Thunderbirds

Synopsis: Bored by school, Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) daydreams of another life. Under the watchful eye of their father (Bill Paxton), his brothers - with the assistance of Lady Penelope Ward (Sophia Myles) - have formed the Thunderbirds, rescuers of world-renown. It's Alan's dream to join their ranks. When their secret base is taken over by The Hood (Sir Ben Kingsley), it's up to Alan to save the Tracys' lives and reputation. And all before he hits puberty.

Thunderbirds has been a cultural icon for forty years. Produced by Lew Grade in 1964, the television series pioneered new technology including 'Supermarionation' (the process by which puppets' lips and eyes move realistically during speech), and both the pilots and vehicles of 'International Rescue' have been replicated in every merchandisable form. Even today, the series is syndicated around the world, and the catchphrase "Thunderbirds are go!" is right up there with the Vulcan greeting as a signal of nerdy salutation.

Jonathan Frakes, director of the film adaptation, is no stranger to working with a franchise. Not only did he star as Commander William Riker in Star Trek: the Next Generation, he directed two films based upon the series, First Contact (1996) and Insurrection (1998). Despite his experience within the science-fiction genre, however, Frakes had limited knowledge of the show prior to accepting the role of director. During pre-production, he watched the complete 1960's television series with his kids, and suggested that the memory of the series is better than the series itself.

Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson probably wouldn't agree. Despite selling the film rights long ago, he's made no secret of his desire to direct a live-action adaptation of his most famous creation, and had hoped - up until the beginning of filming - that he would be hired, if not as director, then as consultant on Thunderbirds. Instead, Universal offered him a lucrative deal as spokesperson, an offer he refused, stating, "I saw Penelope's new car, which was published in the papers, and I thought it was a monstrosity..."

For fans of the original Thunderbirds, this might be an appropriate description not just of Lady Penelope's car, 'FAB-1', but the film as a whole. While the live-action adaptation offers a few nods to the original, including the retro-futuristic look of Tracy Island and the puppet-like walk of Brains (Anthony Edwards) when he's being manipulated by The Hood, the original concept has been appropriated for what is essentially a 'coming-of-age movie'. Despite some cool action scenes involving 'Thunderbirds 1-5', these could be any large vehicles, their pilots any elite American force, and there's nothing new about the technology - no 2004 equivalent to the once-groundbreaking Supermarionation - to appeal to technophiles.

On the other hand, as a kids' film Thunderbirds works. In the tradition of Spy Kids, the adults are in trouble, and their kids can only save them by learning a few life lessons, including the importance of being responsible and the reality that - no matter how heroic you are - you can't save everyone. The next generation of International Rescuers is made up of a range of character types, the brave but inconsiderate Alan, the brainy stutterer Fermat (Soren Fulton), and Alan's love interest, the resourceful Tin-Tin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens). Pitting them against the suitably diabolical 'Hood' allows each character to shine.

A little saccharine at times, with its signature style under-utilised, Thunderbirds is nonetheless fun and should be empowering for its target demographic.

 

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