Brilliant review! Seeing a review which actually mentions the the Director's Cut and test audience, as well as its effects, is a general shocker. Really accurate info, and good bits and bobs from the show. A definite surprise was the TUGS theme.
"Presumably taking Edward, Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver, Mavis and all of the human inhabitants of Sodor with him." Also Diesel, Bill, Ben, The Skarloey Railway Engines, The Arlesdale Railway Engines, The Culdee Fell Engines and the bridge linking Sodor to the Mainland.
30:59 I have a theory that this movie is just a bedtime story that Edward tells Percy, Billy or another young engine, that would explain why most of the other engines are missing and why the humans don't act human.
I'm definitely with you there, Jeffrey. As far as I'm concerned, best Thomas movie is either The Adventure Begins or Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure - one for all its throwbacks and the fact that it's a retelling of the first two books, and the other for being a true epic by Thomas standards.
Who would have thought making a movie shown around the world about something only seen in the US would be a dumb idea, especially given that most of the people who went to see this wanted to see a thomas the tank engine movie
Honestly this movie is so terrible, it makes the Sharron Miller era look professional. At least the Sharron Miller era is laughably terrible whereas this movie simply hurts to watch.
@@supermariof0521 Even if the movie went with the original script and had no executives fucking it up altogether. Then it would've gone from an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes to a 32%. Still being bad, but at least making some bit of sense.
The reason the characters faces didn't move back in the 80's was partially due to practicality, but mainly it was because Britt wanted the stories to take on the form of a story-book. Nothing moves in a book, which is also why they had a single narrator doing the voices, to simulate a parent reading their child a bed-time story. The problem with this was that Britt wanted to make an episode of Thomas The Tank Engine, but with a bigger budget, but the executives wanted her to make a big-budget remake of Shining Time Station
I feel like a "huge budget episode" idea for the production isn't a doomed concept, but it's mostly jarring when they put them next to human actors, as that's when they visibly clash even if you don't think something is "off" about the still mouths on their own.
Randomness Does he still scare you in the CGI Thomas the Tank Engine? Because he's back. In fact, he was one of the main characters in the special: "Day of the Diesels."
@Waylon Smithers Except magic was never an aspect of "The Railway Series/Thomas & Friends". Aside from the sentient trains, the Island of Sodor was fairly down to earth. Not to mention having Sodor be reestablished as another dimension rather the North Western Railway in Northern England is why this movie makes the bouncing from "Journey Beyond Sodor" look tame by comparison when regards to how unrealistic things have gotten throughout "Thomas & Friends". Like why couldn't Muffle Mountain instead be located somewhere on the mainland? What if instead Lady was already sentient and much like Henry, needed Welsh coal to be able to get up and running again? There are so many things that could've made this premise feel arguably more in line with "Thomas & Friends", then the elusive Director's Cut. Because when I think of "Thomas the Tank Engine", I don't think of what could pretty much be the same premise as the "Super Mario Bros." movie. (which was also terrible). That being that two worlds are connected by some magic artifact and some @$$hole wants to destroy it, not realizing the consequences. Not to mention, why did Britt Alcroft think that adding in "Shining Time Station" was a good idea? I know it was kinda popular in the US, but in reality, once the first batch of VHS tapes for "Thomas & Friends" hit retail in the early 90's, everyone just sorta forgot about "Shining Time Station", and US audiences knew Thomas the same way UK audiences recognized him, while "Shining Time Station" was about as relevant as the Wii U.
One thing I realized was Neil crone the voice of many characters in this movie reprised his role as Gordon in all engines go. Which honestly despite the reboot being terrible sounds pretty interesting.
“Mr Fondue, I think your granddaughter is cheating on me with an extreme dwarf who snorts gold dust outside his insanely flat house!” “Well, fuck....that news just took my misery meter from 83% to 87%” Just brilliant😂
Given how the show had least had some decent to good episodes up to Season 7 before the downfall in S8 To S16 and then a rebound to good in S17, the new hands did do justice but we had to wait 10 Seasons for it
Unfortunately I was one of those who was introduced to Thomas by this movie. I did eventually get to watch the Classic Series but the movie made me confused as to what was going on but I eventually caught on to the stories. I found the show to be 1000 times better than the movie.
I'll admit as much as I love "Nostalgia Critic", his review of TATMR was very unprofessional as he didn't bother to do his research. Thankfully he amended this error when he reviewed "Stuart Little". So if Doug ever plans to revisit TATMR, hopefully he will have done proper research and give us a more well thought out review.
I actually loved this film as a kid. Because it was Thomas the Tank Engine. Only reason I can think of because wow this film did a lot of things wrong. Personally I was fine with the lack of mouth movement, and still am because it's just like the original show. However I do understand why others like yourself did not. Also I finally understand what the hell Shining Town was! Never heard of the show so I always found it weird how there was a random town in the movie and why Mr Conductor could teleport with a whistle....like a Warp Whistle from Super Mario Bros 3....surprised I never made that connection as a child. Anyways, looking back on this movie, it really was terrible and it's not like the Star Wars Prequels where there are some good moments as well as lightsabers to be entertaining. This has nothing besides memories of watching it as a kid. :P
This film was so fun to watch as a kid I used to watch it everyday after school. Now as a 15 year old and rewatching it I see how bad it is. It doesn’t look like the show, and the human characters are so badly written. Even though it’s a bad film I still watch it sometimes and sometimes a little tear comes out of my eye because I just miss my childhood so much.
I'm a bit indifferent when it comes to having the train's mouth move. If they made their mouths move, then it would look awkward and out of place. It works in the 3d animated series because everything is cgi.
I used to love Thomas as a child and I remember my mother would read me and my sister Gordon the blue engine RWS book and then I got a DVD of Thomas. My father used to work as a station master on a railroad train station since 1963 and he showed me lots of steam locomotives as pictures. When he retired I worked at his train station as a station master before I went to London and then I worked in the underground. My younger sister takes over. My dad retired at 54 because of his illness and he recived early pension because of illness. He gave me the money from his earned railway keria. My nannie and grandad would put money in.
I should also note that the reason the test screening lead to this movies demise was because they had the test screening in the US. If they had had it in the UK, it probably would've had a better chance. Then again because they had no idea of "Shining Time Stations" existence, the UK test audiences would've requested all the STS portions be cut out.
By far the best review of this film on the internet. I’m nostalgic for Thomas & The Magic Railroad, which may cloud my vision. I know it has flaws and that the cut content like Boomer would’ve massively improved it, but the film brings back so many fond memories (I remember running to my gran’s cupboard and wafting a pack of sugar at Diesel 10 when I was little) that I can’t help but enjoy it.
when I was 4 , I used to be afraid of the ghost train episode like every time I got a blanket and I put it over my head and I was born in 2004 and I grew up with the season 1 episode , Edward helps out
I used to be frightened of the episode "Percy Runs Away " ( much like how you were frightened of the episodes "The Flying Kipper" & "Down The Mine") . George Carlin made Gordon sound aggressive when he was rushing towards Percy . It almost sounded like he was going to kill him ( much like Vinnie trying to do something similar to a diesel I will not mention in TGR ).
Absolutely love your in depth reviews. I wish you'd make more. It was my introduction to your channel, and it's jokes and commentary still holds up. Miles better than the Nostalgia Critic review, which doesn't even bother to analyse it and insist the show that Britt Allcrof had to morgage her house to fund as "cheap and tacky". As a kid I kinda liked this movie. I see what's bad about it, but can still offer a few praises.
This is why whenever I want to watch Thomas & Friends I stick to the classics S1-S4 cause Baldwin was a horrible MR.Conductor.the earlier years stories were better you could relate to the situations like Edward proving to the other engines even though he was the oldest he was still useful or the engines that were saved from scrap.this movie was bad before you pointed it out I never noticed Edward & Duck weren't there like I said I'll just watch the originals this movie makes my head hurt lol.
@Master Farr its worlds better than bwba i am sad that i wasted my time watching that crap its the worst thomas movie in fact here Is my list 14.Big World Big adventures 13.The Adventure Begins 12.Day of The diesels 11.Thomas and The magic railroad 10.Calling all Engines 9.Misty Island Rescue 8.King Of The Railway 7.The Great discovery 6.Blue Mountain Mystery 5.Hero Of The rails 4.Sodors Legend Of The lost tresure 3.Journey Beyond Sodor 2.The Great Race 1.Tale of The brave
Have you noticed that Bertie's driver and the portrait of Lady Hatt are the only two models to be seen. It would have been cool to see humans as passengers on Sodor and as workmen, right?
from series 6 onwards it was off the rails. CGI is what caused the franchise to fall down the mine, slither into a ditch, crash with the flying kipper and crashed into fuckin tar wagons
For those who think it's creepy for these engines to have no facial movement in "Thomas and the Magic Railroad," I think you all are overlooking something...... Look up "The Wee Sing Train," AND THEN... THEN TALK TO ME ABOUT FACIAL MOVEMENT ON MODEL TRAINS!!! Especially in TATMR. That's why unlike Jeffrey Kitsch's speech at 7:55-9:05, I actually liked how they kept the faces frozen still between shots in the film. I even enjoyed that as a child. That was how I felt it really was something Thomas-related that I was watching. If they upgraded the faces to be animated, I think the film would he even WORSE than it is already; taking away what made the TV series good, like how the 2005 film of "The Dukes of Hazzard" ruined the goodness of the Dukes' TV series, and how "Dragonball Evolution" disregarded the original manga and anime altogether. P.S.: I didn't like the season 12 decision of animating the faces on the models. Moving faces in full CGI? Fine. Real models with no facial movement? Fine. Models with CGI faces? That makes the characters look UGLY!!! Even their close-ups of CGI-faces look so hideous on real models. And like I said, if their faces moved on the models, I'd probably think it would be "The Wee Sing Train" all over again, and I doubt that I would've liked that.
He's right. If Thomas and the Magic Railroad was written by Sharon Miller, it would have undoubtedly been MUCH worse. Considering the episodes directed by Sharon Miller in the past.
“Mister Conductor is gonna kill me and then he’s gonna kill you and then he’s gonna fold us up in a pizza and eat us!” Oh wait, wrong Alec Baldwin project. And I cried when I heard the TUGS theme. Holy shit, great add in there! Wonderful!
Wooden Railway Remakes And Reviews maybe, but if any of the main cast HAD to be voiced by a woman, Percy would probably be the most logical one I mean fair enough, James had a higher voice in the seasons prior (atleast in Angelis' narration) but they could have cast someone who sounded more similar to how Henry and Gordon did in the movie, or maybe kept his actor and just pitch shift it a bit
I think if it was filmed with real locomotives, Duck would've probably had a role, given how easy it is to find a 57xx pannier rattling around on a preserved line.
Buddy, TATMR director's cut in the blu ray was released and someone upload on youtube. There are some documentaries, interview, unseen footage, behind the scene and deleted storylines, you better check it out.
If the movie had been released with the original plans e.g. PT Boomer, Michael Angelis voicing James and Percy, maybe it would've been better. Not fantastic, but about average at best
The Movie wasn't that Bad! It's a guilty Pleasure of mine, Also, I would recommend Calling All Engines, The Great Discovery, The Adventure Begins and Sodor's legend of the Lost treasure as the best Thomas Specials/Movies.
The Great Discovery from 2008 to me was a nice send off for the model series. Having Pierce Brosnan as the narrator and the 1st Thomas Rap Number were cool too!
Just wanted to point out a mistake you made: you say that Thomas’ theme is the only piece of music by Mike O’Donnell and Junior Campbell used in the film, but the tune “Really Useful Engine” was also written by them for the show.
It does it when I play it too. You're the first to bring it to my attention so I assume it's a recent problem. I can understand a vhs, dvd or video game developing a glitch but I thought online videos were immune from that.
