Thunderbirds Are Go

I really enjoyed the CG Captain Scarlet reboot. Even within its half hour format, they got some good story and character development. There was plenty of people story in it and enough darkness to keep an adult interested. I was hoping to see the same with Thunderbirds. But they use most of the brief 22 minutes to do non stop action. There is really nothing along the lines of people stories. They really should have made it the hour format like the original.

On the plus side they are faithful to the vehicles of original show, the action is good as is the CG. But it just doesn't fill the shoes of the original. Probably great for kids but as a long time Gerry Anderson fan, its not the same for me

First of all, everyone needs to get over there are no puppets, we all would have loved that but hey this is 2015 not 1965. There are projects (hope all the YOU critics have signed up to the kick starter project) for A possible future puppets series :-)

This Thunderbird series is not bad at all, in fact it's really good. I have given it 10 to readdress the balance, as some people who have given it 1 is absurd. Yes it's a faster pace (but think about the time restriction) the CGI is fantastic, Thunderbird 3's launch is like something out of NASA footage.

There has been some meddling with the characters, not sure why Brains has now an Indian accent, perhaps he has spent some time out in Asia :-) Jeff Tracey is AWOL but there seems to be a story there, and yes to make it more PC we have females taking a bit more of a role. Nothing wrong with that,remember Gerry's new Captain Scarlet had a female LT Green.

I love the Original Thunderbirds (it is the greatest TV show ever made) but this is as close as you can get to it, and to be honest a lot closer than I thought it would be. There are people who will never be satisfied with any remake, and they need to think about the legacy Gerry has left behind, that Thunderbirds are go 50 years later, and I for one, although apprehensive, am thrilled to see the series, after writing to ITV many times telling them they were on a goldmine, has now been made.

Take this in isolation and enjoy it, I did.

Well, I've just seen the new Thunderbirds series with my eight-year old son and here's the verdict.

The Bad:

(i) No strings! The characters in the new series are CG! animation and not puppets. so you can't play "Spot-the-strings"! They also seem to walk quite normally - gone is the charming 'bobbing' gait you see in the original series. To make matters worse, the Tracy brothers can even do the impossible now, like running, jumping and even somersaulting with gay abandon.

(ii) No models! My biggest disappointment, though, were the models - or rather, lack thereof. In the original Thunderbirds, you knew that every Thunderbird you saw was a lovingly crafted and minutely-detailed real- life model - not just pixels on a CGI screen. So it didn't feel 'real' somehow ..... well, as real as plastic models and puppets can get, I suppose.

(iii) No real explosions! The same goes with the effects - somehow a CGI-generated explosion doesn't really have the same impact as a 'real' explosion created in miniature - and original Thunderbirds' bangs were glorious orgies of pyrotechnics.

(iv) Wrong sashes! Canon got thrown to the winds in the costumes - even eight-year old could spot that Virgil Tracy should have been wearing a yellow sash on his uniform, not a green one, and Gordon should be sporting a green sash, not a yellow one. Outrageous!

The Good:

i) Lady Penelope and especially Tin-tin Kyrano are so much hotter now. Tin-Tin is apparently now called Tanusha 'Kayo' Kyrano (due to copyright problems with Hergé's Tintin).

ii) Brains sounds brainier - though, inexplicably, he now has an Indian accent. My eight-year old commented that he now sounds exactly like Raj in The Big Bang Theory.

iii) Despite what I said earlier about the explosions. I liked some of the newer special effects. The vapour plume produced when Thunderbird 1 goes supersonic was a nice touch. And the falling-coconut-trees effect when Thunderbird 2 takes off is actually quite awesome now (as opposed to quite hilarious in the original series)

iv) There seems to be a lot more emphasis on science in this new series and it doesn't appear to take as many liberties with the Laws of Physics as the original series did (though Thunderbird 2 still looks gloriously un-aerodynamic with its grossly obese fuselage and stunted swept-forward wings).

All in all, a lot of the old Thunderbirds charm appears to have been lost in the new series and old fans will miss the wooden performances (literally) of the original crew. However, the new Thunderbirds does introduce the action-packed world of International Rescue to a whole new generation of kids - my eight-year old is now certainly hooked. And if it inspires our kids to be world-class scientists, engineers and pilots, rather than pop-stars, footballers and celebrity chefs, who am I to complain.

As somebody who grew up with the 1960s incarnation of 'Thunderbirds', which still holds up as a classic and iconic, was expecting a disaster and knew that it was going to be difficult coming close to its quality.

Giving it a fair chance, it doesn't reach the standard of the 1960s show but it is nowhere near the disaster that the 2004 live-action film was. It does have its major faults but doesn't disgrace the original in the way that it could have done and actually makes a real effort to try and respect it while trying to appeal to younger and modern audiences (which apparently was not an easy task for them).

There are several good things. The animation is mostly very good, smooth, very detailed and colourful and with the notable exception of a rather plastic and too young-looking Lady Penelope the characters are mostly still recognisable. There are some tense and also humorous moments ("EOS" being one of the show's better episodes with particularly good effects), Parker is often very funny, and there is evidence of 'Thunderbirds Are Go' trying to respect and pay homage to the original 'Thunderbirds' show. The launch sequences in particular are very well done, the models do look good, and also really appreciated that there was more prominence on Number 5.

Love the brotherly bond often between the brothers, and they do have likable moments, if also some bland ones. Was mixed on the voice acting. David Graham comes off best, he is very good and entertaining, and provides some of the show's funniest and most lively moments. Virgil and Scott also come off well. But as much as I really like Rosamund Pike, despite having a beautiful speaking voice her voice acting doesn't really fit Lady Penelope, although the character looks young Pike sounds a little too mature as well as even in tense situations voices her with more-of-the-same expression which gave the sense that her heart wasn't in it (the more sophisticated and aristocratic Penelope is missed). Alan has his likable moments but often he sounds bland.

Where 'Thunderbirds Are Go' mostly falls down is the length and pacing agreed. The episodes are too short, and in an effort to try and cram in as much as possible many of the stories feel rushed and hyper-active (both in comparison to the original and on its own terms). The action is also mixed, sometimes exciting and fun but too many others veer on the cartoonish. There are also changes here, especially the immediately noted and deeply felt absence of Jeff and a more diverse depiction of Brains which struck a strange chord with me and many others and the feeling has not worn off yet.

Another major problem is the music, there are attempts to use the iconic themes but mostly they are lost within the more brash and over-bearingly bombastic style adopted here and very rarely stops. The villain is not particularly menacing as a villain and seems to be there for the sake of it, and while the script has its good moments there is some awkwardness.

Overall, could have been a disgrace but wasn't, while also not being completely successful. Good try though. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Let me start off saying that they've done a good job reviving the Thunderbirds series. Like many others I started off skeptic, especially because of the CGI. But let me tell you, it looks great. Apart from certain movements from the characters (the puppets from the originals moved awkwardly as well, so perhaps it's intentional) , they've done an amazing job.

The cinematography looks great.

Certain (re)design choices look good and are well thought out. They give a realistic feel to the world. Such as the ships and the suits. However, other designs were left out, such as the caps for the Thunderbirds and Parker and the music (much of the music is not on par with the original). It would've been a nice nostalgic nod.

The focus on the different characters is more balanced (e.g. Thunderbird 5 has a much bigger role). And the female cast has a bigger role to play as well. Plus, Brains is now Asian (so hurray for diversity I guess ;) )

My biggest criticism concerns the pacing. Perhaps kids these days like hyperactive TV and/or movies, but what I loved about the original Thunderbirds was its rather slow pacing and attention to (single) details. By pacing things up, scenes lose their tension and sense of urgency. Especially with the bombastic music playing in the background (the original Thunderbirds had lots of silent moments). They want to shove as many action as possible into a single episode.

I think today's kids would be just as appreciative of slower pacing as we were back in the day (but perhaps this is nostalgia speaking)