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Thunderbirds is a Universal Pictures release based upon the Thunderbirds television series of the 1960s, directed by Jonathan Frakes. The movie, written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, was released on July 24, 2004 in the UK, with later dates for others. The film uses live-action actors playing the Tracy brothers rather than the Supermarionation marionettes used in the television series. The vehicles of the Tracy family act as a jump-off point into a "kids-save-the-world" plot following in the footsteps of Spy Kids. There is extensive use of computer-generated imagery to create the illusion that the Thunderbirds, the fantastic machines which give the name to the production, are real.
The Storyline
The film is a prequel to the 1960s TV series.
The year is 2010. Teenager Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet), sent off to a distant boarding school, is the youngest of the sons of Jeff Tracy, a retired American astronaut (played by Apollo 13 star Bill Paxton). Tracy, a widower, has formed International Rescue, and raised his sons to act as a secret, volunteer organization which uses highly advanced technology to save lives worldwide. Tracy and his older sons (John, Virgil, Scott, and Gordon, who like Alan were named after the Mercury Seven astronauts) are joined in this effort by Lady Penelope and her butler, Parker (a man whose "checkered past" comes in handy). Their futuristic hardware is largely developed by "Brains" (Anthony Edwards), who lives at the International Rescue base on Tracy Island, somewhere in the Pacific.
Alan is eager to join his family in their work, but his older brothers still see him as just their kid brother, not ready for duty. Alan is befriended by Brains' son Fermat (Soren Fulton) and has a budding romance with Tintin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens), adolescent daughter of Tracy Island's caretaker, Kyrano (Bhasker Patel).
Ben Kingsley portrays the arch villain known as "The Hood", a character introduced in the first episode of the television series, brother of Kyrano. Bitter over having been abandoned by the Thunderbirds in an early rescue attempt, he has come to destroy them and take their machines to use in a daring raid on the Bank of England vaults. He launches missiles to wreck Thunderbird 5, the orbiting communications station. The Tracys -- except, of course, for Alan -- launch into space aboard Thunderbird 3 to rescue John Tracy, who is manning the station when it is attacked, and The Hood takes over the secret island base.
Using his mental powers to overcome Brains' resistance, The Hood takes control of the Thunderbirds' home base, aided by Brains' criminal counterpart, "Transom" (Rose Keegan) and strongman "Mullion" (Deobia Oparei). He also disables the control systems, stranding the rescuers aboard the disintegrating space station.
Alan, Tintin and Fermat, having observed the invasion of the Hood and his minions, then hearing his plans, launch a hasty resistance. Fermat disables heavy-lifter Thunderbird 2 as they retreat from the base, then flee to the mountaintop radio transmitter site. They make contact with Jeff Tracy, who tells them to wait for Lady Penelope to come take charge. However, the impulsive Alan leads the other two teenagers into ill-planned action, resulting in their capture. Lady Penelope and Parker are likewise captured, and Alan is forced to give Thunderbird 2's missing module to the bad guys. The island's defenders all end up in the deep-freeze while The Hood, Transom and Mullion head off to London.
Escaping the freezer, the first order of business is to rescue Thunderbird 5 and the Tracys. Reporting The Hood's scheme, Alan gets his chance to go to work. He, Fermat and Tintin launch for London, chaperoned by Lady Penelope.
The Hood and his accomplices, having arrived in London, begin tunnelling toward the vaults at the Bank of England, damaging the support pylons for a public-transit monorail, which falls into the Thames River. The pursuing Alan, Tintin and Fermat land next to Thunderbird 2, then begin their rescue of the submerged monorail and its passengers. Alan turns piloting duties to Fermat, then launches in the Thunderbird 4 rescue submarine. When Alan and Fermat are unable to connect the lifting cable, Tintin dives into the water, secures the cable, then joins Alan aboard the sub. Jeff and his other sons arrive just in time to see the successful rescue, then Jeff, Alan, Tintin and Fermat rush to the bank, where they are joined by Parker.
Penelope has been captured, and Jeff is soon imprisoned with her. Fermat and Parker keep Mullion at bay, while Tintin evades (then traps) Transom. She arrives on the scene just in time to see The Hood -- her uncle -- wiping the floor with Alan. She then proves that she has mental powers similar to her uncle's, resulting in his falling into mortal danger.
Ignoring the villain's taunts, Alan rescues him, because "That's what we do."
With the evildoers in police custody, the Tracys return home, where the three young heroes are inducted into International Rescue . . .
. . .just in time for another emergency, when Alan wears the Thunderbirds' uniform for the first time.
Viewer Response
The movie is essentially a science fiction adventure aimed at the very young, but with a great number of "in jokes" and references for the older generation which grew up with the original series, including visible strings on a character's hand in one scene.
By August 2004 the film had taken a relatively low worldwide total of about $21m (£11m). It cost $42m (£22m) to produce. The low turnout was largely the result of mixed reviews by the critics and voiciferous complaints by longtime fans (many of the complaints coming before the film was completed). Those familiar with the series tended to be more negative in their views, accusing the filmmakers of abandoning the concepts of the original series in favor of the Spy Kids angle, with reviewers dubbing it "Thunderbirds Are NO!" (a take-off of the title of the 1966 film).
Those unfamiliar with the series seemed to be more positive, though some joined in the criticism of the Spy Kids influence. Fans of the original series directed heavy criticism at the film through the Internet even before its release, though upon seeing the final result, many accepted it as a reasonable compromise between their memories from 35 years before and the requirements of modern moviemaking.
One of the few aspects of the film to receive positive acclaim (other than the special effects) was Sophia Myles' performance as iconic superspy Lady Penelope, a portrayal in a style identical to that of her television counterpart. The Thunderbirds craft, as well as Tracy Island, were also seen to be very close to the style of the original designs. Purists disliked the fact that FAB-1, Lady Penelope's car, was a Ford rather than a Rolls-Royce. However, this was because the producers could not get a suitable agreement from Rolls-Royce, the carmaker insisting that only an actual production model could be used. Ford stepped in with special version of their Thunderbird model, duplicating the six-wheel system on the Supermarionation Rolls. FAB-1 steers with the four front tires.
The Ford Motor Company supplied a number of vehicles to the production, including an advanced off-road vehicle which prominently sported the Ford logo, leading to jeers over the too-obvious level of product placement by the carmaker.
Thunderbirds Film History
This was in fact the third theatrical release based upon the series created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson. It was preceded by Thunderbirds Are GO! in 1966 and Thunderbird 6 in 1968, both films using the Supermarionation production techniques of the series. Gerry Anderson had no involvement in the making of this film; ex-wife Sylvia has the film rights to the characters.
Timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Thunderbirds, the two prior films were released to video. The DVD versions of all three films include a number of extra features, including historical and production information.
See also
External links
Official Sites
"Thunderbirds (film)"