Being a comic geek, I’ve had mixed feelings about Smallvile
but somewhere between season 1 and season 8, something profound and godly happened. And no, Clark Kent did not undress in a phone
book to reveal a Superman suit but rather the characters grew and more
specifically, elements of the DC Comics started to seep into the
storylines.
Another momentous occasion was the transfer from season 7 to
8 which saw Clark (Tom Welling) go from country boy to a reporter for
the Daily Planet but unfortunately this saw a few regular cast members
finally bow out. Even though Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), Lionel
Luthor (John Glover), Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort) and
Lana Lang (Kristin Kruek) would be leaving the cast as regulars, a whole
new group of supporting cast would be introduced, including some impressive
guest-stars from the world of comics. However, one strong link to Smallville
remained though, Alison Mack as Chloe Sullivan, Clark’s confident and
best friend who keeps our future Superman firmly grounded.
Season 8 revolves around Clark finding himself in the
world, more specifically the hustle and bustle of Metropolis. This has
caused him to uses his powers more
often which has also come to the attention of the denizens of this city
and more specifically, Lois Lane (Erica Durance). There is even a subtle hint of
romance between Lois and Clark and I’m sure as the series progresses,
this will be made more evident.
We are also introduced to photographer
Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) who adds to the Superman mythology and unfortunately
not as annoying as the comic book version. Like the comics, the world of
Smallville (it should be renamed to Metropolis) introduces some new
characters to the franchise that include Green Arrow (Oliver Queen),
played by Just Hartley, Doomsday (David Bloome) played by Sam Witwer and interestingly
enough, both characters pay homage to their comic counterparts.
Ever hero
needs a villain and the viewers were introduced to Tess Mercer (Cassidy
Freeman) who
is acting CEO of the nefarious Luthor Corp and plays the perfect
villainous, even though at times, she seems quite sincere. However, the
best two guest stars in Season 8 of Smallville is the Legion of
Super-Heroes, a group of super-powered youths from the 31st
century (Cosmic Boy, Lighting Lad and Saturn Girl) plus the sensational
Zatanna (Serinda Swan), the maid of magic who looks amazing in her
Zatanna costume.
These are some of the reasons that made season 8 so
damn enjoyable because of the homage the writers pay to the original
comics by DC Comics. Add in a variety of villains from Maxima to
Parasite and even some returning guest-stars such as Black Canary and
Martian Manhunter and this series has everything from action, romance,
drama and heroics. Smallville just keeps getting better and better,
whether it was the change in writers or the introduction of outside
writers such as comic book legend Geoff Johns who really managed to
flesh out the Legion of Super-Heroes, there is something just totally
enjoyable in Season 8.
The video quality of Smallville Season 8 looks quite
stunning on Blu-ray with exceptional video, thanks to the 1080p
transfer. The colours are all vibrant, the images extremely sharp that
is easily one of Warner’s best releases to date. Add in Dolby Digital
5.1 and some of the action scenes sound phenomenal which really
makes use of the surround sound experience. For special features, the collection contains featurettes, deleted scenes and
commentaries to give the viewer a great behind the scenes pass of the
making of this entertaining TV series, including some of the motivations
for certain characters to appear and linking the world of Superman to
the bigger picture of DC Comics.
After 8 seasons, it’s good to see Smallville finally find
its feet again from being lost in the wilderness for a few seasons. For
the viewer, it’s great to be part of the ride again as Clark Kent
finally moves towards his destination of becoming Superman but best of
all, the links to the Superman mythology and world of DC Comics has
come alive which only assists in the overall story experience,
even if you are not a comic geek. With lots of new regulars and some
interesting dynamics between new and old, Smallville comes recommended
by Impulse Gamer!
Special Features
COMMENTARIES ON 2 KEY EPISODES
UNAIRED SCENES
IN THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR: BEHIND THE LENS AND CALLING THE SHOTS WITH
ALLISON MACK
SMALLVILLE’S DOOMSDAY: THE MAKING OF A MONSTER
