Production Year: 2004 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jonathan Frakes - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles, Ben Kingsley, Brady Corbet, Vanessa Anne Hudgens more
Based on the cult British television show from the 1960s, THUNDERBIRDS explodes into the 21st Century with this thrilling live-action version of the franchise. Drawing on similar... more
Thunderbirds [DVD] [2004]
The deep love that young boys feel for planes, cars, and gadgets is the driving energy ... more
ofThunderbirds, a live-action movie based on the British puppet TV show of the 1960s. Bill Paxton (Near Dark,One False Move) plays Jeff Tracy, billionaire ex-astrona...
Thunderbirds [DVD] [2004]
The deep love that young boys feel for planes, cars, and gadgets is the driving energy ... more
ofThunderbirds, a live-action movie based on the British puppet TV show of the 1960s. Bill Paxton (Near Dark,One False Move) plays Jeff Tracy, billionaire ex-astrona...
Thunderbirds (2004) DVD
Thunderbirds are GO! International Rescue run in secret by the Tracy family and led by ... more
Jeff (Bill Paxton) is permamently on standby to offer assistance when accidents and incidents threaten lives across the world. However when the villainous Hood (...
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A review by dan_the_turbanator on Thunderbirds (DVD) July 22nd, 2008
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Hated it
Story
Very weak
Characters / Performances
Weak
Special Effects
Standard
Soundtrack
Weak
Advantages:
Its funny - for all the wrong reasons
Disadvantages:
Dreadful acting, awful plot, painful to watch, everything is wrong
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
This is what happens when Americans get hold of something beloved and oh so quintessentially British. The Thunderbirds of the 1960's are without doubt one of the finest TV series that Britain has made and exported all over the globe. 50 minutes of disaster filled TV with puppets whose hands would magically transform into fully fleshed mitts able to operate all kinds of futuristic leavers. The audaciousness of the plots and settings were every little boys dream. Who didn't want to turn themeself into a wooden puppet, just so they could shoot Thunderbird 1 around the globe at 15,000mph? Ok, so im getting a bit nostalgic. But, when presented with such filth, you can't help but wonder what might have been.
So basically, Alan Tracey is at high school and is nodding off (much like the reviewer). Then out of nowhere, Lady Penelope comes flying out the sky in her Ford Rolls Royce (?) and whisks him off to Tracey Island. There, Alan learns of an evil plot by Ben Kingsley and his ugly nerdy ladyfriend, as well as some insignificant bulldozer of a man. This evil plan consists of robbing the Bank of England of all its money and then hoping to escape somewhere using the Thunderbird's vehicles as cover. It eventually winds up........
........yeah you get it. Typical American schultz. The Americans steal our basic concept, give it a big smothering of nothing, and then ROB OUR BANK. It enrages you further when Bill Paxton is running operations at Tracey HQ. I mean, the guy couldnt even capture the Enigma code book in U-571 without dying. I mean, its not like the Americans had anything to do with capturing that book is it....?
Back to the film. So we have an 'impressive' debut performance from Brady Corbet, who is probably about as wooden as the puppet he replaces. Every scene he has a silly gurning expression on his face which means you can't take him seriously, even when he's trying to deliver the usual bog standard message of 'be yourself'.
Sophia Myles does try her hardest to resurrect this car crash of a motion picture. I'm not at all being biased because she's British, it's just she's the only one who looks comfortable in-character as the fabulous Lady P. Speaking of car-crashes, Ford has a substantial say in this film, with literally every frame having the Ford logo dotted around everywhere your eyes can see. With the in-film news being sponsored by Ford, a Ford FAB 1 and various other Ford logo's, I was surprised to see someone other than Ford CEO's directing this picture.
I'm also surprised this has been named Thunderbirds because there are so many things wrong with it, they might as well have called it 'The Smurfs Attempt To Stop An Enraged Ben Kingsley'. Firstly, Alan Tracey pilots Thunderbird 3, not 4 like at the end of the film. Then there's the age of the characters, with Alan, TinTin and that Ferret kid being teenagers whereas they should be fully fledged adults (and Ferret shouldn't even exist). Finally they break the key Thunderbirds rule in this film which is never get filmed by news crews etc. In the film, Jeff Tracey simply ravishes in the limelight whereas the real Jeff Tracey should be at home coordinating all of International Rescues relations. In other words, you begin to wonder if any of the people making the film actually knew what Thunderbirds was (that includes the evil dictators from Ford)
So this film is a complete disaster. And for people who knew and loved the original TV series, watching this film is like having your heart ripped out then thrown about like an American football. I wanted to stand up whilst watching this film and shout : 'You've got it all wrong!' Of course the adolescent American audience which this film is OBVIOUSLY aimed at will love, considering their only past experience of a Thunderbird is what their grandparents used to drive. Even that's a goddamn Ford......
Advantages: Great graphics and decent acting Disadvantages: Where are the iconic blue suits
The Thunderbirds was a hit TV show in the 1960's and 1970's that through the use of puppets told the story of the Tracy family who with their weird and wonderful crafts fought to save the world. In 2004 a film was released to tell a further Thunderbird tale. This time however real-life actors where used instead in an attempt to bring the whole idea more up-to-date and make it appeal to more people. Now for me this was the best idea but for die-hard ... ...the timeline of the old Thunderbirds TV episodes, as the film to begin with shows Jeff Tracy at the helm of a Thunderbird craft and then progresses to show Alan's initiation into International Rescue whereas in the TV programme Jeff was never in control of a vehicle and Alan was already a fully fledged member. The film begins with Alan Tracy and his best friend Fermat watching another daring Thunderbirds rescue on the TV at their boarding school. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: feel good film, effects are better than the origianals! Disadvantages: predictable
...The story follows the thunderbirds after they return to there secret island to find out their space station TB5 has been badly damaged the team thinks its just a meteor strike but unknown to them master criminal The Hood did it so that the thunderbirds left the island and he could take it over, using the power of his mind he makes brain work for him. however he hasn't realised that Alan, Tin Tin and Fermat are still on the island and there not about ... ...one of the three youngsters who go about saving Tracy island hes helped by Soren Fulton who plays Fermat a brilliant character and Vanessa Anne Hudgens who plays Tin Tin. the three develop a great relationship and use each others strength to fight against The Hood. The actions isn't bad, there's explosions and big scenes just like there should be, and the effects are good. the set looks like it did they seem to of tried to keep it as similar as the ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Good Family Entertainment Disadvantages: Plot is Weak
...response from the authorities. In fact both bad guys and good guys had a free hand.
As constructive suggestion perhaps for the first movie there could have been the more constructive idea of filling the details of the establishing of the Thunderbirds and the Hood. This would could have been a more interesting start.
Just now the DVD is on sale for £5.99 in Morrisons, this made it a good deal and worth buying satisfiy my curiosity. It is unfortunate they got everything right apart from the story line which I hope dosn't kill any possible sequel (in all probability it has) as I think it can be improved upon.
Final verdict, entertaining probably good for a rainy afternoon but not something to be wtched over and over again....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Kingsley as the Hood. Thunderbird 2 always looks cool. Disadvantages: Its an absolutely dreadful waste of time.
...I am sat watching this on a Satruday afternoon and it is one of the most appalling films I have ever had the misfortune to see.
It is excrutiatingly dull and pointless and has none of the charm and ingenuity of the puppet series. It suffers from a weak plot. The Thunderbirds are out of action for most of the film (trapped as they are in a damaged Thunderbird 5, running out of oxygen and in danger of burning up inEarths armosphere) leaving it up to a trio of kids to take on most of the action. This makes it look like a pale imitation of the Spy Kids films.
This could have been an excellent hard action thriller had they gone for dark and sinister and dramatic over comic book nonsense, comedy boing noises during fight sequences and annoying child actors, one of which looks like his head is made from plastic and playdoh, step forward...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Good alround comedy action adventure Disadvantages: isn't really
...Having always watched the originals on TV as a kid I decided to give the movie ago. I missed out going to the cinema to watch the film to purchased the DVD over the christmas period. I tell you what I was not disappointed in anyway what so ever. The movie is quick to get straight into the action. The cast is brilliant, the story line is catchy the comedy timing is top notch. Lady P and Parker is excellent during the fight scenes. Without spoiling the movie I cant really give you much of a review. Just go and see the movie, if you rent or buy the movie you won;t be disappointed. Younger viewers will just enjoy it where as the the older generation who grw up with the thunderbirds will get a lot of the jokes....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Plot: Based on the cult British television show from the 1960s, THUNDERBIRDS explodes into the 21st Century with this thrilling live-action version of the franchise. Drawing on similar themes and familiar characters, director Jonathan Frakes (STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT) sticks closely to the spirit of the original show while making use of the new technology available to him 40 years after the program first aired to give the film a modern look. The International Rescue organization a team of highly organized law enforcers is the focal point for the movie. International Rescue is based on a remote desert island location, and is called into action whenever the world's sinister masterminds threaten to disturb the balance of society. Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) heads up the team, and employs his sons to help him out. Teenager Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) is a little too young to join, and is constantly frustrated by his lack of opportunity to join the brothers on their missions. But when the evil villain known as The Hood (Ben Kingsley) traps the International Rescue team in outer space, it seems Alan's time has come. The Hood steals one of the many spacecrafts designed by International Rescue, and executes an outlandish scheme to rob the Bank of England. Alan and his pal Fermat (Soren Fulton) attempt the double-whammy of rescuing the trapped family and stopping The Hood, by drawing on help from the sultry detective Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles), her butler Parker (Ron Cook), and a few gadgets and vehicles courtesy of International Rescue. With comic references to the original show scattered liberally throughout the movie, and a sense of fun and adventure, this is a film that should appeal to both old and new fans of these popular crime-fighting characters.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): UCA; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON)
Release date: 08/05/2006
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: 822 774 8
Barcode: 5050582277487
Languages
Main Language: English
Hearing Impaired Language: English
DVD Description
Based on the cult British television show from the 1960s, THUNDERBIRDS explodes into the 21st Century with this thrilling live-action version of the franchise. Drawing on similar themes and familiar characters, director Jonathan Frakes (STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT) sticks closely to the spirit of the original show while making use of the new technology available to him 40 years after the program first aired to give the film a modern look. The International Rescue organization a team of highly organized law enforcers is the focal point for the movie. International Rescue is based on a remote desert island location, and is called into action whenever the world's sinister masterminds threaten to disturb the balance of society. Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) heads up the team, and employs his sons to help him out. Teenager Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) is a little too young to join, and is constantly frustrated by his lack of opportunity to join the brothers on their missions. But when the evil villain known as The Hood (Ben Kingsley) traps the International Rescue team in outer space, it seems Alan's time has come. The Hood steals one of the many spacecrafts designed by International Rescue, and executes an outlandish scheme to rob the Bank of England. Alan and his pal Fermat (Soren Fulton) attempt the double-whammy of rescuing the trapped family and stopping The Hood, by drawing on help from the sultry detective Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles), her butler Parker (Ron Cook), and a few gadgets and vehicles courtesy of International Rescue. With comic references to the original show scattered liberally throughout the movie, and a sense of fun and adventure, this is a film that should appeal to both old and new fans of these popular crime-fighting characters.
Technical information
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review: You'll Love This (Funday Times, )
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Listed on Ciao since : 04/03/2007
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