Smallville Destiny

Review by jelio — June 14, 2011 @ 3:08 am

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Review by DwightFry78 — May 30, 2011 @ 5:08 am

Unlike many people around here, I never really followed Smallville loyally, and the first season has a lot to do with it. Frankly, my opinion of it is that it, with its dreadfully lame and repetitive “freak-of-the-week” structure, was so bad overall that it’s a wonder it even got renewed for a second one. Okay, I may be being too harsh, but I got the feeling that every single episode was the same.

However, beneath that surface there happened to be a surprisingly engaging dose of human drama, and it took Last Survivor to reveal it in his firstling by removing all the rubble and putting together a story about people, which is what all great stories are about. It does not turn it into The Godfather, it’s still a whinefest and the dialogue is more akin to what a teenager would write than to what they would say, but the relations between the characters are highly enjoyable and you get to like them all (yes, Whitney too!) It’s true that it could have been trimmed a little further, and it’s true that the limitations of the material sometimes prevent some points to be well-rounded (I’m referring specifically to Clark’s quite out-of-character avoidance of Chloe when their quasi-affair starts developing, caused by the removal of that episode’s freak), but for what LS had to work with, the result is more than solid. Do not expect an action movie, though, there’s precious little of that, this is Smallville as pure drama. The action/adventure excitement, however, does kick in for the last hour of the ride, which might be the best of it.

Technically this is pretty much flawless, with no hard cuts whatsoever, and audio and video quality being consistently fine. I had the chance to see an earlier workprint by LS that showed great promise, which the final version more than fulfilled. This was a very good firstling that has me joining the popular acclaim for similar LS edits of further seasons of the show. 9/10 overall.

Review by Omaru1982 — May 2, 2011 @ 9:22 pm

Watched this yesterday and today (1 part per day)

Absolutely fantastic, even though I have season 1-7 on dvd I hadn’t watched them in quite a while.
Removing most of the meteor freaks was a great choice, if I recall the fortune teller was just one episode, however splitting up her encounters across different events made it seem like clark’s time with her was enjoyable enough to re-vist her. I know bob mentioned cutting the adaption storyline, but as Clark’s only discovered power (other than speed and strength) it gave us a chance to see him using his power before the finding his dad storyline (nice call omitting clark perving on the cheer squad by the way)

I really have nothing bad to say about this, it plays to everyones strengths, Whitney comes across less dickish, especially early on. The only thing I found close to a continuties were the reporter and kryptonite, what exactly did he see Clark do previously, but I was happy to overlook this very minor detail. Regarding with Kryptonite, we can assume that Smallville is littered with Rock fragments and in his youth he probably encountered some and fell sick, hence Jonathan’s knowledge of them.

As for other seasons? I’d love that, although maybe span a few plots from the various seasons to cut across them quicker? The main arc about Jason and Genevive Teague, I’d probably abandon that in it’s entirety.

Tech: 10/10 (I recall one little scene near the start where the image has been cropped to hide the credits)
Story: 9/10, a perfect digest of the important plot strands of season 1 (and the tying up loose ends from season 2) with maybe a little filler thrown in for good measure.

Review by BigDamnHero — May 4, 2011 @ 3:47 am

I’ve been watching this show since I was 13, and I’m now 24. Having grown up with it, I’ve become more and more aware of it’s weaknesses, but at the same time I still feel that it has some very good moments where the Clark Kent we all know and love shines through. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between in the series. I’ve always thought that those quality moments could be strung together in a way that gave us a glimpse into what Smallville could be at its greatest, but it was always just a dream.

Now, thanks to Last Survivor and Smallville Destiny, that dream is a reality.

When I first started watching this I expected it to be an intriguing idea, but not much more. Well I was in for quite a surprise. Smallville Destiny is great! I can’t believe how good this edit is, from both a technical and entertainment standpoint.

First of all, the intro and new theme were amazing. I loved the parallels between Clark and Lex, and the song was perfect. In fact, all of the soundtrack was vastly improved. It went from a really good TV show soundtrack to an epic movie soundtrack. I feel that it was one of the best things about the edit.

The episodes used to create this edit were great choices I have to say. I especially liked Ryan’s arc at the end of part 1 – it was a perfect episode to show Clark growing into his Superman persona, especially with the allusions to Warrior Angel. And what an ending! I always felt they wasted that song in the series, it’s so much better here – I got goosebumps!

Like BionicBob said, we don’t get to see a lot of Clark in action, but that never really bothered me. In the series, it was always the same thing anyway – he runs in at the last second and saves the victim who just happens to pass out/not see him. Now, Clark’s heroic moments are saved till the end of each part, and the payoff is much better. This is especially true for the second part, with such a phenomenal apex and Clark at his most Superman-esque. Plus, the edit holds up to it’s name: it’s about Kal-el’s destiny, and how he becomes the man of steel, not an action romp.

While it doesn’t replace the show, Smallville Destiny is a wonderful compliment to it – and in many ways it’s better. You can really feel the parallels between Clark and Lex far more than in the original, 22 episode season. And you can see more clearly how their lives are shaped, and what events lead to them taking the paths they eventually do. In the end there is still a lot for us to wonder about, but that last little post-credit scene gave me hope for a SD:2! :D

I can’t recommend this edit highly enough, whether you’re a fan of the show, or even just a Superman fan in general. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but it was the most fun I’ve had watching a TV show in a long time. Thanks, Last Survivor!

9/10

Review by bionicbob — April 27, 2011 @ 12:41 am

As anyone who follows the TV Shows Threads knows, I am a HUGE Smallville fan!
But more over, I am a lover of all things Superman.
My comic book collection is overflowing. I grew up watching George Reeves weekday mornings before school in the 70s, I was in theatre seats for all the Chris Reeve movies, I loved the late 80′s Superboy series, enjoyed LOIS & CLARK in the 90′s and have been a devoted follower of Smallville these past 10 seasons. Thus, when Last Survivor announced his Smallville project, I was very curious.
The timing could not have been better. With Smallville ending it’s series run later this year, it felt right to go back to the very beginnings of the series and relive the genesis of this generations’ Superman.

First off, I will get the basic technical stuff out of the way. The dvd menu design is simple, functional and to the point. Just the way I prefer it. The editor provides a nice summary of his intentions as a bonus feature, along with his two trailers. All very clean and nice.

I watched this edit on my good old 56inch rear projection tv (yep, still no widescreen tv for me yet) and the images and colours were clear and sharp. I listened to the movie through my stereo system and the quality was very good, never had to adjust the sound while watching.

While watching I did not notice any significant interlacing, flash frames or fluctuating video quality. I did observed the widescreen matte would sometimes change from normal black to a dark grey briefly. Considering the source material and type of edit this is, most the of audio and scene transisitions work very well. There were a couple I thought could be smoothed out slightly more, but for the most part, I was really impressed. There are a few scenes which are obviously cut and/or restructured, but they were not a significant distraction for me.

I really liked the new music choices for this story. The score used for the opening and closings for Parts 1 and 2, pefectly capture the lyrical quality you want for this type of epic edit. The new opening credits and score, was extremely impressive. It paid a nice tribute to the comic book origins of the material, while maintaining a modern dramatic style. Well done.

So on the tech side, I think this is a very well constructed and executed edit. It shows great skills and great promise.
I would give the tech stuff a solid 8 out of 10.

Now we move into the subjective stuff—narrative choices made by the editor, viewer accessibility and overall entertainment value.

As already outlined by Last Survivor, he has taken season one and the season two opener, removed all the Freak of the Week plotlines, and focused solely on the lives of the main characters of Smallville, the Kents, the Luthors and their supporting entourage.

I was skeptical when I first read this, really wondering how well the season long “B” and “C” storylines would hold up. As my memory is stained with the many horrible and repetitive freak villains that ruled through season one. Happily, the subplots of the daily struggles of young Clark and his friends and family work really well. Which is a testament to the strong writing team of the first season and the wonderfully engaging cast of actors.

That said, this edit definitely does not flow like a feature film. It is very, very episodic in nature, filled with teen angst, and soap opera twists. This is particularly evident in Part 1 of the edit, where all the various plot lines seem random and disjointed. However, in Part 2 most of these threads quickly come together, forming a mostly coherant tapestry, and a satisfiying conclusion.

As a long time Smallville watcher, I found the 4 plus hour movie experience to be a fun nostalgia ride. I enjoyed revisiting many of these storylines. But what would someone unfamilar with the Smallville series think?

They may find the edit a bit too long, I think another 20-25 minutes could have been eliminated. There were some story bits I thought could have been cut to keep the story moving faster and more focused. Such as the “adoption’ bit from Part 1 and the “nanny” bit from Part 2. But these are minor things.
If there is one potential weakness to Last Survivor’s edit removal of the Freaks of the Week, it is we the audience don’t get many opportunities to see Clark being heroic. They talk about it alot, but we, the audience, don’t get to see too much of it. This started to worry me as I watched, but Last Survivor has smartly closed Parts 1 and 2 with a big action piece, thus finally giving the audience a glimpse at the hero Clark is destined to become.

So I think structurely the narrative works and a non-Smallville fan will be engaged and will understand the storyline. Due to the nature of this type of tv edit, not all the storylines are tied up in a neat bow by the time the final credits roll. There are some unresolved threads and cliffhanger elements. But instead of being a destraction or disappointment, they work well as nice tease of things to come. Make sure you watch the entire end credits for a little surprise!

So again, I would give the creative/entertainment elements of this edit a strong 8/10.

I think this is very good first time edit and I whole heartedly APPROVE IT!

So if you are a long time Smallville fan, or have always been curious about the series but have never watched it, I would recommend checking out Last Survivor’s SMALLVILLE DESTINY.

THUMBS UP!