Thunderbird 6

With all due repect to the user who somehow remembers the ancient Republic serials doing a better live action/effects mix that this high-tech Sixties extravaganza, you really won't see the join in Medding's seamless recreation of a British motorway (built in one third scale and mixed with real motorway shots for the climactic Tigermoth escape sequence). Indeed, so realistic is this shot that on the DVD commentary Sylvia Anderson (who spends most of her time pointing out the live action shots vs the model shots, like we really need to know) exclaimes "now that's definitely not a model shot!". Sorry Sylv, love, it is and it's quite likely the best you'll ever see (or be hoodwinked by). If you love Thunderbirds, the Andersons or just damn fine effect work, come worship at the alter of Derek Meddings: see Thunderbird Six.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Thunderbird 6; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.50 out of 10.00

As a kid, I always found the Thunderbirds to be a rather uninteresting viewing. I know, wash my mouth out. But I was too young to appreciate the story or the marionette action. At that age, I needed more bang and flash and much less plot. Luckily, I've aged to a point where I can appreciate those things - and more.

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson take the writers' seats for this big-picture Thunderbird outing. On the whole, they do a decent enough job. However, there appear to be a few alterations to International Rescue's secrecy policy. At the movie's opening, Brains is in a meeting with a top aeronautical company to get his new invention off the ground - a technologically advanced airship. This conference takes place in complete secrecy, and the board members never meet Brains. Once the airship's construction is complete, the International Rescue team receive an invite on its maiden voyage. And as we progress through the story, it becomes evident that the hijackers also know their passengers are International Rescue. So much for keeping a secret, huh? Sadly, the Andersons had to drop the concealment issues due to poor story structuring. This neglect allows the hijackers to bug and record Lady Penelope, enabling them to splice together a recorded message - A message that'll drop the Thunderbirds into The Black Phantom's trap. So the bad guys not only know their passengers' secret identities, but also the content and style of the message they're required to send? Brains should check their security and stop messing about trying to come up with a Thunderbird 6. But apart from that glaring inconsistency, the story is pretty solid. The characterisations are spot on, which is how they should be since their creators are writing their story. And in this journey, the Andersons have taken the marionettes a step closer to a more adult world. There are more killings in this film than in all the TV shows. But what got me was the body dumping of the original aircrew in the ocean. I thought it was great, but I have a dark sense of humour. Luckily for the audience, they've not introduced sex into the International Rescue universe - otherwise, we'd have to have a character called Richard Woodcock.

David Lane does a marvellous job with the direction. The one thing that he could've altered to make for a more enjoyable movie was the tempo. He gives T6 a quick stroll of a pace. This speed doesn't always work with the more thrilling aspects of the narrative, like the shoot-outs. In truth, it has the opposite effect and makes them a tad dull. Had he edited quicker, the speedier transitions would have built up the tension and excitement. Where he excels is with the model-to-real-life shifts. The best example of this is the Tiger Moth Bi-Plane. There are at least two versions. One is a remote control model, and the other is a real piloted aeroplane. Having a real aircraft allows Lane to capture more realistic flight scenes with actual scenery and vistas. It works particularly well in the end rescue sequence - you hardly notice the segues.

As for the performances, the puppeteers are excellent, and the vocal talents are okay. It would've been nice had the actors and actresses put more energy into their portrayals. When your body is actually sculptured from wood, I believe you need to steer clear of wooden acting. By and large, the performers do this. However, there are moments when a few slide towards the lumber pile - namely, Sylvia Anderson as Lady Penelope.

Thunderbird 6 isn't brilliant, but it's enjoyable enough to waste an hour-and-a-half on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's one of those films you can stick on for the Grandkids, tell them how much you enjoyed it, and then drift off into snooze-land as they baulk and moan at how boring and stupid it is. Ah, those precious family moments.

Okay, I've cleared a runway, so land that Thunderbird and nip over here to scrutinize my IMDb lists - The Final Frontier, The Game Is Afoot, Let's Get Animated, and Holding Out For A Hero to see where I ranked Thunderbird 6.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Having just completed on working as an expert contractor on the production of "Airship One" – a revolutionary new airship – with a private airline company, Brains is tasked with performing his day job. Despite the thunderbirds generally able to cope with the problems facing them, and no other siblings to drive the bloody thing, Jeff Tracy decides he needs a new ship – Thunderbird 6. While Brains tries to design something without Tracy giving him even a hint of a spec to work from, Lady Penelope, Alan, Tin Tin and Parker are guests of honour on the maiden voyage of Airship One.

I could criticise it on the basis of plot but that would be akin to clubbing a baby seal because, despite howlers in logic and such the story pretty much does what it is required to do in setting up various adventures for the Thunderbirds to get into. It has elements of bigger themes but seems happy just to stick to the basics and doesn't do anything that interesting and lacks any real excitement or tension. Of course this has something to do with the delivery which is, obviously, quite wooden. To fans though this is all part of the appeal and those that enjoy the series will find more of the same here and will enjoy it as such. Casual viewers will be distracted by it for its novelty value but (like me) may struggle to care enough to stick with it.

The puppets are just what you expect and the models are good for their period – we're not talking Star Wars here but it has an unique feel that is unmistakably Gerry Anderson. Again it is not really fair to criticise it simply for being what I knew it would be so it did look good for what it was. The voice cast are solid enough but Finn (Tin-Tin) is the weakest of the lot, making her young woman sounds like some old woman in the post office.

Overall though, you know what you are getting when you start this. It is a solid and dated affair which won't win over too many children nowadays but fans will enjoy it because it does just what the series did – if you liked that then you should like this.

Thunderbirds had made a major impact in British TV, leading to the 1966 theatrical release Thunderbirds Are Go, but disappointing box office returns and lack of interest from major US networks (the show was syndicated in the US instead of picked up by one of the three big broadcasters) caused cancellation of the series. Despite this, one more theatrical film was prepared, and the resulting film has proven to be a highlight of the Thunderbirds epic despite once again suffering from disappointing box office returns.

Thunderbird Six is a vast improvement over Thunderbirds Are Go thanks to a more coherent plot and more plausible action scenes; also adding to the film's quality was the decision to tone down the action scenes in favor of more character interplay.

Most of the cast returned for this final go at the Thunderbirds epic; notably missing aside from David Holliday (replaced by Jeremy Wilken after the first season of the show wrapped up) was Ray Barrett; added to the voice cast was Geoffrey Keen, later to win fame as HM's Defence Minister Sir Frederick Grey in the James Bond series.

"Brains" Hackenbacker (David Graham) has been brought to New World Aircraft, his identity hidden, to make a proposal for a new machine of flight to the company's board of directors. Brains' proposal is to go back to the future - to the era of the passenger dirigible.

Brains' idea is laughed out of the company, but they turn around and build it anyway - Sky Ship One. NWA has invited members of International Rescue for an exclusive round-the-world maiden voyage before the ship enters full commerical service, but Brains is put in charge of creating a Thunderbird Six for Jeff Tracy - an assignment that begins to stress his relationship with the Tracy family.

Much of the film makes use of a reallife Tiger biplane in flight, the Tiger being a special retro project created by Alan and TinTin. With very heavy security, the four IR members invited to the flight of Sky Ship One - Lady Penelope, Parker, Alan, and TinTin - are escorted to NWA's flight base and board the ship.

But unknown to the members of IR as well as to NWA, the crew of the fully-automated jet-powered dirigible have been assassinated and replaced by a band of killers led by a man named Foster, working for a kingpin known as Black Phantom - in reality The Hood wearing a bad hairpiece.

The film then follows the voyage of Sky Ship One as the killers work to position a perfect trap for their passengers as well as International Rescue itself. Along the way Penny, Parker, Alan, and TinTin overfly and visit numerous locations visited by IR in previous rescues - the Atlantic Ocean, New York City, the Grand Canyon, Africa, the pyramids of Egypt, and the Swiss Alps. Here we for once get to see the members of IR able to relax and enjoy each other's company, unaware of any danger to their safety - or are they?

The visits to varied international locales add nicely to the film's atmosphere and allow the buildup not only of suspence but also allow appreciation of the interplay between the characters; this makes the inevitable action scenes and rescue mission all the more gripping and suspenseful as disaster strikes and Scott and Virgil Tracy launch into action.

Without question this is a zenith in the International rescue epic and ends its initial run on a high note.

These films have a certain style and flair, helped greatly by Barry Gray's music. The plot is simplistic and cliché, but has a dash of originality. There is the ongoing Thunderbirds obsession with the form and function of ships and other vehicles. The biplane acrobatics were very well done, and the music playing when the biplane first appears is comical and appropriate. Every scene and transition seems lovingly crafted and there is no doubt that this film is a work of art.