Smallville - Season One on DVD - Superman's teen years

After the big dumb disappointment that was Superman Returns, I didn’t have high hopes for anything else Superman-related. That was until some friends turned me onto Smallville. This show has been around for several years, and I found a used copy of this Season One Boxed Set on Amazon.com for less than ten bucks. I loved every minute of it.

From what I remember of the first Superman movie, and it has been a while since I saw it, the story focused mainly on Clark Kent’s adult life. It has some scenes early on showing Clark as a boy and a few scenes with him growing up, but mostly it just jumps into his adult life. This television show addresses his teenage years and deals with how Clark handles his superpowers when mixed with things like teenage romance, parental strife, and more. It fills the gap nicely.

This season begins with a killer pilot episode in which it shows a huge meteor shower wreak havoc on the farming town of Smallville. Clark Kent, as a very young boy, crash lands on earth during the shower, and he is found by a couple who adopt him as their own child. They knew right from the beginning that he was special and even kept the small spaceship hidden on their farm. Clark’s parents are played by John Schneider (of Dukes of Hazzard) and Annette O’Toole, who was actually in Superman III with Christopher Reeve.

After showing how Clark came to earth, it jumps right into his high school years. Clark wants to play football, but his parents won’t let him for the obvious reason that he’s too fast and strong and might hurt other players. In a way, Clark’s options are pretty stifled because of his powers, many of which he doesn’t know how to use yet. Several episodes involve Clark figuring out new things he can, as well as problems he creates when he can’t control them. On top of that, his friendship with millionaire bad boy Lex Luthor puts him at odds with a lot of people who don’t trust the Luthor family. Clark also wants very badly to get into a relationship with Lana Lang (the gorgeous Kristen Kreuk) but things keep getting in the way.

I really liked the way this show was written and the season-long story arcs involving all the characters. At the core of the plot, it is just a story about a young man trying to find a place in the world. Instead of being hindered by common teenage things like bad skin, weight issues, or social awkwardness, Clark Kent has trouble fitting in thanks to x-ray vision, the ability to outrun bullets, and basically being indestructible. In several episodes, he saves people with his powers, but can’t take credit for the rescue because he would reveal too much of himself.

Tom Welling is pretty good as Clark Kent. I’m already watching the second season of this show and his acting is improving. This show was his first big acting gig after working as a model for some time. He plays Clark like an all-American boy with lots of smiles and never too serious. I like that the show sticks to its teenage theme and doesn’t try to make an adult show starring a bunch of youngsters. Michael Rosenbaum is absolutely wonderful as Lex Luthor, and he plays the part quite well. Lex is mostly thought of as a villain in the Superman world, but in this first season he rides the fence most of the time. The friendship between Lex and Clark is one of the most interesting ongoing developments in the show.

This DVD boxed set only comes in stereo sound, which was a little disappointing. The picture looks pretty good and I liked the bright colors used in each episode. Most of the show was actually shot in Canada, and the scenery is very nice. There are not a whole lot of bonus features on the DVD, but there usually aren’t on first season DVD sets for TV shows.

I highly recommend Smallville Season One for anyone who likes good clean action-packed fun. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Heroes will surely enjoy this.