DVD Review: Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season
Written
by Craig Byrne - KryptonSite Webmaster
The complete ninth season of Smallville hits DVD on September 7, and thanks to Warner Home Video, KryptonSite has an advance look at the set.
So how does it measure up?
For starters, the cover art used might be my favorite in the nine seasons of the show. No shipper-bait, no atrocious Photoshopping... just a look at the Blur on a rooftop. Although I eventually hope Clark abandons the Batman-Neo look, I still think it's a nice presentation. As always, there's a booklet explaining what you can find on what disc, and an introduction from executive producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders.
The set includes all 22 episodes from Season 9, if you count Absolute Justice as two. Unfortunately, the DVD seems to list it as just one episode, numbering the episodes so that "Salvation" is actually episode #21. On the KryptonSite Episode Guide and such, I am still planning on taking on that 22-episode scheme.
As always, the menu screens are always fun, seeing what clips are used and such.
There are two major bonus featurettes. One looks at Absolute Justice "From Script to Screen" and it's amazing. Lots of great interviews, including Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, Geoff Johns, Glen Winter, Justin Hartley, Wesley Macinnes, Britt Irvin, Brent Stait, Phil Morris, Michael Shanks, and more, with a lot of behind the scenes footage. It really reminded me of what "Absolute Justice" represented to me in the season - the feeling of hope and interconnectedness to the DC Universe.
The other is a retrospective on Zod. I freely admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the Zod storyline in Season 9, although I really liked Callum's performance in the season premiere and think he did an excellent job of evoking Terence Stamp. This featurette is somewhat interesting but not as jam-packed as the Absolute Justice feature. It also features some interviews with Richard Donner and Terence Stamp that I would imagine were instead done for a Superman movie DVD feature that were repurposed.
There are deleted scenes. Some are so mundane as Lois walking across the street, Chloe at the computer screen, or Lois and Oliver on an elevator for six seconds, but hey, it's extra material. There is an interesting scene between Clark and Mia/Speedy in "Disciple," and a scene with Clark and Chloe meeting on the Daily Planet elevator which was cut from "Conspiracy." Also cut from "Conspiracy" is a nice barn scene between Clark and two of the good Kandorians.
A deleted scene from "Idol" that they even released episodic images for is nowhere to be seen on the DVD set. The scene is, however, mentioned on a commentary.
There are two commentaries on the set, for "Kandor" and for "Idol." The "Kandor" commentary with Al Septien, Turi Meyer, and Callum Blue gave me a renewed appreciation for the episode. It's a nice looking episode; I'm still not sold on the actor cast as Jor-El, but at least the commentary explains why they didn't just get Tom Welling to play his father as he did in "Relic." But the look of the episode cannot be surpassed. Returning to outdoor shots... it's beautiful. I also noticed a KryptonSite shoutout during the commentary, which of course made me very happy.
"Idol" commentary is with Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, and Erica Durance, and Erica offers some great insight on what it's like on set and to play Lois Lane. It's a fun listen.
As for the episodes itself... I know there are some who consider Smallville Season 9 to be even the best season of the show. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but there are definitely episodes worth watching. The season is off to a good start with "Savior" and "Metallo," "Rabid" has a very unique look, and then... things go a little downhill for a few installments. |
|
I'll admit it: I wasn't a big fan of the whole "Ollie descends into darkness yet again" thing, and I disliked it even more when episodes centered around him seemed to take the focus away from the show's main character, Clark. It's odd because I'd gladly watch Justin Hartley on a Green Arrow show, but I don't want to see him taking over a show about the young adventures of Superman. There were also some casting misfires this season, I thought, with Elise Gatien as Speedy and Pam Grier as Amanda Waller being two that I wasn't feeling quite as much as others were. The worst, I felt, was the talented Gil Bellows as a Maxwell Lord that was nothing like the Max I would expect from the comics. (If anyone asks, my choice for Waller? CCH Pounder, the woman who has provided her voice many times)
There was some casting I really liked, though: Michael Shanks as Carter Hall, Brent Stait as Doctor Fate, and David Gallagher and Allison Scagliotti as the Wonder Twins all would definitely rise to the top of my list.
I'm also not a shipper, so shipper-baiting episodes like "Escape" did nothing for me. I think my weariness over the fandom "relationship wars" are why some episodes that people may love, hate, or feel strongly about aren't ones that I would feel extreme about one way or another.
I also just had a lot of trouble becoming emotionally involved with the Zod storyline, which is a problem when Zod is supposed to be at the center of the season. I think a big reason was (spoiler alert!) these characters were effectively clones, and we know what ultimately happened to them. Also as much as I loved Callum Blue - I think I would have liked it better if Sam Witwer had continued with the series, instead playing Zod. After all, Faora hinted at that, didn't she?
What I did like, though, was "Absolute Justice," a fanboy's dream written by Geoff Johns and directed by the talented Glen Winter and Tom Welling. I really hoped it would be the start of a new, more heroic direction... which would also involve Clark, Oliver, Chloe, and everyone working together rather than apart, hanging out in the Watchtower... but that aspect wasn't really touched upon until "Salvation." I'll also admit a non-comics fan might not like the 2-parter as much as those familiar with the source material would be. |
|
There's other stuff to look for in the season that I think will be enjoyed - the Wonder Twins, the growing Clark/Lois relationship, Brian Austin Green knocking it out of the park as Metallo, and the return of Annette O'Toole and Michael McKean as Martha Kent and Perry White. I will admit that fans of Allison Mack's Chloe character might end up feeling a litte shafted as her character was reduced to just "argue with Clark mode" for the better part of the season. Some Chloe fans seemed to like her interaction/budding romance with Oliver but it was something I never got into and was even a little uncomfortable with.
Season 9 ends with "Salvation," and if you let a friend borrow this DVD and they only want to watch one episode, let this be it. I feel all of the show's characters were put to good use in this finale - I even liked Zod! - and I loved the heroism shown by Clark and the way that the other heroes seemed to look up to him. I really hope this is something we see more of in Season 10. That flash-forward is going to be watched over and over again.
Sadly, like all Smallville DVD's over recent years, there are no bloopers. Let's hope MAYBE they reconsider that for the show's final year.
Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season hits DVD on Tuesday, September 7. Pre-order your copies and support KryptonSite!
Season 9 DVD Pre-Order - Blu-ray Season 9 DVD Pre-Order
