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My friend and I watched this together when we were exceptionally bored one day because we both remembered it from our childhood. All we agreed on was that the Soundtrack was banging, and that Ben Kingsley played a better Mandarin here than in Iron Man 3.
I felt like the 2015 reboot did everything right that this one did wrong. It updated the basic concept while still being respectful towards it, but at the same time not being afraid to do its own thing. Where changes were made, it never felt like "we don't care about the original," it was more like, "Okay, but wouldn't it be interesting if..."
While I still hold a great affection for this film, particularly the amazing musical score by Hans Zimmer and co; I do admit that this film is pretty terrible and it's only real staying power was the Busted song.
There are many words to describe Zimmer's score.... 'Amazing' is not one of them I happened to hear Classic FM at the movies, less than a week after I'd taken my 10-year-old to see it they actually played some of the soundtrack on the programme. I didn't recognise the music. A more accurate description of the score would be 'lacklustre' and 'derivative'; even the main titles, using a severely mutilated version of Barry Gray's original theme were dire. This would have far more inspiring: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UQMD94Mx26I.htmlsi=rrO30U6OcRAJGw3t
Zimmer is amazing, but he mangled the opening theme beyond redemption. He turned it from exciting, dynamic, and complex to repetitive, dumbed-down, and going nowhere.
Such a shame it went through development hell. It could have been amazing. I had many of the toys growing up. I liked Captain Scarlet more. The shows will always stand the test of time.
The sad thing is that there were so many great episodes, plus two films, that could easily have been reworked into fabulous live-action adventures - and we got this POS!🙁
In the first episode of the Gerry Anderson Podcast, Gerry's son Jamie interviewed Sophia Myles in a restaurant and she was very honest about what the production period was like as well as the aftermath of when the film was released. Apparently, a lot of the dialogue between her and Parker was written by Richard Curtis which explains why they are the best characters in the film. The other big actresses who auditioned for Lady Penelope in this film were Sienna Miller, Rosamund Pike (who later voiced her in the 2015 remake!) and I think Kate Winslet was also considered.
It's like a gateway movie you get to enjoy the better parts of the original thunderbirds after watching the messy guilty pleasure live action movie as kid. Like a future anime fan watching later seasons of sword art online then going on to enjoy much better shows like code geass , ghost in the shell , og berserk , old school mecha shows , devilman , netflix's castlevania and cowboy bebop.
I will hear no ridicule against the CGI designs in this film, because to me they are absolutely spot on translations of the Thunderbirds. Thunderbird 2 in particular is a absolutely amazing design.
The teaser for this film looked excellent, legitimately. The CGI was on point for 2004 and it had Song 2 on it. Sadly as soon as the first proper trailer arrived it was clear what was going to happen.
Saw this is a cinema with my dad after getting free tickets for him test driving a Ford with me in the back, because hey did ya notice Ford was involved? It's not quite ham-fisted placement but it's pretty blatant, maybe I remember it more because of the song and dance they made over building FAB-1 for the movie after Rolls Royce decided they wanted nothing to do with it. Also I'm pretty sure Brains in the show was pretty close in age to Alan & Tintin so it's extra weird they split him into older him and his mini-me. Kyrano was also the Hood's half-brother just to be extra contrived in the show and that sometimes let the Hood mind control him remotely I think?
Yes, I do remember that as well. Kyrano (Tintin's father, right?) was having moments in which he'd faint, but I'm not sure if that was one episode or more.
@@Wright805 Jeesh...reminds me of Potter and Voldemort. Did the Hood get defeated in the end? We had DVD's with seperate episodes on them, I am quite sure we have all the DVD's, but that might not include all the episodes, because that'd be 24 episodes.
I haven't seen this movie, but I always rocked to the BUSTED song back in my Primary school days along with their other songs that I don't hear often on the radio in the last decade. I remember it was one of their last songs before the band ended.
I can’t deny the films many flaws but I think it is no way near as terrible as a lot of people make it out to be. I was a huge Thunderbirds fan as a kid and watched the show on TV every weekend - even was lucky enough to get the infamous Tracy Island set for Christmas. The real problem with the film was the writing, especially that of the new characters. Mullion, Transom and Fermat have moments that are just plain cringe-worthy and a lot of fight scenes are so awkward with poor choreography and stupidly misplaced Looney Tune sound effects. However, the film was a brilliant experience in the cinema for the sheer spectacle of the Thunderbird vehicles and the production design. We're all desensitised to this sort of thing now but back in 2004 the CGI looked incredible. I'm still impressed by the shot of Thunderbird 3 launching and the detail of the reflections you can see on the body of the craft. The appeal of Thunderbirds for many children wasn't really the characters but instead the technology and seeing how it would be used to rescue people from seemingly impossible situations - which this film succeeded on. The oil-rig scene and the missile impact on Thunderbird 5 feel quite visceral. I loved it so much as a kid I actually watched it twice in the cinema, which I rarely ever did. Sure there are things that were changed from the show (the costumes, the design of Thunderbird 4 etc.) but you have to remember that THIS IS A PREQUEL. Even as a child me and my schoolmates knew this as it isn't until the end of the film that Alan Tracy becomes an official Thunderbird pilot. Because of that, in our collective head-cannons we thought all the inconsistencies would be resolved in the time-frame between the film's story and TV show. Also Ben Kingsley was perfectly cast as The Hood who despite his delightfully hammy moments could be very intimidating “open the door Alan!” Saying that the only thing I hated as a child was the actor who played Brains who seemed completely miscast and seemed to be doing a bad Jarvis Cocker impersonation. Even if people debate the worth of the film there is no denying that the soundtrack is a banger. FUN FACT: Part of the reason Parker and Lady Penelope are so great in this movie is because the actors gave their scenes to Richard Curtis to rewrite them uncredited - making a third connection to Doctor Who as he wrote 'Vincent and the Doctor'.
I used to rewatch this movie countless times as a kid that we finally stopped renting it and bought the actual dvd. I still find rewatchable. Watching it now I find it goofy but still enjoyable. To be fair I watched the movie more than the show as kid, so I found it enjoyable.
The icing on the cake of this disasterpiece is Gerry Anderson calling it the “biggest load of crap I’ve ever seen in my life” When even the creator of the source material you’re adapting disapproves of your attempt just shows how bad it actually was
"What shall we do about this character who is a world famous racing driver who is now an astronaut" "Let's make him a whiney teen" Least they kept his romantic links to Tin Tin.
You know whats tragic, Michael Bay proved that a Big Budget & Mature Thunderbirds Film could actually work. By making the film Armageddon. Now granted the films plot could have been better, but that very plot resembled something that could have worked as a Thunderbirds episode. Now imagine such a film with a better version of that Plot and with International Rescue doing the mission itself...
The worse thing about this film is the fact the made fab1 a bloody ford. It’s meant to be a sodding Roll’s not a ford. What a joke. However the other designs aren’t too bad admittedly
I was so excited to see Jonathan Frakes was directing, I liked him as Will Riker in TNG, and his directing efforts on TV and for First Contact were all outstanding. Then I was happy to hear that the TB machines would be faithful to the originals. Sadly, everything else was ditched. FAB 1 became a Ford, Alan became a petulant teenager, and the Hood became a joke. Jeff was no longer desk bound, meaning the entire IR team was off world. Except for Lady Penelope and Parker, the saving graces of the film! Back in the 60's I was lucky enough to see the full size Rolls when it was transported to my town for a garage opening!
If there's one thing that we all love about Thunderbirds, it's the classic original proper Thunderbirds from 1965 and 1966. If there's one thing we hate about Thunderbirds it's that god awful live action movie from 2004. Thunderbirds Wars. It's a war between Thunderbirds 1965 and 2004. I came up with that.
As a kid, I was a huge Thunderbirds fan (I also had Tracy Island-- my brother and I completely wrecked all the trees next to Thunderbird 2's launch site from playing with it constantly, hahaha). I remember liking this movie at the time, but now it's at unwatchable levels of cringe. It was interesting how 2004 had two films about kids on a hidden base island rescuing their parents from a supervillain (Thunderbirds and The Incredibles). The Incredibles definitely holds up better. Still, I do love the OG Thunderbirds, and I think the 2015 reboot did a really good job keeping what made the original series so unique, and modernizing other aspects for a new generation. Would love to hear your thoughts on the reboot series.
The movie Team America came out the same year as this movie did and was a WAY better representation of what the original show was and that was a parody.
I admit I basically grew up on Thunderbirds and have a lot of nostalgia for going to see this in cinemas as a kid (if it’s a 2004 film as you say I’d be 4 at the time and I was already a big fan of the original by then.) But beyond the original cinema experience and seeing it once on DVD I’ve never cared to revisit this one while I still have the full box set of the original which I still watch. Thanks for informing me that this film isn’t worth a rewatch
Not gonna lie I only originally saw this movie because of the theme by Busted and that song is practically the only thing about the movie that I even remember. I highly doubt I would have seen this movie for several years if I hadn't been such a huge fan of that band back in the day. Hell I still enjoy their music every now and then almost 20 years later... God that makes me feel old.
Initially, John was to be the hero of the show - but Anderson failed to find any warmth in the character's face and didn't particularly like the voice, so he had him confined to Thunderbird 5!
This film has me asking quite a few questions like: How are Alan, Tintin and Furmat able to pilot Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4 even tho they’d never piloted them before? What was The Hoods plan once he’d robbed the bank? How did the people in the monorail not drown, there’s no way that thing would’ve been watertight?
Lex Shrapnel is his real birth name, he comes from a long line of theater people, including his grandmother, actress Deborah Kerr. The Thunderbirds movie was my entree into the Tracy world. It introduced me to the TV show and then to Captain Scarlet. Can't be all that bad.
me, a massive Tbirds fan, who subscribed for Dr Who content: :DDDDDDDDDD I definitely held this movie in higher regard when i was a kid, because i was a kid, but i love the original series so much. I would love to see you review the Thunderbirds Are Go reboot too!
Liked it, saw it with my uncle who introduced me to thunderbirds. I still have my Tracey Island. Liked it at the time, caught on how bad it was the instant i learned what a 'disney channel movie' looked like. The line "It's not me you're angry at Allan," "its not you i'm aiming at." Has stuck with me as a simple way to do a back and forth reveal, but most of it is just the 'live action' problem like Dragonball. Insert typical attractive disney teen into what is effectively a dress-up party for all actors involved. I legitimately still enjoy this movie (in spirit, i actually havent rewatched it, but i mean i like thin arc of tin-tin holding back her heritage and i can see how/why they wanted to adapt The Hood's voodoo think towards Kyrano and give it a more practical story use), but yeah its a hollow cash grab.
They're just taking liberties. Michael Bay made up a bunch of shit about Pearl Harbor. Why would you want the actual tragic story of Pearl Harbor when you can have a 3 hour love story between Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale. Don't let the title Pearl Harbor distract you.
Two great things about the film - Lady P and Parker were exceptionally well cast, to be honest I always wanted a movie about them. And Busted's Thuderbirds song is awesome;
As a lifelong Thunderbirds fan, great video, and I agree, completely with every point made. There is an interesting fact about the production however, that doesn’t get raised very often, if at all. The actress Naomie Harris, (28 Days Later, Miss Moneypenny in the Daniel Craig Bond films) was originally going to play the reporter that follows International Rescue around the world reporting on their activities. There are several interviews from around 2003-04 where she confirms this. However, as we saw in the video, there is a blonde lady playing the reporter who is in fact Genie Francis, the wife of director Jonathan Frakes. Why this change was made has never been revealed, but I think it is likely Ms Francis was drafted in due to reshoots and the Ford product placement. It remains a curiosity, nonetheless.
As someone who watched both the original and the live action movie, I still think it was a rather fun movie, even if it was objectively bad and unfaithful.
I grew up loving the original thunderbirds, I was 5 when the film came out and was so hyped about the film. I grew up in love with this film and still today a 22 year old love it There a good things, the soundtrack is great, the modern designs are great, the Hood and lady penelope and Parker were great, the opening rescues were great. The busted song is amazing It is a good movie buuuut as it’s a thunderbirds film, it’s a rubbish, it’s a pathetic adaptation of Thunderbirds. If it wasn’t a thunderbirds film then yes it’ll still be bad to a lot of people with taste but it won’t be as hated as it is now
okay, anything underwater with bubbles - i worked on that. anything with afterburner jets - i worked on that. anything with chaff in weightlessness - i worked on that. i had a smoke and a chat with mr frakes on more than one occasion while this was being made - it's bad in places but it's quite good in places too. luckily i had no part of the storyline.
I read that there were huge rows on set. The producers and writers versus the crew. The crew, all time served guys at Pinewood, who were doing that job because they'd been inspired by Gerry's work.
I am not sure if it was better than the 2015 series but i do like the 2004 film. It had it's own identity, and i loved it, plus i get a real childhood nostalgia for it. It was very much a 00's film, and i love the movie for that feel
The only things I liked about this movie as a kid was parker, lady penelope and thunderbird 1 design. This was the first movie I ever saw in a cinema and I was so disappointed and that busted song, I actually hate it which is the complete opposite to that opening song which I liked
Harbo can u do a review of that obscure spin of of doctor who k9 adventures I used to watch it when I was younger and would really like to see your take on it
Accidentally suppressed? I used to watch this all the time as a kid. It was a fever dream up to this point. But I’ve got a super big soft spot for this film.
I went to see this film in the cinema in 2004 and I had no idea how it was going to be, I guess you could say I was stupid, but then again I was only 7 going on 8 at the time, although I did find it funny how Lady Penelope is a martial arts expert in this film.
I do like the 2004 film to an extent, but honestly, my Thunderbirds fan-fiction where International Rescue teams up with the Paw Patrol is much more respectful to the source material.
I am so glad that I didn't know this film existed til now lol I loved the thunderbirds as a kid so much. also the resurgence in popularity in the nineties explains the rave remix I have
Admittedly from a non subjective point of view, this film is a great big meh. From my nostalgic point of view I love it and have no problem going back to it. I love the soundtrack and the Busted theme is simply awesome
one thing i can say about this movie is that transom was my one of my first female crushes. lady penelope was too of course, but there was something about how unconventional transfom was portrayed that i really crushed on. in retrospect now, her portrayal is incredibly misogynistic so i can’t say i feel as fondly towards the character as i once did as a small bisexual
It wasn't terrible. Bit harsh. It was actually good. It may not be like the 60's series but the basics still held true like the Island, craft, premise of a rescue organization saving people from disasters, the hood, and his powers ect ect. Jonathan Frakes just wanted to put his own stamp on it, and i think he did it in a very good way. I loved the 2004 film
I agree with your review. As someone who watched the original series I find the film problematic. They made Tracey brothers irrelevant when it focused on Alan (I know he was a popular character) leaving the brothers minor characters. The brothers in the original made it memorable they were the main cast because without the brothers it wouldn't be called Thunderbirds, that live action I mentally called "Thunderbird."
This film is a masterpiece I won't hear otherwise!!!! I haven't watched it in years tbh tho, maybe it is bad, but the theme tune unironically incredible
One problem I had with the film which I even had when I was young watching this. Who are the Tracy Brothers? Because of the lack of time on screen and cast I couldn't tell who was who.
Team America: World Police or as I calls it (Thunderbirds on steroids) was release the same year as the live action Thunderbirds movie and boy is it more entertaining
I haven't watched this movie, and I'm not saying it's good, but I dislike how a lot of the criticisms is just "It's detached from the original show". Something being different from the unique original source doesn't necessarily mean it's generic, it can be unique in a different way. Like How to Train Your Dragon book and movie. Or Shrek.
How to train your dragon is a perfect example. Great film and great books despite being very different. But yeah I haven't watched this since I was a kid but I'm not surprised to hear it doesn't hold up
