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The Movie: The Movie: Admittedly, I haven't followed the buzz surrounding Teri Hatcher's "Desperate Housewives" role, as I've never been much of a fan of the series. However, of the few roles I've liked Hatcher in, I've always thought "Lois and Clark: New Adventures of Superman" stands out as her best effort. The show ran for four years in the mid-90's, and starred Hatcher in the classic role of Lois Lane. Playing off well against Hatcher was Dean Cain, as Superman/Clark Kent. While neither were going to win awards for their performances, they got into their characters quite well over the course of the series, and had strong chemistry with one another. The show's screenplays were also one of its best features, as each week offered another old-fashioned mystery, villain or chance for Lois and Clark to explore their relationship. While old fashioned, I always liked the fact that the show usually managed to keep from stepping over the line into corny. The show's production values were rather high for the time, but the show's visual effects now can look somewhat dated. Oddly enough, this actually works in the show's favor, as it adds a certain charm to the proceedings. The supporting performances are also stellar, as Lane Smith is perfect as Perry White, while Justin Whalin makes a good replacement for Jimmy Olsen (replacing Michael Landes, who was Jimmy for the first season.) Additionally, K Callan and Eddie Jones are superb as Clark's parents. The first season ended with villain Lex Luthor taking a fall off a building after his marriage to Lois falls apart and the police arrive. The second season saw Luthor's eventual return and Superman fight such villians as the Prankster. The third season opens with Clark not getting the response he'd imagined from Lois in regards to his marriage proposal ("We Have a Lot to Talk About") and sees a heartbroken Clark faced with a break-up when Lois is in danger soon after ("Contact".) The fourth and final (a fifth season was apparently planned, but it was decided by the network to not bring the series back) season of the series sees Lois and Clark finally on their way towards getting married. However, it's no surprise that some obstacles get in their way, including - in one of the show's stranger plots - a criminal called the Wedding Destroyer. The fourth season has a few other puzzling plots as well, including: "Ghosts", where a plus-sized ghost decides she wants to take over Lois' body; "I've Got You Under My Skin", where a low-end criminal uses magic to switch bodies with Clark and "AKA Superman", where Jimmy's girlfriend (Kristanna Loken, known for her role in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines") thinks that she's figured out Superman's identity. However, other stories offered some more classic adventures for the duo, including: "Soul Mates" (Lois and Clark's wedding night gets interrupted by someone from the past - as well as their past), "Brutal Youth" (Jimmy's childhood pal enters the newsroom, only he's white-haired and not exactly aging well, much to Jimmy's shock), "Stop the Presses" (Lois is the new boss at the Daily Planet, to Clark's surprise) and "Sex, Lies and Videotape" (Superman gets caught with a married woman - Lois - which isn't exactly good PR). This final season of "Lois and Clark" still sees the main pair of Cain and Hatcher with the same vibrant chemistry as they had in the first three seasons. Some of the plots become a little absurd, but there are definitely some highlights throughout the set and - while not to the level of its first and second seasons - the show still goes out on a fine note with this fourth round of episodes. The DVD VIDEO: The show is presented in its original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio by Warner Brothers for these second season episodes. The picture quality isn't magnificent, but the series still looks fairly good throughout. Sharpness and detail are adequate, as the picture appears crisp at best, while some low-lit scenes look a tad soft. Additionally, some grain and minor shimmering also appear in some sequences. No edge enhancement was spotted, but some minor traces of pixelation were seen. Colors appeared a tiny bit smeary in a few scenes, but mostly appeared accurately presented and vivid. SOUND: The show's 2.0 soundtrack is perfectly fine, with crisp dialogue, music and effects. EXTRAS: Interactive Superman timeline, hosted by Dean Cain. Final Thoughts: "Lois and Clark"'s final season hits some low notes, but the series wraps up reasonably well overall in this fourth season and does include some fun adventures. Additionally, Cain and Hatcher retain their enjoyable chemistry throughout the end of the run. This last DVD set provides fine audio/video quality, but very little in the way of extras. |