KryptonSite's Original Smallville Pilot Review

Smallville: The Planet Krypton Episode Review
By Craig Byrne (PlanetKrypton@aol.com)

Thanks to a very kind reader, I have been able to see the pilot episode of Smallville! Here's my review...

I have been anticipating the premiere episode of Smallville since the first announcement of a "Teenage Clark Kent Project" back in September 2000. I got very excited as the roles were cast and the filming began. Of course the question of what Smallville would actually turn out to become would have to wait until October. (or, in this case, May). The finished product was a bit different from what I expected; in some ways good, in other ways not so good, but the "not so goods" could easily be improved.

I think the first thing I'd like to comment on is the performance of Tom Welling as Clark. I admit, I was kind of worried about this, because I really didn't think I would believe this guy to be 15-16 years old. I think people will be impressed... Tom definitely passes the "test." Plus the guy just plain looks like with a haircut, a few more muscles, and a blue costume, he'll look just like the Man of Steel. But for now he's just young Clark Kent... and that's the way it should be.

The show definitely has a much different feel than, say, Roswell which is a very good thing, especially considering those Roswell fans who are screaming "rip-off!" The town of Smallville really looks like it is in Kansas, from the "Kent Farm" mailboxes to the look of the school busses. Realism for the sets was definitely a VERY high point for this show.

The plotline involving "electrical wraith" Jeremy Creek as the sort-of antagonist was average if best; I think I was more concerned with getting to know Lana, Clark, etc. to really notice or care much. Of course if the show had no antagonist it would get pretty boring fairly quickly. It also didn't help that the actor playing Creek (who was supposed to be like 14) looked between 20 and 25. People, especially teens, notice this stuff! I'm still curious as to what kinds of "foes" Clark will meet in the future.

Another great aspect of the episode is that there really is no sign that Lex Luthor (played VERY well by Michael Rosenbaum) is evil, but at the same time, you are unsure of *what* his intentions are. John Glover is excellent in a short cameo as Lionel Luthor, Lex's father, but we barely get to see him.

Then there are Clark's friends, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross. Allison Mack as Chloe is a *lot* of fun, but her character's place in the series still seems undefined. How did she and Clark become friends in the first place? Allison gets bonus points in that her delivery very much reminds me of Teri Hatcher's delivery as Lois Lane in the first season of "Lois & Clark." She's great. Unfortunately you can't help but feel bad for Sam Jones as Pete Ross. He's the *only* character who really looks like he could be 15, and considering everyone else looks 5-10 years older, he just looks kind of awkward.. Of course, it didn't help matters that the characters of Chloe and Pete really didn't seem as fleshed out as they should have been -- since both are supposed to have backstories that weave in and out of the backstories of Clark, the Luthors, and others. As things stood Chloe and Pete were just sort of "there" with no rhyme or reason to being there.

Eric Johnson's Whitney character is another one whose motivations you're really not sure of, but he actually proves to be a better foil for Clark than Jeremy Creek was. The episode was quite clever in how Whitney was able to bully Clark around.

Then there's the character who, along with Lex, you seem to care about the most in this pilot episode -- and that's Lana Lang, played very well by Kristin Kreuk. Lana seems to have many layers to her, and like Clark, she seems to be unsure of her place in the world. Even twelve years after the incident that killed her parents, Lana still misses them. She wants to live up to her reputation as the most popular girl in the school, but is she really happy dating the school's star quarterback? And what does she feel for Clark? We'll forgive her for leaving her horse at the graveyard. (Oops) I'm predicting that Lana will also be one of the first to figure out the strange things Clark can do.

There's a bit near the end where Lex finds something that could be a problem for Clark in the future -- I'm curious as to where they're going with that. There's also a lot of symbolism in the story -- from an almost-"flowing cape" vision after Clark saves Lex's life, to a guy with an "S" on his chest and his underwear on on the outside. Lana even makes a reference to Superman that is one of the most clever lines of the episode -- but I'm not going to spoil the hows and whys, don't want to ruin all the surprises :) The producers also did their DC Comics homework, with newspapers and webpages mentioning a blond "fastest man alive" and "Queen Industries CEO Presumed Dead."

John Schneider was a great Jonathan Kent, but I cannot help but wonder if there was something missing in his final scene with Clark. Not only did the whole scene seem rushed, but the characters bounced from one side of the room to another without explanation! Cynthia Ettinger's Martha didn't really have enough screen time to promote an opinion either way.

Young Clark seems to daydream a bit, and that sometimes takes away from the flow of the episode. I hope this is just something done for the pilot that we won't see later.

The show was great but it didn't impress me as much as, say, the pilot episode of Lois & Clark did. But at the same time, I have a feeling once this show hits its stride, it will definitely be one of the best adaptations of the Superman story. I'm looking forward to episodes #2 and beyond. I give the episode an A-. The episode was good, but it could have been even better. I really wish there had been more time to flesh out Pete, Chloe, and Martha. Anyone who loved the "young Clark" scenes in "Superman: The Movie," however, will be in luck, because this show captures the same flair and covers a really interesting period of time in the adventures of Superman.