what one of the
speaker’s said and whatnot. Another aspect I really enjoyed is that the
producers have no qualms on pointing out small continuity errors and laughing at
them. Overall this is an entertaining and informative commentary. There are
several widescreen (1.78:1) deleted scenes with English Stereo Sound and an
optional audio commentary track from the series’ producers along with an
interactive map of Smallville, which is just a highlight and click map where we
get images from the series with a short explanation of the show’s producers on
how the look of the place is supposed to reflect character and whatnot. There
are some scenes with the storyboards superimposed for comparison and a list of
cast and crew credits that wrap up the extra features on this DVD. Despite what
the packaging states, there is no trailer for the series on the DVD.
The
menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. I think
this DVD is worth the investment and does a great job of presenting the series
for both fans while giving those unfamiliar a chance to get acquainted and
prepare for the upcoming second season. “Smallville” will debut on DVD-Video
as a Canadian import on Tuesday, July 2, 2002 from Warner Home Video.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.