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The Movie: This 6-DVD box set includes the complete fifth season of "Smallville". The series focuses on the teenage years of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) - A.K.A. "Superman". The show has been one of the hits for the WB network, but will now be among the "starting lineup" for the new merged network of UPN and the WB, the CW. The show's sixth season premiere comes at the end of this month, on 9/28/06. The fourth season marked the senior year for the characters, and a focus of the season is the hunt for 3 Kryptonian crystals and Clark's quest to keep those crystals from causing Earth's end. The other major storyline this season is the entrance of Lois Lane (Erica Durance), which the producers wanted to work into the series and finally did so during the season. The fifth season of the series saw the show moving to a more competitive time slot and holding its own as it passed its 100th episode. The fifth season was a big one for the series, which saw the characters moving on past school and towards bigger things. The opening episode has no less than Clark finding himself in the Fortress of Solitude and telling his secret to Chloe (Allison Mack.) Clark also finds himself without his powers early in the season and makes a proposal to Lana. Lex also grows far more dangerous and Clark must overcome tragedy in "Reckoning", the 100th episode. The show's cast is impressive during this important season of the series. Welling manages to convey the character's inner turmoil well as the character comes to terms with his future as a hero and protector in this season. Rosenbaum, who's an underrated comedic talent, also handles the character's growing darkness quite well here. Mack also shines as Clark's pal and so does the rest of the ensemble, including Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), Annette O'Toole and John Schneider (the Kents) and Erica Durance (Lois Lane). Overall, this is an especially exciting season of the show and the tense finale sets up what looks to be another epic season. Season 5 89. 5- 1 29 Sep 05 Arrival 90. 5- 2 6 Oct 05 Mortal 91. 5- 3 13 Oct 05 Hidden 92. 5- 4 20 Oct 05 Aqua 93. 5- 5 27 Oct 05 Thirst 94. 5- 6 3 Nov 05 Exposed 95. 5- 7 10 Nov 05 Splinter 96. 5- 8 17 Nov 05 Solitude 97. 5- 9 8 Dec 05 Lexmas 98. 5-10 12 Jan 06 Fanatic 99. 5-11 19 Jan 06 Lockdown 100. 5-12 26 Jan 06 Reckoning 101. 5-13 2 Feb 06 Vengeance 102. 5-14 9 Feb 06 Tomb 103. 5-15 16 Feb 06 Cyborg 104. 5-16 30 Mar 06 Hypnotic 105. 5-17 6 Apr 06 Void 106. 5-18 13 Apr 06 Fragile 107. 5-19 20 Apr 06 Mercy 108. 5-20 27 Apr 06 Fade 109. 5-21 4 May 06 Oracle 110. 5-22 11 May 06 Vessel The DVD VIDEO: "Smallville" is presented by Warner Brothers in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality was really quite excellent, as the image seemed impressive throughout the episodes. The picture quality for the fourth season was about the same as the prior season set. Sharpness and detail remained surprisingly good, as the picture remained crisp and well-defined, with no inconsistencies or softness. Fine details are often visible and there's a nice depth to the image. The picture did have some minor concerns, such as some slight shimmer and a little bit of edge enhancement. No pixelation or other faults were noticed, though. The source elements remained in pristine condition, with no wear or other flaws. Colors remained bright and well-saturated, with no smearing or other concerns. SOUND: "Smallville" is presented in Dolby 2.0 by Warner Brothers. The show's audio remains pleasant, with crisp, clear dialogue and well-recorded sound effects. Music has a nice spread around the listening space and the show sounds great when played back in Pro Logic or Pro Logic II. EXTRAS: Two commentaries are noted on the back of the box, but the insert does not list where they are. The tracks are actually on disc 2, for the episodes: "Splinter" (writer/exec producer Steve DeKnight, director James Marshall and actor James Marsters) and "Thirst" (exec producers/creators Alfred Gough and Miles Milar, exec producer Ken Horton and writer/co-exec producer Steve DeKnight.) The "Thirst" commentary is hilarious because it's actually something of an anti-commentary, as the group calls this a "What Were We Thinking?" commentary, given that they think that the episode was a weak point in the season. The bunch are enjoyably honest about what they think doesn't work in the episode and where it went wrong. "Making of a Milestone: The 100th Episode" is a 29-minute documentary that takes viewers through different stages of production on the 100th episode. It's an informative, fly-on-the-wall documentary that allows viewers to watch meetings, filming and more. Some interesting interviews, as well. Final Thoughts: "Smallville"'s fifth season DVD set is a fine effort from Warner Brothers, offering some good supplements and excellent audio/video quality. Recommended for fans of the series. |