TV Show Reviews

‘Smallville: The Complete Series 20th Anniversary Edition’ Blu-Ray Review – Landmark Series Gets Impressive Collection

By Dillon Gonzales
October 22, 2021
No Comments

Smallville celebrates its 20th Anniversary in this new Blu-Ray Collection that gathers all ten seasons of the show in one collection along with a slew of special features that will keep you busy for quite a while. Read on to learn why this set should be an essential part of any Smallville fan’s collection.

The following show critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Cainan Myracle.

“Somebody save me…”

For 10 years that song let everyone know that it was time for Smallville, the CW superhero series about a young Clark Kent who had not yet become the Man of Steel.

Smallville followed Tom Welling as the young Clark Kent and his dealings with being a teenager in high school, his love for Lana Lang and of course the fact that he has these incredible powers that he had no idea where they came from.

The series included many characters from the Superman mythos including Lex Luthor, who in the show was best friends with Clark Kent. The brotherly bond they shared really made the series click and made their feud with each other even better. Michael Rosenbaum played the role and in my opinion is the best on screen version of Lex Luthor that I have seen. Rosenbaum really embraced the role and despite his departure after season 7, his return for the series finale really sets up the showdown between him and Superman that we all know and love.

Clark and Lex’s final words to each other still give me chills especially how Rosenbaum delivers his lines

Clark Kent: My destiny wasn’t yours to take!

Lex Luthor: I get that now. Which is why I finally embraced my own. You and I… we will both be great men. Because of each other, we have a destiny together, Clark… only on different sides.

Clark Kent: I’ll always be there to stop you. Always.

Lex Luthor: Oh, I’m counting on it.

And Clark telling Lex

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Lex.”

The series also featured Jonathan and Martha Kent played by John Schneider and Annette O’ Toole. John Glover played the role of Lionel Luthor to perfection and is still one of my favorites from the series. Kristin Kreuk played Lana Lang, not just Clark Kent’s love interest. We see Lana carry much of her own story throughout this series. Smallville also brought in Erica Durance as Lois Lane in season four and she is without a doubt the best Lois Lane. Erica and Tom really had great chemistry together, and it was great to see their friendship turn into the love that we all know.

Smallville also brought in Superman himself, Christopher Reeve, for a few episodes. Terence Stamp who played Zod in Superman 2 played Clark’s father Jor-El. Jensen Ackles played a role before leaving the show for Supernatural.

Other notable names from the 10-year series are Amy Adams, Justin Hartley who played Green Arrow, James Marsters as Brainiac, Sam Witwer as Doomsday, Alan Ritchson as Aquaman, Callum Blue as General Zod, Sarah Carter, Phil Morris as Martian Manhunter, Michael Shanks as Hawkman, Joe Morton, Cassidy Freeman as Lena Luthor/Tess, Alaina Huffman as Black Canary and many more great names.

The series gave us memorable villains such as Bizzaro, Zod, Doomsday, and even a version of Darkseid. We got introduced to Smallville’s version of the Justice League; we saw the Justice Society of America including Doctor Fate.

The series explored so much and all before Clark Kent became Superman. We saw Clark struggle with his powers, being afraid to fly, and unsure he could be the hero that everyone knew he could be. Lex even told Clark in the finale that he hated that Clark had all these powers and did not even want them.

I think the series still holds up quite well to this day and there are some really iconic moments from the series that are too many to name here. The first season is really copy/paste villain of the week stuff but we do get into the mythos soon after. Season 2 really kicks off the plan for Clark becoming Superman and we see each season start to build off that and we see Lex and Clark’s relationship crumble as it becomes a full-on rivalry.

For a show that came out in the early 2000s, the graphics and VFX still hold up well and at times even look better than what we get now.

I think it is safe to say that without Smallville we would not have the DC shows that we have now. Like Superman being the grandfather of superheroes, Smallville was the grandfather of the superhero TV shows. From Smallville we saw Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman born.

Smallville still holds a very special place in my heart and as Jonathan Kent told Clark, “Always hold onto Smallville”

Video Quality

Smallville: The Complete Collection makes a long-awaited debut on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Previously, seasons 6-10 were released on Blu-Ray, season 5 was released on HD-DVD (remember that?) and season 1-4 were relegated to DVD only. The selling point for most may be getting some of the strongest seasons of the series on Blu-Ray at long last, but even those (like myself) who purchased 6-10 previously have a reason to celebrate with this release. Those Blu-Rays were released during the earliest days on Blu-Ray with VC-1 encodes, and season 6 especially looks pretty rough by today’s standards, but these new discs have been given new MPEG-4 AVC encodes that are much more impressive visually. Once you see these new transfers, you will say good riddance to those old sets.

One thing to note before any fans go digging into their sets is that expectations should be put in check for season one. Although the debut season was shot on 35mm film, the show was finished in standard definition with low resolution special effects to match. While season two forward would be finished in HD, this first season looks noticeably less vibrant than the remainder of the series due to being essentially an upscale to HD. Don’t get me wrong, the transfer does everything it can to showcase every bit of detail possible, but some limitations are apparent such as edge enhancement and ringing. Compression is much stronger than HD streams that can be found, so for that reason alone fans should be pleased with the slight bump in quality. If you find yourself pleased with this first season, you are in for a real treat for the remainder of the run.

After season one, overall clarity and detail is stunning, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. The makeup effects are especially textured in a way that shines through in this transfer. Other physical features such as hair remain well defined without devolving into a splotchy mess. Although the series gets incrementally better as it goes along, it remains remarkably consistent throughout with season two setting a high bar early one. This transfer maintains the natural film grain that helps with showcasing subtle details in the production design. Colors are well saturated in a pleasing way that provides a visual pop off the screen. Minor specks of debris pop up very rarely, but they are still worth noting. The visual effects of the show can look a bit dated by today’s standards, but they are consistent with the original creative intention in this transfer. Black levels hold up well with crush not serving as an overwhelming issue. This new presentation from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is very impressive, which should please fans of the series.

Audio Quality

We mentioned that the old Blu-Rays received an upgraded encode in this new set, but just as importantly all of the seasons have now been given lossless audio with season 10 previously being the only season given such treatment. This is a dynamic show and you really want it to sound the best it possibly can. These Blu-Rays come with an authoritatively active DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a fully fleshed-out world from episode one. One of the standout aspects of this show is the music and soaring score that adds a lot to the story. The opening theme song works perfectly to set the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping soundscape that draws you further into the show. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the score or any sound effects. More kinetic moments are given the appropriate power in the mix with a forceful showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the rear channels. The track handles panning effects around the room really well so that everything sounds natural to the world. The audio presentation here is fantastic on all levels.

Special Features

Season One

Audio Commentaries

- Original Extended Broadcast Pilot: Executive Producers Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Director David Nutter

- Metamorphosis: Executive Producers Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Director David Nutter

Deleted Scenes: Seven minute of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of the Ross family at the cream corn factory, Principal Kwan getting his butt handed to him, some material cut from the homecoming dance and more. This footage can be viewed with optional audio commentary.

- Pilot

- Metamorphosis

Pilot Storyboard To Screen: A seven-minute look at how some scenes evolved from early drawings to what we got on screen.

Original Extended Broadcast Pilot: The original version of the pilot that runs five minutes longer is included here in standard definition. As noted above, you can watch this with optional audio commentary.

Season Two

Audio Commentaries

- Red: Executive Producers Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Producer Jeph Loeb

- Red: Cast Members Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum and Producer Greg Beeman

- Rosetta: Executive Producers Alfred Gough & Miles Millar

- Rosetta: Cast Members Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Producer Greg Beeman and Episode Director James Marshall

Deleted Scenes: Six minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of intimacy with Lex, brief exchanges between Lana and Chloe, an extra moment with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Lex getting to know Lucas and more.

- Heat

- Duplicity

- Dichotic

- Prodigal

- Fever

- Exodus

Christopher Reeve – The Man Of Steel: A ten-minute tribute to one of the most beloved figures ever to inhabit Superman. In this piece you get to hear from the cast and crew as to why it was so important to have Reeves appear on the show, as well as some insights from Reeves about his place in Superman history.

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet – The VFX Of Smallville: An eleven-minute featurette which gives you a deep dive into the visual effects on the show with insights from the cast and crew.

The Chloe Chronicles: A multi-part collection of digital shorts in which Chloe attempts to get to the bottom of some of the weirdness around Smallville.

- Volume 1 – Intro (1:30)

- Volume 1 – Video 1 (3:15)

- Volume 1 – Video 2 (3:53)

- Volume 1 – Video 3 (3:31)

- Volume 1 – Video 4 (2:38)

Gag Reel: A six-minute collection of flubbed lines, laughing fits, forgotten lines, goofing around and more.

Season Three

Audio Commentaries

- Exile: Executive Producers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Ken Horton & Michael Rosenbaum and Executive Producer/Director Greg Beeman

- Truth: Director James Marshall, and Actor Allison Mack and John Glover

- Memoria: Executive Producers Alfred Gough, Greg Beeman, Ken Horton & Michael Rosenbaum and Executive Producer/Director Miles Millar

Deleted Scenes: 25 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of Rutger Hauer teaching his henchmen a lesson, Clark doing some research, a potentially suicidal Lionel Luther, numerous scenes with Lana and more.

- Exile

- Slumber

- Shattered

- Velocity

- Obsession

- Resurrection

- Crisis

- Memoria

- Talisman

- Forsaken

Producing Smallville – The Heroes Behind The Camera: A significant 23-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the trajectory of this third season and the logistics of coordinating the writing staff in Los Angeles with the crew in Vancouver. There are also discussions of the special effects, the makeup and hairstyling, the production design and more. The best part is hearing Michael Rosenbaum relay some of the direction he has received on his acting choices.

The Chloe Chronicles: A multi-part collection of digital shorts in which Chloe once again continues her investigation of corruption and weirdness around Smallville.

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 1 (1:58)

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 2 (3:36)

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 3 (3:30)

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 4 (3:29)

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 5 (3:31)

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 6 (3:00)

- Volume 2 – Chronicle 7 (3:40)

Gag Reel: A nearly five-minute collection of flubbed lines, laughing fits, forgotten lines, goofing around and more.

Season Four

Audio Commentaries

- Crusade: Executive Producers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar & Ken Horton & Actresses Erica Durance & Annette O’Toole

- Transference: Executive Producers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar & Ken Horton & Actor John Glover

- Spell: Director Jeannot Szwarc and Actresses Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack and Erica Durance

Deleted Scenes: 27 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of interaction between Lois and Chloe, Clark questioning Abigail about her involvement in an accident, a romantic interlude between Lana and Jason, a scene of Lionel in prison and more.

- Gone

- Facade

- Devoted

- Jinx

- Spell

- Bound

- Scare

- Pariah

- Krypto

- Sacred

- Onyx

- Blank

Being Lois Lane: A ten-minute featurette which takes a look at the iconic character of Lois Lane through interviews with performers such as Dana Delaney, Noel Neill, Margot Kidder and Erica Durance who have played the character among other participants.

Behind Closed Doors – Inside The Writer’s Room: A 16-minute featurette which details how the writer’s room has evolved including a look at how stories are broken.

Season Five

Audio Commentaries

- Thirst: Executive Producers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar & Ken Horton & Writer/Co-Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight

- Splinter: Writer/Co-Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight, Director James Marshall and Actor James Marsters

Deleted Scenes: 28 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of tension at a hospital, a sorority presentation, Lex testing out something on Chloe, Martha arguing with Jonathan about his health and more.

- Hidden

- Aqua

- Thirst

- Fanatic

- Reckoning

- Tomb

- Cyborg

- Hypnotic

- Fragile

- Mercy

- Fade

Smallville’s 100th Episode – The Making Of A Milestone: A 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the pivotal 100th episode from the script stage to production with interviews in the writer’s room and on location with the cast and crew.

Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story Of Superman: A nearly seven-minute tease of the 2006 documentary.

Season Six

Green Arrow – The Legend Of The Emerald Archer: A 25-minute featurette which takes a deep dive into the print history of The Green Arrow. There are some really knowledgeable and entertaining subjects here including personal favorite Kevin Smith.

Smallville – Big Fans: A 30-minute love letter to the fan base at San Diego Comic-Con.

The Making Of Smallville Legends: A collection of material that gives you background on how they brought to life the animated shorts that we rip apart below.

- Pre-Production Bringing The Script To Life (2:52)

- Production Creating Characters & Props (3:45)

- The Animation Process (2:31)

Small Legends: A collection of some non-interactive comic book adventures.

- Justice and Doom: Part 1 (1:53)

- Justice and Doom: Part 2 (1:53)

- Justice and Doom: Part 3 (1:53)

- Justice and Doom: Part 4 (1:53)

- Justice and Doom: Part 5 (2:18)

Smallville Legends – The Oliver Queen Chronicles: A crudely animated collection of shorts that painfully detail the origins of the Green Arrow. Go watch the pilot of Arrow if you really need this because this looks atrocious.

- Episode 1 – Broken Arrow (3:31)

- Episode 2 – Bon Voyage (3:43)

- Episode 3 – Betrayal (2:59)

- Episode 4 – Island (3:15)

- Episode 5 – Bow Hunters (4:36)

- Episode 6 – Mended (4:25)

Deleted Scenes: 25 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of Martha catching up with Clark, some exchanges between Chloe and Clark, a confrontation between Clark and Oliver and more.

- Sneeze

- Wither

- Arrow

- Fallout

- Hydro

- Labyrinth

- Crimson

- Freak

- Combat

- Progeny

- Nemesis

- Phantom

Season Seven

Audio Commentaries

- Persona: Producers Ken Horton & Todd Slavkin and Actor John Glover

- Siren: Executive Producers Alfred Gough & Miles Millar, Writers Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson and Actor Justin Hartley

Jimmy On Jimmy: A 23-minute featurette which takes a roundtable look at the iconic character of Jimmy Olsen through a discussion between the performers who have portrayed him including Jack Larson, Marc McClure, Sam Huntington and Aaron Ashmore. This is a fantastic supplement that is worth your time.

Supergirl – Lost Daughter Of Krypton: An 18-minute featurette which takes a closer look at the legacy and creation of Supergirl, how she has been portrayed on screen, how the character has evolved and more.

Smallville Legends: A collection of animated shorts which tell the story of Kara before she came to our earth.

- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton – Episode 1 (3:58)

- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton – Episode 2 (3:21)

- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton – Episode 3 (3:07)

- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton – Episode 4 (3:53)

- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton – Episode 5 (3:53)

- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton – Episode 6 (3:10)

Deleted Scenes: 34 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of confrontation between Kara and Chloe, an exchange between Chloe and Clark, Lana confronting Lionel, Clark at the Fortress of Solitude and more.

- Kara

- Fierce

- Cure

- Action

- Wrath

- Gemini

- Persona

- Siren

- Fracture

- Hero

- Traveler

- Veritas

- Descent

- Sleeper

- Arctic

Season Eight

Audio Commentaries:

- Identity: Cassidy Freeman, Director Mairzee Almas and Executive Producer Brian Peterson

- Legion: Writer Geoff Johns, Executive Producer Darren Swimmer & Supervising Producer Tim Scanlan

In The Director’s Chair – Behind The Lens And Calling The Shots: A 19-minute featurette which shows Allison Mack in the director’s chair. In this piece she discusses transitioning from actor to director, her approach to production and showcasing the characters, and much more that is fairly informative and entertaining.

Smallville’s Doomsday – The Making Of A Monster: A 15-minute piece which takes a closer look at the iconic villain including his design for the show, some of his altercations throughout the season, the combination of CG and practical effects and more.

Deleted Scenes: 18 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of Tess Mercer flirting with Clark, Lana trying to protect people from being hypnotized, an exchange between Lois and Jimmy, Chloe in a sombrero and more.

- Plastique

- Instinct

- Legion

- Power

- Requiem

- Turbulence

- Hex

- Eternal

- Beast

- Injustice

Season Nine

Audio Commentaries

- Kandor: Actor Callum Blue and Writers Turi Meyer & Al Septien

- Idol: Actor Erica Durance and Executive Producers Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders

Kneel Before Zod: A 15-minute featurette which takes a closer at the iconic Zod including his appearances on film, his origin story, the changes made in his Smallville depiction and more.

Absolute Justice – From Script To Screen: A 30-minute examination of the Justice Society and their transition to the small screen, the use of special effects to bring these characters to life, and more that gives a well rounded look at these figures.

Deleted Scenes: Nine minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes with Oliver Queen, Clark doing some investigating, Clark and Chloe talking on an elevator and more. There are a number of shots with unfinished visual effects included.

- Rabid

- Roulette

- Disciple

- Persuasion

- Conspiracy

- Upgrade

- Charade

- Salvation

Season Ten

Audio Commentaries

- Lazarus: Writers/Producers Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead and Actors Allison Mack & Cassidy Freeman

- Dominion: Executive Producers Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders and Actors Justin Hartley & Callum Blue.

Deleted Scenes: 8 minutes of unused material is provided here in standard definition including scenes of Lois packing a bag, Clark talking to Tess, Lionel confronting Clark and more.

- Shield

- Supergirl

- Abandoned

- Beacon

- Scion

Back In The Jacket – A Smallville Homecoming: A 20-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the reunion episode of Smallville, the series at large, the themes at play, character dynamics and much more than offers a fond reflection on the journey like a reunion should.

The Son Becomes The Father: A 17-minute featurette which explores the various fathers/son relationships in the series and how they evolved from the first episode to the last. There is not as much attention paid to the finality of this season as you would think.

“How We Do” By Swank, feat. Cassidy Freeman, Justin Hartley and Alessandro Juliani: A humorous three-and-a-half minute music video featuring some of the talent from the show.

Bonus Discs

Disc One

A Decade Of Comic-Con: A 14-minute featurette in which the cast and crew reflect back upon their experiences at Comic-Con over the years and the love that fans have shown them.

Paley Fest 2004 Event: A 26-minute panel featuring Visual Effects Producer Mat Beck, Executive Producer/Director Greg Beeman, Co-Executive Producer/Writer Ken Biller, Executive Producers Joe Davola & Ken Horton, Consulting Producer Jeph Loeb, Composer Mark Snow, Co-Executive Producer/Writer Mark Verheiden, Actors Sam Jones III, Annette O’Toole & Tom Welling, and Creators/Executive Producers Al Gough and Miles Millar.

The Adventures Of Superboy – The Original 1961 Pilot: The 30-minute pilot that was meant to continue the popularity of The Adventures of Superman but never moved forward. It is shown within an animated television set so the quality is not the best, but considering the rarity it is, it is nice to have access to it at all.

Aquaman Pilot: The 2006 pilot that never got off the ground featuring Justin Hartley, Lou Diamond Phillips and Ving Rhames

Making Of A Milestone: A three-part 65-minute exploration of the creation of the 100th episode of Smallville from the pre-production to completion with tons of behind the scenes footage and interviews about the creative process.

Disc Two

Secret Origin – The American Story Of DC Comics: The full 90-minute documentary from 2010 is provided here in standard definition which gives you an amazing look at what makes DC Comics so special.

A Retrospective Look At The Series With Season Featurettes: 109 minutes of featurettes which provide a nice overview of the evolution of the series and how each season could be condensed to a single idea.

- Season 1 – Reimagining Clark Kent

- Season 2 – The Ultimate Adopted Child

- Season 3 – Facing The Darkness

- Season 4 – Lois

- Season 5 – End Of Innocence

- Season 6 – A World Of Superheroes

- Season 7 – No Turning Back

- Season 8 – Reinvention

- Season 9 – The Dark Story Of Zod

- Season 10 – Destiny Fulfilled

Final Thoughts

Smallville was a landmark show for many reasons, but most of all it gave just as much attention to the “everyman” Clark Kent character as it did the heroic Kryptonian aspect. The deeply complex friendship between Clark and Lex Luthor is one of the most nuanced that has been portrayed in any medium. Every single cast member brought something special to the characters who became a part of our lives over ten years. Not every episode knocked it out of the park – not even every season – but it did a remarkable job of keeping you invested even during the creative lulls. Only a show that builds up a lot of good will with its audience can afford such missteps. It is an incredible feeling to celebrate 20 years of a show that was such an essential part of our lives for a decade, and continues to be as we revisit it often. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment celebrates this achievement with a new Blu-Ray collection for the complete series featuring a very strong A/V presentation and all of the legacy special features (including previously exclusive bonus discs). Fans of the show should consider this an essential upgrade. Highly Recommended

Smallville: The Complete Series 20th Anniversary Edition is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.