Werrf

Perhaps it's because I really want to see a decent interpretation of the central Thunderbirds idea that I can watch without wincing, but I find I can't really condemn this film.

It's bad. Let's make no mistake about that. It's really bad. The 'plot' is trite, clearly aimed directly at children with no thought for the millions of adults who loved the series. The acting is generally awful, despite the talent signed up - I'm afraid I have to put that down to direction. The dialogue is stilted and forced, the pacing is terrible, the 'characters' are simply dreadful. It's a bad film.

But of course, we've already heard all that. So how about what's good?

The FX were, unsurprisingly, adequate. The subtle redesign of the Thunderbirds themselves was very nicely executed, with a good blend of '00s modernism and the original '60s flashiness that we all loved. The inner workings of Tracy Island were very well done, though I wish we could've seen more of it. All in all, the general feel of the rescue scenes was excellent. If only they could've done the same for the rest of it!

The only other bright spot in the production was the due of Lady Penelope and Parker. They really seemed to 'get' the spirit of their characters.

So, advice for the sequels:

1) Get some real characters.

2) Get a plot that makes a little bit of sense.

3) Let the actors *act*!

4) Get rid of Tintin-Sue and give the girl some flaws (this could come under point 1, but it was so glaring I felt it deserved an entry of its own)

5) Get a director, producer and writer who were fans of the series. Get some people who *understood* the series.

6) Try to remember that sitting in the cockpit of TB1 while the bad guy is still at large is NOT the time for a big father-son heart-to-heart talk. Save that rubbish for a more appropriate time.

And definitely 7) get a sponsor that isn't going to paste "FORD!!!!!!" over every single vehicle in the film. I'm surprised we didn't see a "FORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" sticker on any of the Thunderbirds.

Shrek and Harry Potter have both shown quite clearly that a story aimed at children doesn't have to appeal exclusively to children, and that a story aimed at both children and adults can be extremely effective and successful. If ever there was a candidate for the same treatment, surely it's Thunderbirds, which a child-pleasing action-based ethos as well as a huge adult fanbase already in place.

Seeing as how a large part of the plot of the book of Sharpe's Gold - in reality the second one in the series - was taken and used in Sharpe's Rifles, the first film, this was always going to be the most Adapted adaptation.

About the only thing kept in the adaptation was the presence of the Provosts - other than that, this is an entirely original Sharpe adventure.

It's a good one, for all that - it's fun, though it's hard to take seriously. The serious parts are rather too far-fetched to take seriously, but Sharpe's 'apology' more than makes up for that.

It ain't great. The plot is unimaginative, the characters are stereotypes, and you can see what's going to happen a mile away, but hey, that applies to most films these days.

It's nothing spectacular, but it kills a couple of hours, and the 24-esque split-screening does add a somewhat classy element. If it's on TV, watch it. Don't bother going out of your way to find it, though.