Pilot

Smallville's cult pilot was nearly first aired a decade ago. But seven years have actually passed since last time I watched it. Season nine was so great that I wanted to compare it with the first one. My decision was probably driven by nostalgia but there's nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn't prevent you from moving forward, to the future, and fully living the present. However let's go back to the past and enjoy the first steps of Clark Kent in the super adventure we all know.

The first thing that really astonished me were the top notch visual effects. I better understand now why they often exceeded the budget during season one. But for a pilot it's logical as you have to convince the audience. So from the meteor shower to the special abilities I can't see how you could be disappointed. But the real gem for the long time fans are the characters. Little Big Chloe and her wall of weird, fast slim Clark, Lana and her hate at first sight boyfriend, and of course Clark's parents. The first two have grown so much on us in the last past years that it was both funny and touching to see how they used to be. Chloe was less serious and Allison Mack's acting was already irresistible. I can't believe she'll only be a guest in the upcoming season ! As for Tom Welling he looked almost skinny compared to his actual upgraded version and I can't imagine how much he worked out to become as strong as he is. But his relative apparent weakness was part of his character and I suppose that's why he was cast. In a way I like to think that it could have been anyone because thanks to episodes like Idol, Charade and Hostage we learned that we can all become heroes. It's just a matter of harvesting our inner resources and believing in ourselves. But of course having great friends help and that's why Clark's odyssey is so inspiring to follow !

The relationships are also very important, like in real life, because our baby superhero would be nothing without Chloe or his parents. But the most important character in his life, at least in the pilot, was probably his father. John Schneider was excellent as Jonathan and instantly appeared as the dream father. Their scenes were so diverse and well scripted that you should feel all kind of emotions, from joy to frustration. Indeed it would be too easy if we could do everything we wants and that gold rule also applies to Clark. That's why it's so easy to relate to him, because he's like most teenagers in the end. He wants to make a difference and become who he is. And achieving such goals would be pointless without obstacles and this episode was also the occasion to meet the first freak of the week, a recipe applied to the further episodes in the first seasons. But of course it was nothing compared to his first encounter with Lex Luthor. I never thought Michael Rosenbaum first screen time would have such a high impact on me. He had so much charisma and confidence ! His few interactions with Clark were also mesmerizing considering the intense scenes they were featured in. Even the fence fight was surprising and instantly made their new friendship controversial.

Of course it's impossible to be objective with so many cult elements. But it didn't prevent me from being slightly disappointed by a few of them. For example Annette O'Toole minor role reminded me how much I think Martha Kent could have played a more important part in her son's education. However no parents are perfect and their relationship is always on the verge of turning left or right. So as often it's a question of equilibrium and in the pilot it's obvious who is in charge. But later on the writers will balance their respective roles so it wasn't that an issue after all. Moreover it can't shadow the fact that the story should even appeal to new comers. How can't you not fall in love with Lana Lang ? Kristin Kreuk was so cute and your immersion should be so total that there's no way you can't appreciate the creepy cemetery scene or the last dance one.

But in the end the best part is that waking up from that surreal dream is not harsh at all because Clark and his friends should definitely inspire you. If you pay attention it could even make you a better person. They have issues but aren't afraid to solve them. They have weaknesses but know it shouldn't prevent them from living. But you better keep your feet on the ground and carefully look at the stars because the meteors shower is coming in your direction and there's no way you can escape its tremendous power. So be a shortcut freak and watch Smallville now !

I am currently watching Small Ville, and plan to give each one a review. I'd certainly say this one is on the upper hands, as it is a debut. It sets the groundwork very well.

So let's start with Clark Kent. He comes down to earth, and finds a couple who try and help him out. They also want a family but can't have one. They try and figure out about what he can do with her powers and how he's able to do them. The Kent family have lots of interesting details that's spread around the show throughout. It works well because we get a lot of insight about them as people, and it's not expedition dump. It's crossed and and spread out this entire episode. And that's the great thing about the series, the character-development.

Luthor is wealthy and rich, and can sometimes over-say-it, but people always see the WORST in him. But he wants people to understand the person he actually is. And he also thanks Clark for saving his life, and in return buys him a gift. He's trying to make people believe he's a good person. And the top paragraph gives us an idea as to why he could of turned into a villain in the first place. And that it's his Father who gives them the bad view on the public.

Lana is the love interest, and at the end of the episode a beautiful and touching song is played. However, apart from average traits for a girl, she wants more in life. And hopes for more in her life, she lived a sad life at a young age as fragments from the Meteor killed her parents at a young age. This shows perfect development for her as a character. And the expanding growth she and others can progress throughout the series, look at "Shimmer" for ideas, her boyfriend is going through a hard time with his father's troubles.

And also Clark's best friends get some development. One's a researcher and looks at all the strange and weird happenings around the town, and is a journalist. The other is a happy lad, and he enjoys sports, like Football, "Hothead".

The reason why it's not higher is it tries to fit in too much, and the football team are played out as the typical bullies. But other then those parts holding it back slightly, it's a fun episode that works very well.-8/10.

I really enjoyed the pilot of Smallville. I think that more TV studios should do more origin stories of superheroes. Smallville was on for 10 years so obviously origin stories do b=very well. Tom Welling was a very good choice to play Clark Kent/Superman. I also read that Jensen Ackles was the runner up to play Superman if Tom Welling had turned it down. Now both are excellent actors so I wouldn't favor one over the other.

The entire pilot in my opinion was perfect. What a great introduction with the meteor shower and giving the viewers a glimpse into the majority of the characters. Even within the first few minutes, Lionel Luthor is evil and cunning. He is definitely going to change Lex Luthor into the arch nemesis we all know.

The meteor shower were very good special effects for 2001. Smallville will never be the same after that event. When the meteor shower is all done with many losses, we get introduced to the man of the show. Clark Kent.

12 years later, Clark is now in high school and trying to be "normal" among his friends and high school in general. I also loved how the writers put the first encounter between Lex and Clark in the pilot. I won't say anything about the encounter but here on out, there'll only be more downs in their relationship than ups.

I like the high school crush on Lana Lang side storyline. She's apparently the hottest girl in school but I do agree with a lot of people that Chloe is better looking than Lana. Chloe also has a crush on Clark only known to Pete who is also Clark's friend. We all know from the comics, Clark ends up with Lois Lane but in the meantime he's gotta work on other girls right?

We also get introduced to the whole MOTW (Monster of the Week) type episodes as Clark faces off against a guy who is infused with electricity and gets revenge against the football team members back before the meteor shower who strung him up in the cornfield as a scarecrow. He got his powers from the material inside the meteors. Chloe also introduces the Wall of Weird which will be a major thing throughout their high school years.

There is an amazing amount of chemistry between all the actors and actresses on Smallville. It feels like they all want to be on this show. This is why Smallville lasted 10 years.

I will be reviewing the second episode once I finish it. Thank you everyone involved with Smallville for making this show and making it last this long.

Smallville rules!

The beginnings of Superman! As soon as "saaaaaaavvvvvveeee meeeeeee" was bellowed during the opening credits as the theme song, I was instantly hooked. For a show that came out in 2001 with lots of fanfare, I was very impressed with how well the first season held up. It has been known the series would often go over budget, but we are telling the story of future Superman after all. The visual effects are top-notch and the meteor shower where young Kal-El comes to Earth seemed very real. Instead of being a serious superhero drama, the show is about teenage angst and small-town drama. It is like a coming-of-age film/series but with more special effects and a superhero background. At least for the first season, the show will combine these elements along with a villain-of-the week story. Just bring me everything you got, Smallville!

In this pilot episode, we learn the origins of Clark Kent aka Kal-El. It is 1989, and Smallville has been bombarded with meteors. Martha (Annette O'Toole) and Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) crashed their car into a cornfield during the storm and are founded by young Clark. They find his spacecraft and adopt him. We flash forward to more than a decade later when Clark (Tom Welling) is in high school. He has a crush on the cute Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) who is the cheerleader girlfriend of popular jock Whitney Fordman (Eric Johnson). He has two very good friends; the young journalist with her Wall-of-Weird Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and his good buddy Pete Ross (Sam Jones III). He later meets the future villain, Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) when Clark saves him from a car accident, and they become fast friends. Lex resides in Smallville where he runs a fertilizer company but is overseen by his billionaire father, Lionel (John Glover) who lives in nearby Metropolis. As the story advances, Jonathan tells Clark about his origins and discovers that he is "allergic" to a green rock called Kryptonite, the same green rock that Lana wears around her neck in remembrance of her parents whom died during the meteor shower. When Clark becomes weakened by the kryptonite, the jealous Whitney beats him up. This all leads to a confrontation with an electric man who received his powers from the rock.

The performances are all fantastic. I loved the family dynamics between Clark, Jonathan, and Martha. Same with Clark and his friends. With Chloe the journalistic snoop she is, I am not convinced Clark will keep his secret from her. Also, we get to see Lex before he turns villainous. It is a good idea to have Clark and Lex as good friends before they become the bitter enemies that we all know and love. Michael Rosenbaum is a great Lex Luthor and I love John Glover's turn as Lex's megalomaniac father even more.

Overall, I became hooked with Smallville right away. It is a straightforward pilot episode with great performances, a captivating story, and visual effects that seem realistic (great for a 2001 television show). It is not just a superhero story, but a series that tackle issues any teenager could relate to. I am very interested to join Clark on his adventures as he becomes the world's greatest superhero in the future.

My Grade: A.

When it comes to comic books, I'm not really a big fan of Superman's story. I felt the same way about the character much like Seth Cohen from The O.C., did about him; too perfect. It wasn't till I caught the eighth season of Smallville that my opinion began to change.

In the pilot of Smallville, we're brought to the aforementioned fictional town where a bunch of meteor rocks come falling down from the sky with Superman coming with his spaceship. After landing and found by the Kents, we flashforward to the present time where Clark (Tom Welling) has grown into a strapping young adolescent attending high school.

We're are quickly introduced to Clark's world of friends, Chloe (Allison Mack), Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). Chloe is fascinated by the weirdness that surrounds Smallville thanks to the meteor rocks, Lana lost her parents in the meteor showers, and Lex has become bald.

As Clark struggles to find a normalcy in high school, he befriends Lex after being hit at sixty miles an hour and saving his life. Without the special effects, visual effects and more to add to the story, the actors are phenomenal and come into their own. Tom Welling has an amazing ability to play Clark and it shows when he has scenes of no words at all and he is forced to face-act.

However, I can't review the show's first episode without mentioning the special effects. Showing Clark using super-speed and super-strength is beyond cool. It's absolutely astounding and incredible to watch. Of course in 2001, the special effects weren't as good as they are now, but for their time they were quite mesmerizing. The visual effects are a treasure as well, such as when Clark is hit by a car and has no harm to him or when Clark shoves his hand into a tree grinder and has no scratches on him. The costumes and having Clark wear only red or blue are quite gorgeous too.

The pilot of Smallville packs just about everything into it. There's something for everyone, whether you're all about the romance (Clark being in love with Lana, or Chloe in love with Clark), action (Clark showing off his superpowers), or just plain a drama fanatic (as the plot grips on you from the start). It's the kind of show that you have to let marinate and grow on you. But just because you don't like the character of Superman or perhaps you don't like comic books, doesn't mean you shouldn't give Smallville a glance. It's supremely impressive if it can change my opinion of the character and become my favourite show.