8.25.04
DALLAS Season 1&2
DVD Boxed Set Review

Suggested Retail Price: $59.98 
Online Price: $44.99 
Costco:  $48.99

DETAILS: 
* Region 1 
* 6 Discs
* 23 Episodes 
* Anamorphic Widescreen
* English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
* Subtitles: English, French, Spanish 
* Studio: Warner Bros.

Stars: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Sam Jones III, Alison Mack, John Glover, Annette O'Toole and John Schneider 

When Smallville first premiered I remember thinking about the final Superman feature and just how horrible the franchise became after just the second film. Who could want more  of that? Who wanted to watch a young Clark Kent that would never don the blue tights and red cape. A Clark Kent that would never fly. Not me.

I was so wrong about this series. It has turned out to be a very good television series. Warner Bros has now released the second season of Smallville on DVD. 

I am one of many who enjoy the widescreen format, so I found Season 2 of Smallville most enjoyable. Well, lets get on with the review...

VIDEO 

The quality of the video is excellent. I found the episode digital transfer consistent from episode to episode, unlike some of the other TV series boxed sets of older series. The picture quality is sharp, the colors are vibrant. Darker scenes are crisp and do not suffer from a washed out muddy look. I found no pixelation problems with the discs, no debris on the transfers.  The video is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. 

AUDIO 

Smallville is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. It sounds perfect on my spare 36 inch stereo television, which isn't hooked up to the surround sound. Dobly 5.1 isn't really needed on the disc set since Smallville is a drama with some action thrown in. If it was one of the Star Trek series Dobly 5.1 would have been awesome.

EXTRAS 

The disc isn't stuffed with extras but does contain the most important feature - deleted scenes for several episodes. The boxed set does include a gag-reel, and three special features - Faster than a Speeding Bullet: The Visual FX of Smallville; Christopher Reeve: The Man of Steel; and the Chloe Chronicles.

SUMMARY 

Overall the disc is wonderful set. If you bought the first season, you'll be purchasing this one regardless of the quality. If your thinking about purchasing the Smallville collection then this is a must. Warner Bros. book style packaging works well to protect the discs and make them easy to access. It seems to be Warner Bros. standard series packaging. Warner Bros seems to have gone out of their way putting quality into the seasonal boxed sets I have watched so far. 

Smallville was never one of my favorite series, but being able to watch the series again uncut and without commercials has added to my appreciation for it. The cast works well together and the quality of the acting a huge surprise. 

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