Smallville (TV Series) Absolute Justice (2010) User Reviews

Smallville's Best Yet

[rjaymolina · 9/10 · 5 February 2010]

After season's four to seven (which were the worst in my opinion), Smallville picked things up with season eight by introducing a back story for Doomsday which, for me, made Superman's death more meaningful.

Season nine continues to pick things up by introducing a younger Zod, and an identity struggling Clark Kent (aka the Blur). The fact that the producers are pushing the show into Metropolis just brings a big smile run across my face.

But I digress... This review is for the show's first television movie, "Absolute Justice," which reunites a small part of the Justice Society of America (google them), and forces them to join forces with the "team in progress," aka the Justice League, to take down an old villain's son. It's a thrill to see Hawkman and Green Arrow bicker, but it's an even bigger thrill to see Dr. Fate reveal Superman's cape to Clark in a vision. All the spoilers can't be revealed though. You just have to see it to believe everything that happens. There's so much that goes in this television special that will make fan-boys jump up and down with excitement. This show is going somewhere again and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Welcome back Smallville.

Smallville, the past and future secrets

[CHernobog123 · 9/10 · 6 February 2010]

The latest smallville outing was a major 'motion picture' epic about a group of former heroes who come out of retirement and help our current heroes. There will be spoilers.

The episode, what it really is, is a great one. let met start with saying that. I loved it. best thing they did so far. But in order to appreciate it you have to know DC lore. And that was what the episode about, giving the fans what they want.

The episode started off slow. The directors took a lot of time to introduce the characters and the justice society. This was some of the best moments of the entire episode. The complete society lore was amazing, wild cat, Green lantern, atom, flash (Jay Garrick, not the Bart Allen already introduced in the show) They were all there. The black canary in the painting was the mother of the black canary in the show already introduced and this connection should have been used in my eyes. Though ill be satisfied if they reference it in future episodes.

The characters introduced properly were Hawkman. Micheal shanks did a great job of bringing him to the screen, though the batman voice was a bit too much in the end, but besides that it was very good. Stargirl, unfortunately this character, created by Johns in the comics, worked less well. Britt Irvin played it too childish. The role as a protégé who lost her mentor could have been a lot better. And last and definitely the best was amazing. Ben Strait is doctor fate. None of the camp i expected from the photos. This is fate as i hoped and was the best it could have been.

The checkmate storyline hopefully will be better in the rest of the show because they will be back. Project cadmus in the comics, are a notoriously suspicious of superheroes and are a pain in the behind. It worked as an introduction, but barely.

Icicle was the worst character, definitely, over acted, ugly to look at and annoying. Mostly the actor because in my eyes he worked on paper. The idea of getting back at your fathers killers is a classic super villain story and could, no should have been portrayed better. The effects were good for an ice villain but the idea of an entire society of heroes needed to get him was a bit much. It would have been better if there were 2 or maybe even 3 villains.

The way the current league interacted with the society was the best part. Hawkman and green arrow should have gotten more screen time, and a sitcom spin off. Fate and Clark worked really well, especially about the destiny, with the cape, Lois and Lex Luthor. and of course the amazing return to form of the martian man hunter. Great to see his martian form and the costume works the magic, we missed you Phil.

The effects were not as good as it could have been, hawk man was a blur through the air while the wings didn't move. The costumes looked slightly too plastic in some scenes and the action, in classic smallville style, a lot of build up with a minimal delivery.

Overall id give the episode 9 out of 10, for me because I adore DC lore and love the way it worked on screen. I couldn't have hoped for better. But as none DC readers will say, it was about too many characters with too many references which they wont get. But as a smallville movie it worked.

I hope the characters will be back and be seen more often. hopefully they will be seen often before the apokolips comes.

Tom Welling

[yusufpiskin · 10/10 · 17 October 2020]

Camera depth, sound and image harmony, costumes etc... Tom Welling is definitely a very good director. It's interesting why he didn't continue his career in this direction.

Well directed and written, informative comics history, awesome superguests, inspiring intergeneration links and moral values, top notch visuals and effects, delightful dialogs

[igoatabase · 7 February 2010]

For a first long episode I think they did a great job. Of course Glen Winter and Tom Welling directed and Geoff Johns wrote it as two episodes but the transition between them was smooth enough to hide their seam. I hadn't read its summary before watching it so I really didn't know what to expect. In fact I thought it would be about the Justice League but it was more about the Justice Society of America. Before watching Absolute Justice I was an ignorant because I didn't even know what the JSA was. Its story should be a great way to introduce you to the superhero group and comics mythology in general. Doctor Fate specially amazed me with his surreal abilities and well designed outfit. His tailor is even better than Green Arrow's one ! I also found his helmet quite intriguing, even fascinating, because like in the film The Mask starring Jim Carrey it seemed alive and able to bend the tides of time.

But even if it featured some JSA superheros our familiar characters were also involved. In fact I liked the way they were inspired by each other because even if Clark admitted that their team was a "work in progress" their youthful energy was able to motivate the experienced but depressed superheros. They also brought maturity to the scenes and it's something Smallville has been missing for an awful long time now. I really miss the good old days when Clark's wise and loving father used to lecture him. The Martian Manhunter broke the vicious circle for a few episodes but it wasn't enough to appeal the demanding viewer. Each generation had a lot to learn from the other. Stargirl was the link they needed to connect and comprehend their stories. The dialog she had with Chloe at the Watch Tower was really inspiring because it was full of family and friendly advices. So I can't wait for her to transform the place into something more comfortable. What about a kitchen to bake cookies ? Morality was even more important than in episodes like Injustice and Echo. The values the writer shared with us were very stimulating and if your parents are reluctant to let you watch Smallville then you should definitely brief them about what the JSA and future JL superheros believe in. So the contents was interesting but the visuals were also quite impressive and the new sets refreshing and well designed. In fact I think the effects were the best ever produced for a Smallville episode. Some of them were just astonishing ! But my favorite one was probably an inside joke involving a special guest I really missed. I hope it'll come back for more ! What happened to it was fantastic because the scene was both unexpected, funny, violent and sad. A soul for a soul.

To sum things up the people involved in this episode's creation did a great job, the performers included. The cold blooded killer was scary. Some dialogs were smart, others hilarious, specially Green Arrow's ones, and I'm sure the references for comics fans were numerous. There were also plenty of intriguing developments even if I don't really know where the writers are heading. Of course we could still complain about the sloppy beginning and anecdotic flashbacks but these few cons can't hide all the pros I mentioned. I can't even imagine what Doomsday could have been if the same successful recipe had been applied to it !

What happens when the 'Justice Crew' gets plucked out one by one, as though they were being hunted like animals?

[maine_310 · 9/10 · 7 February 2010]

Well it only calls for the collaboration of team work put on by Green Arrow, Hawk Man, Stargirl, Dr. Fate, Clark and we can't forget Chloe.

Why does crisis always lurk in the lives of superheroes? The reasons some villains have for seeking revenge can be considered as outlandish, and it was even more distasteful how easy it was to capture Icicle in the end, no matter how cool that scene was when everyone finally came together.

So basically I am an Erica Durance fan, more for the role she creates as Lois and half an hour into this episode I was like "when are they going to show her, I need some comedy now!". Durance did not disappoint when she finally came on screen, I actually believed it was Clark she rambled into, so I was like "turn around and give your woman a kiss or those cool stares you usually engage yourself into" ah, but it wasn't Clark. One question though, why the glasses? I mean Tom Welling was a few grades above the look-a-like when it came to looks, but that was just corny.

We actually had a combustion of irregular characters along with some new faces. I was afraid this entire 'Justice' episode would come off cheesy, but I found it oddly amusing. Everything flowed, even the weird Tess scenes being curious, was smoothly dealt with. It was refreshing watching Tess lurk around in the dark like the real villain to be concerned with. I believe Clark needs to show some sort of concern with Tess' knowledge of his secret. Does he believe he intimidates Tess so much that she wouldn't even be tempted to mention it to Lois? I just believe that Clark has a lot of loose ends right now, he needs to be so careful with who he trusts, maybe he is keeping a closer eye on Tess, but knowing her she would always be up to no good.

That Amanda Waller is a bit of a concern for me. What business did she have with Tess in the end and how did they know each other? Why would she hire Icicle then murder him relentlessly, with no conscience? Why would she confide in Lois and how does she know so much? There are just so many questions circulating her character and I don't like it. In the end Icicle turned out to be just another villain with a grudge, I mean that scene with Chloe in the dumpster :) was stunning, but that was about it I probably found impressive.

Chloe herself is a topic on its own. She acts like the tech behind everything, but when Hawk man swerved through watchtower breaking all the glass, Chloe could have serious gotten hurt there. She needs to have more protective gear with her, there is only so much she could do in her human form. No one really worries about Chloe putting out more than she can carry, burdening her life into 'protecting the world'. Stargirl was right about watchtower, where is the furniture? It doesn't even look like a home and does Chloe even have a social life? It's been a while since Jimmy's death and I believe she has stuck everything into her job to forget about her losses in life, it's almost depressing.

Anyway, I felt that in an attempt to tell the justice story, they omitted more Clois moments which I always look forward to. Still this was an adequate episode for me and I admired Lois' "Lois and Clark and not Clark and Lois" in retaliation to Clark, and that embraces the wit I adore in her...(and she's right Clark get your facts straight). I loved how she was able to trust Clark with her story, expressing her willingness to include him in the byline. As each episodes grows, so does their relationship. There wasn't even time to resolve Oliver's 'thing' for Lois, which I hope is done soon.

Don't you guys really notice Clark's maturity; his decisions, the way he talks and moves it's so (what's the word) manly you know. Tom Welling has taken Clark Kent 'the farm boy' and turned him into the superhero he needs to be. Clark just needs some help when it comes to trusting people, especially people like Zod. I really hope he has a plan set for when Zod goes berserk. Oh and what emails between Oliver and Black Canary should Chloe not have seen?

Lexa Reviews

http://lexabuti.blogspot.com

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Four and a Half Stars

Grade A-

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Absolute Justice

[Colcatron · 9/10 · 29 April 2011]

DC comics writer Geoff Johns, who successfully brought the Legion of Superheroes to Smallville in season 8, returns with the two part movie "Absolute Justice". This time Johns is bringing the old school Justice Society to the show, including Hawkman, Dr. Fate and Stargirl.

First I'll cover the goods. Geoff Johns knows comics better than anyone, and it shows, as this story not only matches in tone and structure to the comics, but the plot is fantastic. "Absolute Justice" is epic enough to be a big screen adaptation. This is a massive episode. Not only do we have a handful of new DC characters, but John Jones comes back as well. The production values are possibly the best Smallville has had yet. Everyone went all out on this episode, and it shows. The real star though is Geoff Johns script. Even though this is my least favorite episode Johns has written of the three he's done, behind "Legion" in season 8 and "Booster" in season 10, it is the most engaging story he's conceived. As a fan of DC comics I loved that Johns never hides some of the corniness of these superheroes, but there's a downside to that, as I'll cover next.

Now the negatives. Yes, as a fan of DC comics I love that Johns writes this like a comic book story, but having so many characters, and refusing to dumb down their complexities makes this harder to watch if you're not familiar with the comics. What Johns did differently in "Booster" and "Legion" was play up on some comedy. That made it easier to see these characters in live action, whereas here it's very serious, and much more dramatic. That causes the characters to come across as a little cheesy at times. Although in defence of Johns, the fault with that lies with the rest of the crew. Some of the costumes look super cheesy, and not in a way where it's intentional. Hawkman especially looks ridiculous at times. I don't want to fault the costume designers, as I think they did a phenomenal job, but with a TV show budget on the WB, it's next to impossible to make a character like Hawkman look as good as he should. Even though many fans will hate me for this, I also thought guest star Michael Shanks from Stargate:SG1 gave a weak performance. He has some great dramatic scenes, particularly those opposite Dr. Fate, but most of the time it seems like he's doing a bad impression of Rorschach from Watchmen. I don't want to knock him too much considering when he returned in season 10 I thought he did an amazing job as Hawkman. On the topic of Dr. Fate, again as a comics fan I liked how well his character was adapted, but it is extremely sci-fi in a way that doesn't fit the overall tone of Smallville. Again, that's a complaint that will effect non comic book fans more.

This 2 parter is a great achievement for everyone involved, but as can be expected when you go this far out on a limb, there were bound to be some minor flaws.

Satisfying Buffet of Hero's

[work1113 · 8/10 · 13 February 2010]

Bring on the buffet of super hero's.

This was one of the better episodes of the season, and it had a more sustainable and independent story line than the other Zod-esquire episodes.

I love Dr. Fate - he is the wise of the old, the Martian Manhunter of the elders. Hawkman's character was also well played.

I wish they would have included a few marquee players in this episode (Batman, Wonder woman, Flash). But I do understand the rights and legalities involved - so it was in all likely hood a challenge just to get the ones they did have.

The only complaint I have is using the Iceman-dude as the villain. Stupid. Why use that actor too? Was he Tom Wellings friend? How did the metro sexual guy with the lisp get that part? The fight sequence between Stargirl and Iceman was poorly choreographed as well - so was that particular dialogue.

Oh well - keeping in mind, it is CW and resources are limited. How about NBC? I heard they need a few more quality shows.

Anyway, good episode - and like I said - it stands alone, so you don't need to have background of the season in order to enjoy.

8.5/10.00. - (-2.5) for using that weird actor as the iceguy.

BRITT IRVIN is the BEST STARGIRL

[awbusa · 10/10 · 19 November 2020]

These are the characters - actors that should've gotten their own CW series

SUPERMAN - SUPERGIRL - STARGIRL - THE FLASH / IMPULSE - GREEN ARROW - MARTIAN MANHUNTER - HAWKMAN - WATCHTOWER - BLACK CANARY - GREEN LANTERN - AQUAMAN - CYBORG - ZATANNA

instead of rebooting them and having to start their story's over

Maybe it's the best episode of smallville?

[mrhfcb · 10/10 · 3 December 2019]

For me it's one of the best episodes , but it's not the best maybe it's the 3rd yeah maybe I'm not sure. A little bit of the justice league it's just fine with me & I love it

Have you been demanding costumes? Well, here they are!

[t_atzmueller · 7/10 · 7 February 2012]

So far, the „Smallville"-fans have been divided over the use of costumes. Most admired that the show kept it more 'real', after all, the show playing at a time before our heroes actually wore costumes or had a 'super-identity'. With the exception of the Green Arrow, only Impulse and Aquaman wore suits that hinted at their future attire.

And of course there are those, who just couldn't wait to see those costumes that we all know from the comic books; well, this double-episode is a fest for those. We get a good section of the JSA (Justice Society of America, the predecessors of the Justice League of America or JLA), including Hawkman, Doctor Fate and Star Girl, sporting costumes that are straight from the comic.

Well, despite being happy that those characters finally have appeared in the series but it soon becomes apparent why so few movies have used (and succeeded in using) costumes straight from the comic book: it's just not the same medium. Doctor Fate works fine on paper but on TV; on television it's of a helmet that looks like a night-pot with CGI-eyes.

Some have complained that "Smallville" didn't feature more popular and canonical figures like the Batman, Green Lantern or Wonder Woman – personally, I don't think that's a bad thing. Above mentioned characters have their own films and series, yet, in the comics, the more 'obscure' JSA / JLA members are often more interesting than the popular figures.

Part one of this two episodes being squashed into one episode, definitely works better than the second half – the JSA pre-story reminds us a lot of "Watchmen" but becomes very flat at the end, especially since our heroes sole antagonist is a very whimsical Icicle, including buck-teeth and a lisp.

So, we watched, were glad to see the JSA on TV and realized that "Smallville" was smart not to overdo the costume issue. Another "Louise and Clark"- or "Superboy"-series may have lasted three or four seasons; "Smallville" lasted nine.

Kudos to the casting team for the casting of Checkmate-chef Amanda Waller – a force of nature in the original comic books, Pam Grier couldn't have been more spot-on; whimsicalities and buck-teeth are almost forgiven.

Two of the worst episodes in the series

[claytonchurch1 · 1/10 · 5 February 2021]

Two of the worst episodes in the series. Looking at the reviews, I think it boils down to this: if you're familiar with DC comic characters and you watch Smallville because it's a superhero show, you probably really liked this. The reviews show that these kind of people were thrilled at these two episodes. If, however, you are like me and watch the show for the human aspects -- the stuff that the first four seasons were about - then this couldn't have gotten any worse. Embarrassingly bad lines, bad writing, lots of looking and macho stuff. Weird voices. Dumb. I rank this as perhaps the dumbest episode since the episode in which Lois, Chloe, and Lana all become witches in the fall of season four. After that episode, I quit watching on Hulu for about four weeks.

Best Smallville Episode Ever

[bxblazin69 · 6 February 2010]

I would definitely have to say that this episode was amazing. There definitely must be new writers on staff, because this was leap and bounds better then any other Smallville i have seen. I was starting to lose faith in this show, but i am glad to see they made a lot of changes. There was plenty of action and had a really good plot. And i loved the huge catalog of DC characters that were brought into the show which i am glad, because a show can get boring with the same characters for so long over many seasons. My only hope is that now the show continues with this pace, because now they have a lot to live up to. I would really like to see more of the same from here on with this show.

An hour and a half of pure Cheese

[springerincali · 2/10 · 17 February 2010]

I am a fan of smallville but this episode was god awful. The regular actors on smallville are not the best in the business but they are usually alright to watch. In this episode they failed. Both the regular actors and the ones brought in for this episode Over acted every line they had. So bad in fact that it reminded me of an 80s after school special. Hawkman with a horrible Christan Bale Batman impression and a whining little metro dude as icicle were the worst characters ever not to mention the bad one-liners by every character in every scene. Then to add insult to injury the make this crap fest an hour and a half long! what a waste of time.

3 out of 10

There's nothing remotely salvageable about that episode.

[m-47826 · 1/10 · 5 August 2023]

This clearly didn't make me change my mind about comic books. They are for little boys, who then grow up, and get nostalgic. Every aspects of this two hours special was corny as hell. From the opening scene, it didn't feel like a Smallville episode I would enjoy. And the few times I was invested in the story, was when the regulars showed up to explain how on earth these random characters were introduced. The special effects were ok, but the actors looked ridiculous in those costumes. And the cheesy dialogues, fry voice... I laughed more than I actually should've. What was Pam Grier doing here? Though her character was the mastermind behind the killings, she was no more than a talking cameo. I think season 9 might be my least favorite of the series.

Yeah, this show is going somewhere...

[weltraumpirat · 2/10 · 6 February 2010]

...but the only place it's going is down.

I used to be quite a fan of Smallville, because I liked the idea of retelling the Superman story without the cape, but with each season, especially since the writers killed Lex Luthor and the Kents, it continually degraded and is now but an overblown mixture of cheesy special effects ( I can't believe how BAD some of those look! ), especially whenever someone is supposed to be flying, even cheesier dialogs ( maybe they should hire a writer ), and by far the most untalented cast since Baywatch (unfortunately though, Smallville is not half as entertaining, since it lacks Baywatch's frequent show of girls with large breasts in wet bathing suits).

In short: Instead of coming up with a new super hero (or villain) for each episode, the creators of this show should have invested their money in a believable story line.

I am surprised I keep watching this nonsense - must be some twisted sense of nostalgia, since I used to be a big fan of the Superman comic books.

Fanboys satisfied, Fans... not so much

[Dain120475 · 6 February 2010]

While I have come to enjoy Smallville quite a bit, and have been looking forward to this particular episode ever since last fall, I must say I was very disappointed by the final result.

Up till now I have seen a smattering of complaints from die-hard Superman fans that argue about the lack of traditional costume-wearing, and following the original story lines, was a problem for them. I have always disagreed, feeling that the show was a fresh look on the characters and concepts. This particular episode has many throwbacks to the original comic book feel, and because of that, I feel that it was a disappointment.

The following has some spoilers about this episode, so be warned.... I don't know how to block out the spoilers without expressing a detailed review of this and expressing my opinion. So I apologize for that... but there are spoilers below, by the way.

As the new heroes go about their business they discover a mysterious villain, called "Icicle" is killing of a whole team of former superheroes. The character of Icicle was, for me, an immediate problem. He looked like a wimpy and comical combination of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "Spike" and Mr. Freeze from the Batman and Robin movie... in short, both laughable and not the kind of person that could take out a team of superheroes.

Next problem, as Clark and the gang go about the business of investigating the history of the JSA they discover a reel of footage, the footage is meant to be a streaming documentary on the capture of the JSA members, but it seems way too "stylish" and cutting edge for documentary footage, with POV shots and artistically placed camera angles. The attempt to make it look cool actually took away from the action for me because it didn't look realistic it just pulled me out of the story.

The costumes looked very "comic book" like. I think that was a mistake.

I've enjoyed the slow build up Smallville has done so far. Why would some guy just say "I know, as a hero, I'll wear a set of blue tights and red cape... that will scare the villains!" First the red and blue shirt and jacket, then the "S", then a long flowing trench coat... then probably a merger of the bunch in the final episode. But the fact that you see guys wearing tights and goofy looking costumes hurt me, and the fact that all the heroes refer to each other in "code-name" instead of their real names, at least when they're hanging out with each other, made no sense.

Why call Oliver Queen "Green Arrow" when no one is around but two people. Want just call him "Oliver"? The Green Arrow is what the press calls him, not what he calls himself. And even if he did want to use the code name to protect his identity, why bother using it when no one else is around but his friends who know his identity? Also, for the money they invested into this episode, would it have killed them to bring back Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman, Black Canary, and (for crying out loud) Speedy? After the episode Disciple I was actually thinking that they might have a Green Arrow spin-off in the works, because Speedy has made a great sidekick, but she wasn't in there at all. Face it; she's fun, smart, sexy, sassy, a good balance for Oliver's dark side, forcing him to be good, while making him seem somehow older.

The final insult is that Lex's protégé and the owner of a multi-billion dollar business who is currently dealing with a gang of Kryptonian thugs trying to take over the planet has enough time to be a part of a secret government agency on the side. Yes, Tess Mercer is actually a member of a secret government agency who apparently deals with the elimination of superheroes. Did the writers actually plan this all along, or just figure they'd make Tess an agent now to liven things up? And if they had the money to put Tess in there that week (as opposed to Zod, or whoever), they could have given her the week off and brought in some JLA members,at least for a cameo! This episode could have been better.

What they could have (and should have done), in my opinion, is go for a more muted and somewhat realistic sense of costumes from the Silver Age era, and if they wanted the "comic book" feel they could have at least taken a two minute aside to explain why characters would wear such colorful and somewhat ridiculous costumes.

I really, really think they should have spent a few extra bucks and brought back old favorites like Black Canary, Speedy, Aquaman, and so forth (and Supergirl, anyone?), instead of bringing in expensive actors like Pam Grier who played such a minor role and will most likely not be coming back. How much did it cost to pay a Hollywood actor as opposed to minor actors who need to get the publicity and are fan favorites anyway? Smallville is great because it makes comic books feel realistic without feeling campy (much like Heroes). This episode just showed me the campy side of comic books and how bad they look (with the possible exception of the Martian Manhunter's mysterious flash into his natural appearance... good times).

In short, if you want a good episode without the camp, this wasn't for you. If you want Smallville to look like a replica of the books from the 50's, you'll probably enjoy it. As for me? Not so much...

peace joe