mjpetty7 Reviews

Logan (2017)

A True Masterpiece

[10/10 · 8 March 2017]

LOGAN is one of those films that, when it ends, you immediately want to watch it again.

As far as X-Men films go, LOGAN is the most brutal, violent, and bloody (I do not count DEADPOOL as an X-Men film simply because it isn't at all essential to the X- Men/Wolverine films & it really is it's own thing), in a lot of ways it's the Wolverine film that people have always wanted. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was a let down to many (it's a good action flick but that's about it), while THE WOLVERINE was received much better (with the exception of the film's final act). LOGAN is truly the Wolverine film that everyone has been looking for and, in many respects, the Wolverine that Logan himself looks for throughout the film.

Directed by James Mangold (3:10 TO YUMA, WALK THE LINE, THE WOLVERINE), LOGAN itself is a Western; technically a Modern Western, but a Western nevertheless. It's not just the western settings (Mexico, North Dakota, Nevada, etc.) that set LOGAN apart as a Western, but also the content of its characters. Logan was a hero, much like the Civil War heroes who come back home to find that they don't belong (I'm looking at you Uncle Ethan...), Logan was formerly one of the X-Men, superheroes that the world counted on and looked up to (depending on the X-Men film that is), as Wolverine. He's a classic example of "don't meet your heroes" as he's merely a shell of the man he once was. Sure, this isn't only a characteristic of the Western, but it is one of the common traits of Classic Westerns. The hero who has no place in society, yet fights, and even gives his life, to defend it. This is Logan.

And let's not forget that the basic plot of the film is the group traveling from Mexico to, eventually, Canada to run from a group of Reavers after a young girl and her friends. Sounds very Western to me...

Along with all that, the use of the film SHANE, a Classic Western from 1953, not only serves as a bridge for us to take a closer look into Charles Xavier, and the title character himself, but it also gives a clear picture as to what LOGAN is supposed to be. LOGAN shows Logan, Laura, and Xavier what it's like to have a family, much like SHANE does with it's title character. LOGAN creates a bond between the Western hero and the child he's sworn to protect, another clear characteristic of SHANE. And of course that ending scene, which I won't spoil one way or another.

All this being said, LOGAN is not only very clearly a Modern Western, but also just a phenomenal display of the character of Wolverine in a way that none of the other X-films have been able to fully grasp (although some have come awfully close). When watching LOGAN, I immediately compared it to two of my all-time favorite films that often fight for their place as my fourth favorite on in my Top 10: THE DARK KNIGHT and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY. It's not really the content of these films compared to LOGAN that stuck out to me, but instead the implications that come along with them. LOGAN is Marvel's THE DARK KNIGHT, it's the one big and important film that separates it from anything else the company has done before or will ever do again. LOGAN will become a standard for all X-Men, Wolverine, Marvel, superhero, and comic book movies out there, much like THE DARK KNIGHT is for DC, Batman, and the superhero/comic book genre now. Similarly, TERMINATOR 2 changed action and sci-fi films forever. In fact, outside of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, I can't name a single action film that has had the impact on the genre and film industry as a whole in the same way TERMINATOR 2 has, until now.

If LOGAN is Marvel's THE DARK KNIGHT, then it is also certainly the comic book genres TERMINATOR 2. Like the title of this review says, LOGAN is a masterpiece.

AmeriGeddon (2016)

A Good Story, An Important Message, So Much Potential

[5/10 · 15 October 2016]

So here's the thing, I'm a film major, I'm trained to look at film a certain way. I look at each shot composition, each character action, line of dialogue, and each acting performance. On the other hand, I'm also someone who believes most if not all that this film is showing us. So I really wanted this film to be good and really wanted it to work, and overall, it did it's best.

In terms of story, I think AmeriGeddon is actually a pretty solid film. In a similar fashion to both the original and latest Red Dawn films, AmeriGeddon follows the fall of America as a nation due to a strategic attack on America and following this attack foreign troops arrive to "keep the peace". Due to my love for Red Dawn, I honestly had a lot of hope in this movie. However, both versions of Red Dawn I thought were executed better. Nevertheless, AmeriGeddon's plot is actually pretty good! Between the conflicted soldier, the troubled teen, their love story, the politician seeing what's going on around him, and everyone else, I thought, at least on paper, the film worked pretty well.

This brings me to my criticisms, and I by no means mean to be harsh because I understand the importance of films like AmeriGeddon being made and seen by American citizens, however I believe they could have done much better and I don't believe it's a budget issue. I believe there are two primary reasons AmeriGeddon was not as good as it could have or should have been: too much expositional dialogue and sub-par acting.

Let's talk dialogue first. One of the first things you learn in any basic scriptwriting course is to "show don't tell". AmeriGeddon's dialogue, though informative, is unfortunately way too on-the-nose and/or expositional. Between constantly using the words "New World Order" and character's spewing out statistics and phrases like something out of a Survivor's Manual, the screenwriter in me was cringing at times watching this film.

The other biggest issue with AmeriGeddon is the acting. Now, I don't want to give the impression that all the acting was bad, because it wasn't, but unfortunately there were certain character's whose acting fell flat, and sadly I believe this is a direct correlation between the dialogue and the performances.

All-in-all, I am definitely happy to see this film made and that people are actually excited about a film like AmeriGeddon. Do I wish the quality of the film were better? Absolutely, this film should've been as good and intense as the 2012 Red Dawn remake as I referenced earlier, but nevertheless AmeriGeddon is a must see for those who are interested in where America is headed, and if you're a cinephile like myself then I would maybe suggest a different popcorn flick to watch on a Saturday night.

Jason Bourne (I) (2016)

Let Me Think About It

[8/10 · 13 August 2016]

The Bourne Trilogy is one of my all-time favorite film series. Between the action, romance, government corruption, Matt Damon, and the concept of "who is Jason Bourne?", it basically had everything an action movie junkie could ask for. Admittedly, I have not seen The Bourne Legacy as I thought the concept of the film, while interesting, was unappealing. Having a Bourne film without Bourne is like the next 007 not being James Bond, it just doesn't work in my opinion (though I have heard decent things about the film and may one day check it out).

Jason Bourne is a film that ties up portions of the original trilogy while leaving room for further installments, very similar to The Force Awakens did in regards to Return of the Jedi. While it is not my favorite Bourne film (I need to watch all three of the originals again before I can chose which is), it definitely got me excited for Bourne's story to continue. I know that the book series has many more installments than the films do, and based on that I would love to see more Bourne stories in the future, and I believe this film allows for that to take place.

Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, and the rest of the cast did a fantastic job and while I have read some reviews that paint Damon and Jones as not enjoying this film, I don't agree. These are characters who have been at each other's throats for years now, even though they haven't spoken in just as much time. Bourne is tired, worn down, and much like Ben Affleck's Batman in Batman V Superman, has seen and discovered so many things over the years to the point where he's not sure he wants to continue the fight. Spoiler alert, he does. While Dewey (Jones) on the other hand is at the end of his career, very similar to Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and he's trying to hold onto all the cards he has. Some say this is a wooden performance by Jones, I don't agree. I see Dewey as a man who, although old, tired, and almost out, is holding on to every bit of life that he can. I thought the cast did an excellent job.

I will say I was confused about what Bourne's ultimate goal was during portions of the film, though I was never lost whenever he was on the move. The reason I can't say Jason Bourne is my favorite Bourne film is because honestly I don't believe the story is as good as Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum's; though this is not to say that I didn't enjoy Jason Bourne because I absolutely did. There has always been a LOT of truth in the Bourne films, and this one is no exception.

The action sequences were fantastic, between the hand-to-hand combat fights, the gun shoot outs, the riot sequence with Nicki, and the end car chase, I was hooked from the start of the film to the end. I guess I'm just a sucker for action flicks, and Jason Bourne.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

The Final Frontier

[8/10 · 4 August 2016]

I have to admit that I honestly hate Star Trek. I don't like the original series or films all that much (The Motion Picture is horrendous) and Trekkies are the original Whovians in that they drive me nuts. But when a friend of mine sat me down to watch the J.J. Abrams Star Trek of 2009, I fell in love with the film and patiently awaited Star Trek Into Darkness (which I like much better than Wrath of Khan, sorry). Although I was sad to see Abrams go (though I loved The Force Awakens so that was okay), I still eagerly awaited Star Trek Beyond.

Star Trek Beyond felt like a modern adaption of an old Star Trek TOS episode, yet at the same time felt new, fresh, and exciting, such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was in 2014. I was very happy with Beyond to the point where I'm not sure which of the New Timeline Trilogy I like the most!

Star Trek Beyond explores new worlds, new friends, new foes, old feuds, and fantastic new interpretations of old characters that continue to amaze me. Kirk finding out what it means to be himself instead of his father, Spock wondering what to do without Spock Prime's guidance, etc. Beyond is more personal than Into Darkness was on a level that matches the 2009 reboots intimacy that brought me on board with this franchise in the first place.

I may not be a Trekkie, but I am a new timeline Star Trek fan who has been enjoying this new series and who hopes that it will continue to explore new worlds that have never been explored before.

P.S. - The score of these films, especially this one, are phenomenal.

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Not a Laughing Matter

[6/10 · 4 August 2016]

When I think of The Killing Joke, I think of one of the darkest, most-twisted Batman comics to ever be printed. I think of the Batman comic that is the final confrontation between Batman and the Joker. The end-all be-all that is second only to The Dark Knight Returns on the list of greatest Batman/Joker stories. I think of Batman possibly killing the Joker, and hating himself for it. I think of a very personal story for Batman, as well as his arch-foe.

Batman: The Killing Joke was none of those things.

I had such high hopes for this movie when it was announced with an R rating, when Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill signed on, when I saw that it was coming to theaters for not one but two night, but even so it did not deliver the way it should have and I can tell you exactly why.

Political correctness.

PC is what destroyed this film for being as good as it could have been and I'll tell you why. Because the 30 minute prologue about Batgirl and her life is not something that ANYBODY but hardcore Batgirl fans care about seeing when they buy a movie called BATMAN: The KILLING JOKE. They expect lots of Batman and lots of Joker, but instead they get lots of Batgirl and lots of Paris Franz while wondering when the movie is actually going to start. This prologue was added to the film so that when Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) is later shot and paralyzed by the Joker in the film, like in the comic, we can feel for her, understand her side of the story, and not promote violence against women.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating violence against women, or anyone for that matter, but the PC train has gone off the tracks when they decide to mess with something like The Killing Joke by adding a whole Batgirl story that has nothing at all to do with the plot just for the sake of showing that "yeah, women can kick butt too!" before paralyzing the only female character in the film. I understand the intentions, but it's dumb and wrong. If Commissioner Gordon was the one who was paralyzed and Barbara was abducted by Joker, a 30 minute prologue about Gordon's days fighting criminals in Gotham would NOT be added, so why do we need one for Batgirl? I would say the same thing if you replaced Batgirl with ANY Batman character, it's just dumb! But that's political correctness for you (they even go so far as to include an obligatory stereotypical gay friend for Barbara).

Also, I love Bruce Timm and when it comes to Batman and DC Comics as a whole I love his work, but I cannot stand his obsession with the Batman/Batgirl romance, it's gross and I don't like it. It's also used in this film to give Barbara "power through her sexuality" when she tells Batman that "it's just sex" and that it "means nothing". I seriously wonder how anyone thought the Batgirl prologue was a good idea.

The actual Killing Joke story starts about 30/40 minutes into the film, and that itself is left relatively untouched, which is good. In fact, The Killing Joke is done extremely well and I love the talents of Conroy and Hamill in the film. The Joker song was actually really dumb though, funny, but dumb.

Overall, Batman: The Killing Joke was as a whole a massive let-down, but if you just watch the Killing Joke portions of the film it's easily a masterpiece.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)

[5/10 · 4 August 2016]

Honestly, it's just not good. Maybe not as bad as people think, but still not good.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The World's Finest - Ultimate Edition

[7/10 · 4 August 2016]

If you're looking for The Batman Superman Movie of the late 1990s, then this is not the film for you. I personally love The Batman Superman Movie, I grew up on it and it's how I began loving Batman & Superman, but Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is something for the more serious moviegoer and fan who wants something new.

What people don't seem to understand about DC Films versus Marvel Studios is that Marvel Comics characters are made to be relatable, they're made to me more like the every-day person. DC Comics characters are not. They're written as legends. This is why when DC took the Marvel approach with their characters in the Green Lantern film that it failed. DC characters are not meant to be in Marvel Studios-like films. They're meant to be legendary.

Batman V Superman takes the Batman/Superman story to a whole new level by starting off with our heroes as enemies. Bruce Wayne is after Superman because he believes Superman to be a threat. He has an argument. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is after Batman because he believes Batman is unjustly beating, torturing, and killing criminals. He has an argument. We come to find out that Lex Luthor has been pitting both heroes against each other this whole time out of hatred for Superman and everything he stands for.

Many complaints I read about this film included: Batman kills people, Superman is not Superman, Lex sucks, and "Martha!"

Batman killing: Every single Batman film features Batman killing someone, directly or indirectly. In the original Batman comics, Batman actually used bullets on his Batplane to kill when necessary. Even in modern day comics, Superman has willingly given Batman a piece of Kryptonite to use on him in case it becomes necessary, and Batman agrees to kill him if he has to. But even besides that, in the DCEU Batman has lost Robin to the Joker, has been fighting crime for 20 years, and is largely based off of Frank Miller's Batman who will kill. This is not a surprise.

Superman: Superman is most certainly Superman. He's having doubts about what he's doing, Superman has had these same feelings in the Silver Age, Bronze Age, and even in current Superman books. It doesn't define his character, but if you've watched Man of Steel or BVS you see that it doesn't define Clark here either.

Lex: Honestly, this Lex is just personal taste. I can see why some like him and why some don't. It's okay to have a differing opinion. What sold me on this version was his final scene with Batman.

Martha: I personally had no problem with this either. It was set up the entire movie and works just fine.

I thought the theatrical cut of this film was excellent, I really did, but I have to say that the Ultimate Edition is definitely worth the time and money and is by far the superior vision of the film. It expands on Lex's mastermind plan, dives deeper into Superman's life as Clark Kent, extends the battle scenes a little more, and really fills in some of the plot hole issues I was having initially.

The one thing that I'm not completely convinced works for the film is the future sequence that teases Justice League when the Flash shows up to warn Bruce about the future. To the average moviegoer this is very confusing and will not be paid off until the Justice League feature film.

Speaking of, the Justice League cameos were great (see Suicide Squad for more) and really hyped me up for the film. The final fight between the Trinity (Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman) versus Doomsday was incredible and was definitely the way the Death of Superman should be handled on film. As someone who's favorite Superman story is the Death (and Return) of Superman, I was very pleased.

Overall, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice does cram a lot in (a Man of Steel sequel, a Batman reboot, a JLA prequel, and a versus movie) and at times this hurts the film, but in the end it is honestly an underrated masterpiece bringing together the World's Finest superheroes.

The Iron Giant (1999)

My All-Time Favorite Film

[10/10 · 24 June 2016]

I'll admit it, I am beyond biased when it comes to The Iron Giant. I first saw the film when I was four back in 1999 and I immediately fell in love with it. I wanted to be Hogarth, I wanted my own Iron Giant, and quite frankly I wanted to be a filmmaker. This movie was my first real introduction to Superman, it was my first introduction to the Cold War, and it showed me the kind of America that I wanted to live in.

I know that's heavy and seems like a lot, but honestly The Iron Giant is one of the best, if not THE best, animated films of all time, as well as just straight-up science-fiction masterpieces of all time. Just recently the film was re-released into theaters for two days as the "Signature Edition" with two additional scenes that they fully animated for this re-release. I was so excited to go but seeing as how I got to school in Bozeman, MT I was afraid that we wouldn't get it at our theater and I would have to drive to find one, but nevertheless it was there for two nights, and I went both even taking my 11 year old sister to one of my viewings.

The Iron Giant teaches you the moral lessons you need to survive childhood and develop into who you are. "You are what you choose to be" is the main quote from the film and it certainly rings true. The Bible says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (Prov. 23:7), and this is exactly the message that this film points towards. It's funny, it's exciting, it's entertaining, it's compelling, and it's over-all original in the sense that the magic of this movie has never been re-created on the big screen, in my opinion.

The Iron Giant is my all-time favorite film, so I'm obviously biased, but beyond the emotional attachment I have to it from my childhood, as I continue to watch this film throughout my adult life, it always brings out the child in me, and I always tear up at the end (don't worry, I won't spoil it). This movie rocks, and I can't thank Brad Bird enough for bringing to life Ted Hughes' "The Iron Man" in the form of The Iron Giant.

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

The Skies are Falling, and it's Independence Day, Again.

[7/10 · 24 June 2016]

So just last night I was at the double feature Independence Day showing the original ID4 along with Resurgence right after and I have to admit that I enjoyed IDR quite a bit. I think the problem many people have with the film is that it comes off of a big classic such as Independence Day that many general audience moviegoers actually really enjoy. I mean, my Mom isn't a sci-fi fan at all, but she knows almost every line in ID4 and loves the film. On the other hand, I am a huge sci-fi fan and I also love the original film and hold it in high regard.

One of the problems with today's movie-going audience, and maybe I should just say today's movie critics both professional and armature, is that they often have too high of expectations for any movie that comes out. Had the original Independence Day been released today instead of 20 years ago, it would be ripped to shreds. So would films like Ghostbusters, Close Encounters, The Terminator, Aliens, and probably even the original Star Wars, but at the time they were revolutionary, cutting-edge, and new. Nowadays there are so many B- films that so many people just write-off because they don't see the potential or had too high of expectations going in. We all expect every movie to be as entertaining as The Avengers, as compelling as Inception, or as character driven as Shawshank Redemption, but the truth is that a movie is a movie and ultimately art is subjective, and film is art.

But with that out of the way, let's talk about Independence Day: Resurgence. Resurgence takes place 20 years after the original film and kind of just jumps right into the action. The basics are that one of the Alien Queen's has decided to attack Earth and suck up all its resources in retaliation for their original defeat 20 years ago, while Earth has used become united under the UN and has used alien tech to advance their planet for intergalactic warfare if necessary.

One of my favorite parts of this film was how the original cast was used. Between David now being a part of Earth's defense and discovering the original alien drill (which hadn't been researched in the last 20 years apparently though they do explain why), to President Whitmore having visions of the aliens and their plan, even to Dr. Okun returning from his 20 year coma and helping fight the aliens once again, everyone that was brought back worked well within the context of the story.

The new cast also did a good job, and I enjoyed the return of characters from the original as well. One thing Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin get, in my opinion, is characters, it's just their specialty. You can have a big, great story like ID4 but if you don't have Goldblum or Will Smith to lead the film and to be full-fledged characters it's not going to mean anything because we don't care. Like I said before, I think the new characters worked, but I wish that they will a little more fleshed out so that we cared a bit more, but with the old cast returning it would've been hard to do.

Resurgence did a good job at raising the stakes from the first movie, while the last film had many ships all over the globe bent on wiping out humanity, this film had one big ship covering half the Earth, bent on collecting all of Earth's resources, while the Queen and her ship went looking for their Enemy (who became Earth's ally).

I will say there were a lot of themes or plot lines I did not like from IDR. Hollywood keeps promoting this global government agenda and IDR continues that trend with the UN basically being a one world government. Dr. Okun having a relationship with his lab partner was obviously another agenda that Hollywood has been shoving down our throats that I don't care for at all. Then of course the transhumanist agenda was also being pushed, the idea that the other alien that comes to Earth to help humanity was once an organic lifeform decided to transcend its body by becoming a digital lifeform. This is another agenda that has been circulating throughout the media and quite frankly I can see why based on how technology obsessed America is as a nation. It's sad really.

As I said before I really had a good time. It also sets up a third film that looks to be completely set in outer-space, which would be an awesome way to make another Independence Day film different from the original, and even this sequel. One thing I told my brother while we were in the theater was that the movie really seemed like it should have been a video game, and I still hold to that thought. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I definitely think that this film played out like a video game would. Maybe I'm wrong. Either way, many of the themes and story concepts that I had wanted to TNT series Falling Skies to introduce (intergalactic war, space battles, natural resource draining, alien queens, etc.) actually seemed to be either used or set-up in this movie, which was oddly satisfying for me as a sci-fi fan and as someone who wanted the Independence Day franchise to continue on in the future.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed Independence Day: Resurgence. Fans of the original film may either hate it or love it, it honestly depends on how big into science-fiction they are in my opinion, and new fans who are starting out with this film can jump on no-problem. There's something in it for everyone and at the end of the day I was satisfied and highly anticipating a sequel.

Smallville (2001–2017)

The One that Started It All

[10/10 · 19 February 2016]

Smallville is one of those shows that many comic book fans, after a few seasons anyway, loved to hate. They complained about this or that not fitting in just right with how Superman mythology worked, and in the end they were never satisfied. But they didn't get the point of the show. Smallville isn't about Superman. It's not about superpowers. It's not about relationships or about superheroes. Smallville is, and always was, about growing up. Starting off with Clark Kent in high school and sending him off getting married to Lois Lane, Smallville is ten years of finding your way.

I didn't always used to think this, to be honest I watched it starting in Season Six because of the episode "Justice" where I got to see the Justice League in live action for the first time. Superman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, The Flash (I know he's actually Impulse), and Cyborg on the screen together for the first time, not to mention recurring Martian Manhunter throughout that season. As a huge DC Comics fan, and especially a fan of the Justice League, that episode got me excited and in anticipation for more superheroes, I began watching Smallville. I read all the articles on the show's wiki page, I followed KryptonSite for spoilers, listened to Starkville's House of El for reviews on each episode, and even ended up co-hosting a live show on the series finale on the Across the Airwaves Podcast. Even after it ended I couldn't let the show go and I convinced my friend Woo to host a "Smallville Retro Reviews" Podcast with me to go through our favorite episodes. Then the Season 11 comic came out and I held onto Smallville a few more years... But this isn't the point...

Smallville really ushered in the era of superheroes, and the show's creators Al Gough and Miles Miller really made superhero TV and films what they are. Between creating Smallville, making the Aquaman pilot, and writing Spider-Man 2, they did it all. Without Smallville, there would be no Arrow, which means there would be no Supergirl, Gotham, The Flash, and to be totally honest, without Smallville's set up of the Justice League over the course of three seasons, I'm not even sure Marvel would have been able to set up The Avengers with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, or Captain America. But for me, Smallville really helped me understand who Superman, Clark Kent, Kal-El, was as a character, and in turn I became a huge fan of the Man of Steel.

But that's not all what Smallville is about. When I started watching Smallville during Season Six, I was about eleven years old and in 5th grade. The next year I went to a new middle school and I had no friends. Smallville was huge for me. Watching Seasons 1- 5, I saw Clark go through a lot, be it friendships, relationships, the parent-child dynamic, whatever, I got to see him deal with these real, life problems, and I tried to respond in a similar manner. It wasn't before long when I was a freshman in high school and Clark had made it to adulthood and finally was becoming Superman. I felt lost, I was just starting my high school journey, where Clark started, and he was finishing up ten years of becoming Superman. I didn't know what I was going to do. But I figured it out.

You see, Clark fought metahumans and meteor-freaks every week. He teamed up with superheroes and faced off supervillains. But the real struggle for him was never these physical confrontations and his true happiness was never in his superheroing. It was in helping people. It was in his love for his friends, Lana, Lois. It was in family. And that's what Smallville taught me. It taught me that family is important, and that, like Jonathan Kent himself, it doesn't last forever. That people, friends, like Pete or Lex, move on and become different people. That relationships don't always last and that the one's you don't expect to happen are the ones that do, like Lana and Lois. That your father could suddenly have a heart attack during your first year away from home, like Jonathan, and that your mother will always be there for you, like Martha. These are all real life lessons that I have had to live through, but I got to watch Clark do it first. Growing up, I always wanted an older sibling. Sometimes I wanted a sister who would just hug me, other times I wanted a brother to teach me the ropes.

With Smallville I got both.

Chloe was determined, driven, smart, and loving. She was always an inspiration to me, and although I knew she was not from the comics at all, I loved her anyway because of how she was always there.

And then there was Clark. Everything Clark ever went through on Smallville, emotionally I mean, with a few exceptions (I never had to hold a dead girlfriend like Alicia in my arms...), I ended up going through. And although I didn't always think "What did Clark do?", I do believe that my subconscious mind helped me through a lot of it because of what Clark went through. Clark was the older brother I never had, who made a lot of the mistakes so I didn't have to, who I always felt could protect me, who inspired me.

To be honest, I haven't watched an episode of Smallville in a long while, I mean, not really watched. My younger sister and I are planning on re-watching all 218 episodes this summer. I'm excited. There has never been a show like Smallville since it left. The closest thing to it is The Flash, and I really do love that show too. But Smallville will always have that special place in my heart. Smallville helped me grow up.