Airwolf - The Complete Series [DVD]

Great 80's TV show. Best helicopter ever. Looks amazing too. Fast shipping in perfect condition too.

Great series and DVDs

I've always enjoyed watching Airwolf when it was shown on the USA Network everyday in the afternoons. That was until the original episodes quit being aired and the not so great fourth season episodes became the norm, and then the show no longer was on the air. I did eventually buy the first three seasons on DVD, which cost more than then I paid for this set. Season four came out, but I had no interest in buying it, and if you ask me with this set it's really just seasons 1-3 with season four being the extra feature. Airwolf is TV show a lot ike Knight Rider, and pretty much every episode is about the same, some situation arises, and Stringfellow Hawke flies Airwolf, a modified Bell 222 which kind of resembles a shark, in to complete the mission. Even though I enjoy the show, it does show signs of low production values. As you go through each episode, a lot the shots of the helicopter flying are usually recycled from previous episodes, probably to cut down on cost. Even the cockpit interior shots have this same issue, with the crew have those helmets on you can't see there mouths moving so syncing is not an issue. Every now and then old grainy stock footage is edited in where needed, usually it's old war time footage from the Vietnam and Korean wars. Often times locations and even supporting cast are recycled as well, you see one person play one character, and then play yet a different and unrelated one in another. Seasons one and two are the best, while season three falls short at times. Season four is not unwatchable, but I did not watch any of the episodes before I did this review. For it being an 80's TV show, and was made for television at the time, the aspect ratio and the audio is the same as the Universal DVD's, 1.33 to1 and typically mono sound. The picture quality is very good, I can see the grain from the 35mm, which was something I could barley see on the DVD verions. The helmets worn in the helicopter cockpit, I have noticed have a metallic look to them, while they looked flat grey on the DVD. It's hard to say what this set was mastered from, the 35mm camera negatives, or the high resolution broadcast tapes, either way it looks pretty good. Some might complain that they didn't master the image to fill the 1.77 to 1 aspect of todays TV screens, but to do that they have to crop the image accordingly to do so, and besides none of the other shows I have are like that. While there is no extra features or anything like that, but there is one that is missing that I don't miss, that annoying Universal logo that was on the front of all the DVD discs.

One my best shows to watch.

AIRWOLF: The Complete Series on Blu-RayLong time fan of this series. It is the first show I remember recording and saving all the episodes as a kid. Owned the tv movie on VHS. Later bought season one on dvd through Columbia House and eventually later season dvd sets when they were released.So when the region one blu-rays by Mill Creek were announced I was hesitant. Do I really want to double dip, or triple dip, in this instance? Plus, Mill Creek is notorious for being cheap on production and packaging, so would I feel ripped off? But in a moment of impulse buying weakness I picked up the complete collection...So was it worth it?In terms of blu-ray quality, for a show over 30 years old it is pretty decent. It is definitely better than my Airwolf original dvd releases. But compared to my beloved BATTLESTAR GALACTICA which was released on blu a couple of years back, and is even older than Airwolf, it pales in comparison. Classic BSG on blu looks amazing, I would give its video quality a high 9 out of 10. Airwolf, I would give a 7.5. The typical talking head scenes show their age, but the aerial combat scenes, with the blue skies and open horizons look fantastic. Also, the framing of this older series compliments 16x9 nicely if you want to zoom in (cinema tv mode) to fill up your big screen tv, not too much is cut off and as I said the air combat looks incredible.No surround sound audio. No bonus features. Each blu has 5 or 6 episodes. Each season is in its own plastic case, though the disks are stacked on top of each other, not separated. Though this is slightly better than Mill Creek's usual of putting all their dvds is paper slips and piled on top of each other.How does Airwolf still hold up?Airing from 1984 to 1988, the series was created by Donald P. Bellisario (Magnum PI, NCIS, JAG, Tales of the Gold Monkey) and starred Jan-Michael Vincent as String Fellow Hawke (what a name!!!) and Ernest Borgnine (nicest guy ever!!) and Alec Cord. And features one of the greatest tv themes ever by Sylvester Levay. It was the most expensive tv series on the air at the time, with Vincent pulling down a pay check of $250,000 per episode.Season OneThis season is pretty damn near perfect 80s action drama. In many ways, it was ahead of its time. Dark, moody, sophisticated, political and gritty. A cold war espionage thriller grounded with complicated and engaging characters performed by a charismatic cast. Only 12 episodes as a mid season series replacement and all are still highly entertaining and rewatchable. 10/10Season TwoLike all networks, CBS could not leave a winning formula alone, and ordered the show to be less dark, less topical and less international. More domestic threats were created, though over all the series still has a nice balance between lighter fare and some very substantive grim episodes. And even though the show's very formulaic story structure (every final act was Airwolf in combat) was obvious, solid character writing and casting kept the show very entertaining. Jean Bruce Scott joined the cast as a potential love interest, but that never materialized since Scott and Vincent reportedly did not like each other. Also, Vincent's abuse of drugs and alcohol were significantly affecting his performance. 8/10Season ThreeAfter fighting with the network for two seasons, Bellisario departed the series and the show was watered down even more to be family friendly. It was not Knight Rider-level drama, but it was not far off either. Also, Vincent had sadly spiralled even deeper into drug abuse. Many times over the years I have watched a season one ep back to back with a late season 3 ep, and it is shocking to see the obvious deterioration in the man. It is so sad. There is a handful of decent adventures, but most are forgettable. 6.5/10Season Four:CBS cancelled Airwolf, but the rights were picked by the USA network for a fourth season. Vincent appears in the premiere but is killed and replaced by Barry Van Dyke as Hawke's missing brother SinJin. All new, boring, bland cast, almost no continuity to the previous seasons and seemingly zero tv budget. All the Airwolf footage was recycled from the previous seasons and the stories were average fare. Was this last season as horrible as many say? On it's own, it ok, mindless entertainment. There are actually a few episodes I enjoyed. But when compared to the previous season one and two, this just painful to watch. 4/10So is the complete series on blu ray worth buying for only two out four great seasons??? Even at 50bucks, that isn't a bad price, considering the original dvd season sets used to cost $25-$35 a piece. And as I said, the picture upgrade is noticeable. It isn't awesome but it is an improvement. So if you are an Airwolf fan or have been curious, I can think of worse ways of blowing 40 to 50 bucks.