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Storm Hawks: Heroes Of The Sky - Collector's Set
R1 - America - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Andreas Petersen (16th March 2008). |
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The Show
 These days, it really feels like cartoon come at a dime-a-dozen. While I feel like just ten to fifteen years ago almost any cartoon or children’s programming had some sort of substance. Not just in animation, but in story, characters and writing. These days I feel like too many shows come off an assembly line, pre-packaged with the same characters, settings, and cheap animation. "Storm Hawks: Heroes of the Sky" falls somewhere in between complete trash and television gold. The setting is nothing new. A world, Atmos, is at war, and there are good guys and there are bad guys. The good guys seem all but wiped out, that is until a young boy, Aerrow (Samuel Vincent), tends to change all that, for he is the last surviving descendant of the Storm Hawks, who were the original protectors of Atmos. Along to help him are his friends, who fill out every kids show archetype nicely. We have Finn (Matt Hill), who’s the cool “dude” who says “dude” a ton. Then there’s Junko (Colin Murdock), the lovable doofus who’s big and strong. Next is Piper (Chiara Zanni), the spunky girl mechanic. We also have Stork (Scott McNeil), the pessimist of the group, who’s catch prase is “We’re doomed.” Lastly is Radarr, who is some sort of monkey-ferret thing who is Aerro’s co-pilot. This group of do-gooders battle against the ultimate evil in the world, the Cyclonians. The premise works for a mindless kids show, but it doesn’t have a whole lot riding on it. The joke relies heavily on humor, and there is practically none to be found here. Keep in mind, I’m 20, and I feel as though these jokes are aimed at people less than half my age. It still doesn’t change the fact that I found little enjoyment out of the characters, story, and jokes of the show. Luckily, the show doesn’t just rely on humor. What with the story being centered on an epic war, you better be sure there is plenty of action to go around, and luckily, this was done right. The show features both sky and melee battles, both of which I found very entertaining. This is aided with the decent mix of 3-D animation with 2-D style. The show just looks good, something that I hardly ever say about modern American cartoons. So is it amazing? No. Will it make your kids and/or yourself dumber just by watching? Probably not. At worst, "Storm Hawks" is decently stupid show, but at best, is a mildly entertaining cartoon that I can see any 10-year-old loving. I must just be getting sour in my old age. This set includes 2 discs, disc 1 is entitled "Hawks Rise Again" and includes the following episodes: - "Age of Heroes Part I", running at 23 minutes and 11 seconds. This episode serves to introduce the audience to the world of Atmos, its heroes, and its villains. - "Age of Heroes Part II", running at 23 minutes and 13 seconds. This concludes a cliffhanger presented in the preceding episode in which The Dark Ace stole a crystal from Terra Atmosia. - "Gale Force Winds", running at 22 minutes and 18 seconds. This episode has our heroes on a rescue mission, only ending up saving more people than they bargained for. - "The Code", running at 22 minutes and 18 seconds. This episode has the Storm Hawks competing in a series of challenges against a rival squad for a crystal, hoping to get it before it falls into the wrong hands. - "Tranquility Now", running at 22 minutes and 19 seconds. The Storm Hawks have to restore power to a crystal the controls the navigation of the airships of Atmos. Disc 2 is entitled "Tales from the Atmos" and includes the following episodes: - "Best Friends Forever", running at 22 minutes and 18 seconds. In this episode, Piper believes she has made a friend with mutual interests, but soon finds out that there is more to her new buddy than anyone first thought. - "The Black Gorge", running at 22 minutes and 19 seconds. The Storm Hawks are stuck in an area that has drained the power from their ship, and must search for a spot of sunlight to power it. All the while, they must deal with the exotic creatures the Black Gorge has to offer. - "Absolute Power", running at 22 minutes and 19 seconds. In this episode, Finn is left in charge of the Storm Hawk’s ship, the Condor, while Aerrow goes on a mission with Starling, the lone survivor of her own Sky Knight squad. Finn’s power corrupts him, and the crew wants to get back at him. - "Velocity", running at 22 minutes and 19 seconds. In this episode the Storm Hawks attend a grand race, and The Dark Ace, in disguise, makes sure everyone’s vehicles are out of commission. Aerrow has the only working bike, leaving him to defend against the Cyclonians alone. - "Fire and Ice", running at 22 minutes and 20 seconds. In this episode the Storm Hawks have to intercept the Raptors from destroying the Blizzarian people by setting off a volcano. - "King for a Day", running at 22 minutes and 17 seconds. In this episode, Finn is declared ruler of an ancient people, and is meant to fulfill a prophecy concerning an enemy horde of bat-like humanoids. - "Terra Deep", running at 22 minutes and 19 seconds. In this episode, the Storm Hawks wind up in space pirate country, attempting to evade being boarded. - "Storm Warning", running at 22 minutes and 17 seconds. In the final episode of this set, Piper, in an attempt to prove to the Storm Hawks they would be lost without her, pretends to quit her post.
Video
"Storm Hawks" is presented in widescreen 1.78:1 anamorphic. The picture quality is surprisingly good. All the colors look sharp and the images were clear. Nothing to complain about really.
Audio
"Storm Hawks" is offered in an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. With so much action going on all the time, I was really hoping for true surround sound. What did come out of the 2.0 track came out clear though. Optional subtitles are included in both English and Spanish.
Extras
Sony has released this set with a collection of 3 featurettes, some DISC ONE: The first disc has two short featurettes. They are "The Storm Hawks Squadron", running for 1 minute and 28 seconds. This is a short montage of the show’s main characters in various action sequences. Also is a similar featurette, "The Storm Hawks Weapons", running at 1 minute and 39 seconds. This is also another montage of each of the main characters using their signature weapons. DISC TWO: The second disc has yet another montage featurette entitled "The Cylconians" works as a highlight reel for the bad guys, running at 1 minute and 15 seconds. Also included are some bonus trailers, they are for: - "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" running at 2 minutes and 33 seconds. - "The Spectacular Spider-Man" running at 1 minute and 35 seconds. - "The Final Season" running at 1 minute and 58 seconds. - "Open Season 2" running at 23 seconds. - "The Prince and the Pauper" running at 1 minute and 24 seconds. - "Daddy Day Camp" running at 2 minutes and 5 seconds. - "Surf’s Up" running at 18 seconds. - "Zathura" running at 2 minutes and 33 seconds. When putting this disc into a DVD-Rom drive grants access to DVD-ROM content allowing you to play a level from the "Storm Hawks Squadron" online game.
Overall
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