Timothy E
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- Timothy Ewanyshyn
Airwolf The Movie is not really the original pilot episode to the 80s TV series; it is more accurate to say that Airwolf The Movie is an alternate edit of the pilot episode with different scenes and dialogue from the version that aired originally in the United States on CBS-TV on January 22, 1984. Airwolf The Movie was created to air theatrically in Europe to promote sales of the TV series in those markets.
Airwolf The Movie
Studio: Shout! Factory
Year: 1984
Rated: Unrated
Film Length: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Release Date: September 6, 2011
The Film
Airwolf is the high tech military attack helicopter designed by Dr. Charles Moffet(David Hemmings). Moffet’s research and production of Airwolf was funded by a U.S. intelligence agency that was willing to overlook Moffet’s criminal tendencies until Moffet hijacked Airwolf so that he could sell it to the highest bidder, possibly the Russians. Moffet flies Airwolf to Libya and curries favor with Gaddafi’s government as he prepares to profit from the sale of his creation. The only other pilot who can fly Airwolf is Stringfellow Hawke(Jan Michael Vincent), a loner who still mourns the loss of his brother in Vietnam. Dominic Santini(Ernest Borgnine) is Hawke’s only friend who has never died on him, since everyone else close to Hawke, from his brother to his parents, have all left him. Archangel(Alex Cord) aka Michael Coldsmith Briggs III works for the agency that funded Airwolf and tries to recruit Hawke, by any means necessary, to go to Libya to retrieve Airwolf. Time is running out since Moffet is using Airwolf to create conflict in the Middle East that may start World War III.
Hawke ultimately recovers Airwolf or there would be no TV series to follow. Hawke ultimately decides that Airwolf is too powerful to fall into the wrong hands so he conceals it from Archangel but flies Airwolf on missions when it will assist Archangel’s interests, and this is the basis of the first 3 seasons of the TV series. Airwolf(1984-1987) for 4 seasons, the first 3 on CBS-TV in the U.S. and the final season on the USA Network which had Stringfellow passing the reins of Airwolf to his brother St. John who returned from the dead and came back from Vietnam.
Airwolf The Movie is a curiosity certain to appeal to fans of the TV series. Although the movie is 15 minutes shorter than the pilot episode, it includes scenes and dialogue that were not included in the pilot. Some scenes from a later episode were edited into this film and the dialogue in this film is edgier with profanity that would not have been allowed by the FCC to air on television. This film has been released overseas previously on DVD (and Blu-ray) and credit goes to Shout! Factory for releasing Airwolf The Movie at long last for fans in North America.
Video
The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The image is surprisingly clear of dirt and debris but picture quality appears a little soft in comparison to the original version of the pilot episode included in the Airwolf Season 1 set released by Universal. Except for some minor compression artifacts, however, and some black crush, this is a decent transfer.
Audio
The English Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks are adequate for a series from the mid-1980s. There is no audible hissing or other notable defects. Dialogue is always appropriately audible over music and sound effects.
Special Features
The special features include the following:
An Interview With Ernest Borgnine(15:21): The Academy-Award winning actor who played Dominic Santini sat down for this recent interview regarding his memories of appearing in Airwolf.
Photo Gallery: These include stills and publicity photos from the original series and are not limited to the pilot episode.
Conclusion
Airwolf The Movie is recommended to fans of the TV series. I remember watching the TV series when it originally aired and I never learned until recently that there was an alternate cut of the pilot that existed outside North America. I would not say that this edit is better than the pilot film that aired on U.S. television but it holds up very well all these years later, even if the dialogue and scene changes are not always for the better. The video presentation is good but not exceptional for a TV series that originally aired in standard definition in the 1980s. I understand that this film has been released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom recently but the consensus seems to be that the Blu-ray does not offer any better picture quality than the DVD. The inclusion of a recent interview with Ernest Borgnine in the special features is a welcome addition which was not included on the Region 2 DVD. If you have never seen the series, then Airwolf The Movie is a great place to start, and fans who already have the pilot in the first season set are likely to be interested in the variations in this alternate edit.
