The Skyhawk Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Skyhawk Blu-ray Movie Review

The Skyhawk is an enormously entertaining kung-fu feature. Produced by Raymond Chow (The Way of the Dragon, Fist of Fury) and Jeong-hwan Kwak (Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave, My Old Sweetheart), The Skyhawk is well-done action-packed spectacle. Executive produced by Chin-Fang Hsiao (Challenge Me Dragon, Thunder Cat Woman), The Skyhawk stars Tak-Hing Kwan, Nora Miao, Hsiung Chao, Carter Wong, In-shik Hwang, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Ching Chen, Kun Li, Ching Po Chang, Ki-joo Kim, and Sze-Ma Wah-Lung.

Skyhawk, Wong Fei Hung (Tak-Hing Kwan) is joined by Fatty (Sammo Hung) on an epic trip to Thailand. While on the trip in Thailand, the duo is attacked by the “Little Lion” Leo Hsiao Sze-Tzu (Carter Wong). Skyhawk ends up deciding to help train Little Lion. Trouble also ensues with a crime lord and an epic fight ensues between Skyhawk and the enemy. Can Skyhawk and his allies emerge victorious?

Tak-Hing Kwan is wonderful in the leading role. The actor has a lot of fun with his martial arts role. Sammo Hung remains dependable and entertaining – an icon and legend with good reason. Carter Wong provides some excellent action beats, too. The supporting cast of characters in The Skyhawk includes Hsiang Lan (Nora Miao), Ku (Hsiung Chao), Fei Fei (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung), Yu Ying (Ching Chen), Wei Min (Kun Li), Kuei Ping (Ching Po Chang), Ma Lung (Ki-joo Kim), and Chu (Sze-Ma Wah-Lung).

The score composed by Joseph Koo (A Better Tomorrow, Fist of Legend) is one of the strengths of the feature. The music by Koo is excellent and adds to the production. Koo provides a superb score for highlighting the action sequences.

The cinematography by Yu-Tang Li (Jeong-min Seo) is impressive and there are some beautiful visuals in the production. The cinematography is a nice highlight by Li. The visuals add a lot to the filmmaking – enhancing the photography and aesthetic of the entire production.

Edited by Peter Cheung (The Way of the Dragon, Fist of Fury), The Skyhawk is a well-paced action- adventure. The editing style is well-done and works well throughout the feature. There is a good sense of urgency in the editing.

The costume designs by Sheng-Hsi Chu (Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury) are effective and work well for the action- adventure. Chu is a talented costume designer – with a great sense of what works for the film. A wonderful effort and one that is effective across both the lead and supporting characters.

Featuring martial arts instruction and choreography by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (The Golden Sword, Enter the Dragon), the action scenes are well-done. The action choreography is exciting and there is plenty worth appreciating in the filmmaking. The action by Hung is first-rate and the fight scenes build to exciting moments. The kung-fu action is all the better with Hung involved with the production.

Written by I. Fang Yeh (The Lady Hermit, The Jade Raksha), The Skyhawk is a well-penned script. The screenplay is entertaining and has good dialogue. The characterizations are handled well.

Directed by Chang-hwa Jeong (Six Assassins, Temptress of a Thousand Faces), The Skyhawk is well worth seeing. Director Jeong is a top-notch action filmmaker and the filmmaking highlights the superb action throughout the film in spades. Jeong doesn’t miss – the choreography and rhythm of the action well emphasized by the director. The Skyhawk is enormously entertaining.

The Skyhawk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Skyhawk is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The Blu-ray release features a solid if somewhat disappointing transfer. The transfer looks naturally filmic and there is good detail on the presentation.

The transfer quality presents a mostly clean print without much in the way of print damage or wear. Color reproduction is perhaps the least impressive aspect – the transfer is not quite as robust looking in this regard. The feature could have benefited from receiving a newer 2K or 4K scan and restoration.

The Skyhawk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles), English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, and Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is well-done. Dialogue is crisp and well reproduced. The soundtrack is highlighted with good detail on the release. The English subtitles are well done and free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Skyhawk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary With Film Critic James Mudge

Audio Commentary With Frank Djeng Of The New York Asian Film Festival

Audio Commentary With Frankie Balboa AKA Shogun Supreme & Peter Glagowski (Writer at Flixist)

Original Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3:23)

Image Gallery (HD, 3:11)

The Skyhawk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Skyhawk is an enormously entertaining martial arts classic. The filmmaking is impressive throughout. The cast deliver solid performances. The production is well-mounted and there is plenty to enjoy in regards to the fun filmmaking style of The Skyhawk.

The Blu-ray release provides a solid transfer (even though it would look better with a newer 2K/4K restoration), lossless audio, and a nice selection of supplemental features – including three audio commentaries. This is a well-rounded release. Recommended.