THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS: So, “Smallville: Absolute Justice”...How was it? Well, in my opinion, it was as good as it could have been, and as good as it needed to be. Let's break it down into more specific detail, but first, a little about myself, so you know where I'm coming from on this.
I am a Marvel guy, through and through, but I do read DC. I'm not a huge fan of Superman, simply because there is rarely any danger of him losing. The guy's so completely overpowered that every story is basically one hundred percent predictable simply because there is no other possible way for it to play out. Now, that's not to say that I hate Superman, because I don't. I'm just a fan of his more...unconventional...story arcs (no, not Superman: Blue). My favorite DC characters are Green Arrow, the Hal Jordan Green Lantern (Yes, I did grow up on “Green Lantern, Green Arrow” comics, how'd you know?), Kilowog, Sandman (Dodds, Hawkins, and of course, Morpheus), and Batman. I also have an unexplainable soft spot for Martian Manhunter, probably because I love Oreos. I don't frequently watch “Smallville”, mostly because I watch too much other television, and don't have the time. So, now that we have that established, let's move on to the actual review proper.
It started off well enough, with Star-Spangled Kid's ill-fated battle with Icicle (who I believe to be the weakest part of this episode by a long shot), then quickly followed that up with the death of, as I listed above, one of my favorite characters, Wesley Dodds. I appreciated the nod to Sandman's dream powers, but wished that they had hinted at their origin, because as much as I like Dodds, I'm a bigger fan of Morpheus (but then again, do we really want to cheapen Lord Shaper by making him appear as a cameo in a plot point's dream?).
I felt that the character of Carter Hall started out good but became progressively more annoying as the episode went on, but I have to admit, Hawkman didn't look nearly as idiotic as I expected him to. His mask was a little bulky, and especially looked ridiculous when the lenses shut over his eyes, but other than that, and the fact that the wings were as stiff as Hayden Christensen's acting, He was actually done well. Fate's mask also looked better than I expected. I mean, yes, it did look incredibly plastic for a good portion of the movie, but it occasionally looked metal, and Doctor Fate was interesting enough to not be negatively effected by the slight lapse in quality of his costume. I was not a fan of Star Girl's mask, but just as with Doctor Fate, it only appeared cheaply made in some of the scenes, while in others it looked just fine. As kind of a last note on character costumes, I'll talk about Martian Manhunter. As most of you were, I too was annoyed when the pictures of him in a green button-up shirt, and a blue leather jacket came out, but I actually stood up and applauded when Doctor Fate pushed him through the portal and he temporarily became the Martian Manhunter we all know and love.
As I said earlier, My least favorite part of the episode was Icicle, that little tool. I really have nothing more to say about him, because it angers me to have to dwell on him this much...so, to sum this up-- Icicle = Worst Character Ever.
As a final note, I'll give a quick rundown of all of the random things I enjoyed about the episode.
1.)The quick newsreel shots of the civilian JSA members being arrested. I felt like that was really a nice nod to the fans, as most of them were left unidentified.
2.)The conversation between Hawkman and Green Arrow on the rooftop, just before Doctor Fate's death...though I'm not sure why.
3.)As previously stated, Martian Manhunter showing his true form just before Doctor Fate was killed.
4.)The “What do you call your team?” line from the end of the episode. Almost because it seems to reflect what the show is; a work in progress, that, based on what few episodes I've seen compared to this one, is actually managing to gradually get more things right.
5.)Lois's line about how Doctor Fate's costume looked better than she expected. A little meta-humor goes a long way in making me like something.
6.)The Suicide Squad--Hope they follow this one up. If they do, I might just become a regular viewer.
7.)And finally, possibly my favorite thing of all time, J'onn J'onzz telling Oliver Queen that he was fond of cookies.
That's pretty much it, and since my normal article closing (of “Excelsior”) is a bit too “Marvel” for this subject, I think I'll just go with...
Up, Up and Away!