DVD Review: Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again

Writers: Various
Directors: Various
Cast: Sam Vincent, Chiara Zanni, Matt Hill, Scott McNeil, Colin Murdock
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: January 15, 2008

It’s hard to compare Storm Hawks to another cartoon. You might say it’s sort of like a Yu-Gi-Oh type of cartoon (minus the card playing) meets He-Man and Transformers in one. Still, that isn’t even an accurate description. Ultimately, Cartoon Network hit pay dirt when they commissioned the creation of the series Storm Hawks. I can’t say I love the series to the point where I can’t miss an episode. I also can’t say that I didn’t enjoy watching Storm Hawks because I did. I just think this show is more enjoyable for teens and tweens as opposed to an adult audience.

Release Information:
This disc contains the first run of episodes from the Storm Hawks television series, which is on Cartoon Network and is currently in its third season. The episodes on the Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again DVD ran from May 25, 2007, when the show first debuted on the network, and June 18, 2007. All of these episodes are a part of the first season. There are also a few, unconventional bonuses.

Sony Pictures is releasing Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again along with a second disc, Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos, on January 15, 2008. LI Kids has been given the privilege of reviewing both DVDs. Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again can be found online at Amazon and at both local and national retailers. The price for this disc at Amazon is $14.99.

The Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again Plot
Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is made up of the first five episodes of the series. The five episodes included on this DVD are “Age of Heroes: Part I”, “Age of Heroes: Part II”, “Gale Force Winds”, “The Code” and “Tranquility Now”. These episodes aired in 2007 as 1.1-1.5 and really set the tone for the entire series. This show is going to appeal to both boys and girls though it will primarily have a male audience. I can see both tweens (maybe 7-8 until 12) and younger teens (13-15) really getting into Storm Hawks. It doesn’t make an effort to segregate to certain age groups. The humor is slightly juvenile for adults to enjoy too much, though the action sequences are cool enough for men out there to think this show is worth watching.

Storm Hawks takes place in the fantasy world of Atmos. The world is made up of thousands of mountaintop communities and all of them are guarded and protected by its own Sky Knight. The Sky Knights were responsible for keeping Atmos at peace and removing the enemies of the kingdom from it. The primary enemies were thieves and rogues though the most dangerous enemies were the Cyclonians, a race that has been trying to take over Atmos and destroy the Sky Knights forever.

History tells us that the greatest Sky Knight in Atmos led his own squadron called the Storm Hawks. Their mission was to unite Atmos and get rid of all of its enemies forever. This valiant Sky Knight and his Storm Hawks were defeated due to a betrayal by one of his own and his mission failed with no hope of success until the present, which is where the series begins in “Age of Heroes: Part I”. The first person we meet is the person who gives us the aforementioned history lesson. His name is Aerrow.

Aerrow is a teenager, a Sky Knight, and the last living descendant of the original Storm Hawks. As a newly knighted Sky Knight, Aerrow is teaming up with an unlikely group of teens who are going to form a new Storm Hawks squadron and squash the enemy once and for all.

Aarow is joined by Finn, who is the smart ass of the team, Junko, who is the strength of the team, Piper who is some sort of specialist, the primary pilot, Stork, and Radarr, who is a creature of some sort that plays co-pilot for Aerrow in the same manner R2-D2 did for the Jedis. He’s multi-purpose as he works as a technical specialist and a sky machine repairman all in one. He looks more like a cross between a drunken cat and a Neopet than a piece of metal like R2. Speaking of sky machines, the way in which Aerrow and the other Storm Hawks travel is through funky motorcycles that transform (hence the comparison earlier to Transformers) into cool looking flying machines.

In the first five episodes of Storm Hawks the team faces one of its biggest enemies. Despite the fact that Aerrow is a Sky Knight, no one takes his group seriously. They’re just a group of teenagers. Aerrow finds out one of the older Sky Knights, the Dark Ace has betrayed his oath to always defend Atmos and has teamed up with the leader of the Cyclonians, Master Cyclonis, to take over Atmos. The Dark Ace has stolen the most precious stone in Atmos, the Aurora stone, which will aid Cyclonis’ mission. Aerrow and the Storm Hawks must try to intervene. Unfortunately, it is all of the Cyclonians versus the five of them, plus another Sky Knight, Starling.

From here, the Storm Hawks must rescue the granddaughter of the Terra Gale Resistance and Liberation Front. They meet the very interesting Dove, who has apparently been kidnapped by the Cyclonians. What they find when they sneak in to rescue here is more than they bargain for and then some. The Storm Hawks also have to compete against another group, known as the Rex Guardians for the prized Phoenix Stone and the last episode on this DVD has the Storm Hawks fighting Snipe and Ravess (Cyclonians), two enemies of the Atmos. Unfortunately for them they might just have to do it without their strong man, Junko. Ever since Finn lost his Knuckle Busters, fighting just isn’t the same for Junko. If the Storm Hawks don’t find a solution to this problem they might be severely lacking in their ability to defeat the enemies effectively.

Overall, this show is enjoyable. It has the right blend of action, humor, and attitude in it. It isn’t violent to the point where I wouldn’t let my child watch the show. I think children as young as 5-6 could get into Storm Hawks though I think it is going to be the older kids, the tweens especially, that are going to like the show the most.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again was transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It is displayed in fullscreen, which is typical for a cartoon/television show. The visual aspect of Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is fairly decent. The animation sort of reminded me of video game animation and in some of the scenes it seemed like there were some pixelation problems during some of the transitions. I think this is just the way the show was developed, but it was so minor a problem it didn’t really bother me. The actual visual elements of the show totally rock. I want a flying, transforming motorcycle with a crystal-inspired turbo engine, too!

The audio for Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is stellar. From the catchy, action-inspired theme music to the spoken text, everything comes through loud and clear. The sound is in English for this Region 1 disc and subtitles are available in both English and Spanish. Closed Captioning is also available for the hearing impaired. Overall, there are no complaints with the sound. Most of the sounds stuck to the front though those that swelled to the back were full and robust, complimenting the action and excitement going on, on the screen.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
I wasn’t expecting Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again to have any bonuses. Most cartoons do not seem to have them, especially cartoons that air as a television series. Though the offerings aren’t huge, they are better than nothing. There is a quick montage (maybe two minutes tops) called “Storm Hawks Squadron”. This shows off the skills of each of the members of the Storm Hawks team. There is another short featurette, maybe a minute in length, entitled “The Storm Hawks Weapons”. This features everything from Piper’s Energy Staff to Aerrow’s Twin Energy Blades. It also includes enemy weapons like Master Cyclonis’ Crystal Staff and Snipe’s Energy Mace.

Finally, the bonus section offers previews for upcoming DVD releases by Sony Pictures. The list of previews includes Spectacular Spiderman: Animated Series, Cole and Dylan Sprouse’s new movie, The Prince and the Pauper, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, The Final Season, Daddy Day Camp, Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost, Are We Done Yet? , Surfs Up, and The Last Day of Summer/Shredderman Rules.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The thing that I liked the most about Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is the fact that the series and the episodes contained on this disc are original. I had to think before I could find any type of comparison for this show. While it does contain elements of other cartoons from the past and present, there really isn’t anything like it on television. I had pretty much given up on Cartoon Network, which no longer airs cartoons that are worthwhile these days, but Storm Hawks really is a winner. Give this DVD and the series a try. If you like fantasy, action, and fun, I definitely think you’ll enjoy Storm Hawks.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Storm Hawks, Hawks Rise Again, Cartoon Network, Aerrow, Radarr, Stork, Finn, Piper, Junko, Sky Knight, Atmos

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.