Blue Thunder vs. Airwolf

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Preferred Blue Thunder to Airwolf, simply as Blue Thunder actually looked as if it could do the things it was meant to do in the show, while Airwolf looked like it ought to be ferrying oil workers out to offshore platforms. I even prefered the TV series of BT to Airwolf, but that was only through twenty years of gold tinged nostalgia. I finally re-watched Blue Thunder the TV series last year and it stank. It was cancelled after only 12 episodes, and you can see why. By the final episode, they decided to turn it into Airwolf, when the CIA came in and commandeered it for a mission in South America, Dana Carvey was ditched from the cast, and a babe brought in as co-pilot. The only good things about it was Bubba and Ski.

Airwolf the TV series was much more typical of the era, a tech heavy action show, best served by the Cold War, but it got horrendously routine very quickly.

Of course Blue Thunder wins the battles of the movies hands down. The Airwolf movie was just the pilot episode re-edited, the actors brought in to ADR some swears into the dialogue to up the rating. Utterly lame. Would you believe that it's been released on Blu-ray in the UK? It's the world's only Blu-ray transfer of what looks like a videotape source.

Blue Thunder had naked yoga! And a whole commentary on the Big Brother society before it even became an issue. Blue Thunder was less a hero vehicle in that movie as it was a distillation of the social message of the story.

[saturn5]

The Laughing Vulcan wrote:

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Preferred Blue Thunder to Airwolf, simply as Blue Thunder actually looked as if it could do the things it was meant to do in the show, while Airwolf looked like it ought to be ferrying oil workers out to offshore platforms. I even prefered the TV series of BT to Airwolf, but that was only through twenty years of gold tinged nostalgia. I finally re-watched Blue Thunder the TV series last year and it stank. It was cancelled after only 12 episodes, and you can see why. By the final episode, they decided to turn it into Airwolf, when the CIA came in and commandeered it for a mission in South America, Dana Carvey was ditched from the cast, and a babe brought in as co-pilot. The only good things about it was Bubba and Ski.

Airwolf the TV series was much more typical of the era, a tech heavy action show, best served by the Cold War, but it got horrendously routine very quickly.

Of course Blue Thunder wins the battles of the movies hands down. The Airwolf movie was just the pilot episode re-edited, the actors brought in to ADR some swears into the dialogue to up the rating. Utterly lame. Would you believe that it's been released on Blu-ray in the UK? It's the world's only Blu-ray transfer of what looks like a videotape source.

Blue Thunder had naked yoga! And a whole commentary on the Big Brother society before it even became an issue. Blue Thunder was less a hero vehicle in that movie as it was a distillation of the social message of the story.

Whilst the Blue Thunder movie was great I think it tried to have it's cake and eat it. Saying 'Ow isn't the idea of these facist armed police helicopters terrible' but at the same time just GREAT FUN TO HAVE ONE!

[The Laughing Vulcan]

saturn5 wrote:

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Whilst the Blue Thunder movie was great I think it tried to have it's cake and eat it. Saying 'Ow isn't the idea of these facist armed police helicopters terrible' but at the same time just GREAT FUN TO HAVE ONE!

There is that. But you can also look at the way that we've fallen in love with surveillance society. Video cameras all over the place, people being monitored left right and centre, Police Camera reality shows clogging up the schedules. That's the way it is now, and we love it for the perceived effect it has on ensuring our safety as citizens, and I admit that I don't give much weight to the civil rights implications of it all, as long as Mr Bad Guy gets taken off the streets. It's only when you hear of a miscarriage of justice that you start thinking about the whys and wherefores.

I see it in the same way with the movie, a wary sort of love affair with the technology at first when you see what good you can do with it, but it was only when Murphy was slapped in the face with the negative implications of the technology that he took a stand against it. And his final disposition of the helicopter was a definite choice between the two, not a cake and eat it mentality.

[Pauln6]

[QUOTE=saturn5;5006630]

Forbin wrote:

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Best ep, Moffat's Ghost, love the scene where Hawk does his kamikaze dive at the end to knock out Airwolfs infected computer, best use to the awesome theme music ever

Absolutely! Most of the show (like most 80s shows) was forgettable dross with an oft-used reset button but I distinctly remember that episode. It was very well done. The other thing I lamented was that they didn't use Archangel's assistant Marella(?) (played by Deborah Pratt?) more often. She always seemed to have loads of hidden potential as a genius Lady Penelope style character in an era when most of the female characters were tagged on for no particular purpose at the start and end of the episodes.

[Forbin]

saturn5 wrote:

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Loved Jean Bruce Scott though

Oh, was she not just the most adorable lil' thing ever?

[Galileo7]

Silvercrest wrote:

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IIRC, Airwolf had something like 14 different weapons, could fly at Mach speeds, and had stealth capability. Airwolf all the way, baby.

Agreed, absolutely Airwolf.

[Forbin]

I amused myself once by comparing properly scaled drawings of Sidewinder and Bullpup missiles with Airwolf.

[captcalhoun]

the Blue Thunder movie does get kudos for the exchange between the two cops:

i hear he checks his sanity with a stop-watch.
what do you use? a dip-stick?!

[Holdfast]

saturn5 wrote:

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Airwolf would always win purely because of their superior theme music

This is the correct, and only answer.



(Clint Eastwood in Firefox would kick both their butts though...)

[Expo67]

sojourner wrote:

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^Maybe they'll do a remake that's better.

A remake of a remake(technically the TV show was a remake of the movie)?

I'd rather Columbia Pictures not go that route.

[Expo67]

Pingfah wrote:

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No it hasn't. Nobody gives a shit about them.

You'd be surprised.

[Marc]

Blue Thunder had JAFO - does that count for anything?

[davejames]

Forbin wrote:

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Well, the Bell 222 was way prettier than the hacked up bug-eyed Gazelle (?) they bashed Blue thunder out of.

I watched Airwolf all the way thru not too long ago. Yeah, it was rife with stupid 80s plots (another paramilitary desert slave compound!?) and bad acting, but the things they did with that beautiful helicopter were amazing - MAN those stunt pilots must have had a ball!

Completely agreed. Not only was Airwolf one very sleek, badass looking helicopter, but it actually growled when it flew! I mean come on, you can't beat that.

And yeah, there were some cool dogfights in that show that are still kinda thrilling to watch. My favorite was when they'd show Airwolf on screen with a much faster jet and have it actually appearing to chase after it (at least for a few seconds, lol).

[Starkers]

Holdfast wrote:

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This is the correct, and only answer.



(Clint Eastwood in Firefox would kick both their butts though...)

Firefox Vs Airwolf Vs Blue Thunder Vs Knight Rider Vs Streethawk...

I'd pay good money to see that film...not to mention buy the soundtrack!

Anyone remember the day Airwolf went up against Redwolf? That would have been cool, except despite being the equal of AW (and with an added "laser") RW chased AW for ages but couldn't hit it, then Airwolf just turned round and shot it once and downed it!

Man how many Hughes 500's crashed/blew up in the 80s!

[saturn5]

Airwolf vs Red Wolf;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcahV1JfCmY

Airwolf vs Firefox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP53fuQUGDo&feature=fvst

Loved Jean Bruce, especially as naval officer Maggie Poole in Magnum. And of course Wayne's World's Dana Carvey was JAFO.

And yes, I laughed when Hawke and String once loaded missiles onto Airwolf just carrying them in their armsAnd were did those missile pods deploy from when you have Dom taking up all the room in the back?