ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:13 pm Post subject: Thunderbirds (2004)

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I was never a big fan of the TV show, but I've seen the movie versions on TV and I admire what the producers did. The sets and props were beautifully designed, and the manipulation of the puppets and props was extremely well done.

The 2004 movie from director Jonathan Frakes did great job of converting the concept to a live-action version. It "modernized" the young characters a little more than this old man might prefer, but the story was very true to the TV show, it retained the show's great designs, and most of the characters were true to their original appearance.

All in all, a very enjoyable movie.

Bud
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bongopete · Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 3:37 pm Post subject:

Crap.

Another film that it was felt no one would see if there weren't a lot kids in it. They were right, I didn't go see it because there were a lot of kid's in it.

Also, I prefer the source material, the original 60's Thunderbirds.

Pow · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:05 am Post subject:

Liked Gerry Anderson's sf tv shows. Thunderbirds being one of his best as well as most popular.

The live action movie was an enormous disappointment to we fans.

The upgrading of the Thunderbird vessels was very well done, as were various sets throughout the movie.

The producers entirely missed the point of the series by focusing upon the youngsters here & not the Thunderbird ships themselves. Wretched.

I knew there might be a problem when I read early on that the producers would not include Thunderbird creator Gerry Anderson in on this production at all.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:25 pm Post subject:

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Well, I must admit that the new CGI version that the Andersons are involved with makes the live-action movie look a lot less impressive than previously thought.

I mean, just look at these spectacular screen shots. (Click on the first one to go to All Sci-Fi's thread for his great series! Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Eadie · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 1670

Impressive for you, maybe, but not for me. The live action movie ALSO used CGI for the ships. So what's the big dif?

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 9:34 am Post subject:

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Have you seen the series, Eadie? Your question is puzzling.

The big dif is that the stories are much better than the movie, the characters are completely consistent with the original show, and the Andersons are directly involved with this terrific series, whereas they were not connected with the movie.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

bulldogtrekker · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 12:41 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately, I think the Andersons have passed away. But both of them supported a CGI series.

The series is wonderful.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 1:16 pm Post subject:

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Oops, you're right. Sylvia passed away in March of this year, and Gerry passed away in 2012. They would have loved the show. (I certainly do! Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Pow · Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:31 am Post subject:

Thunderbirds Are Go has been a darn impressive tv series.

The designs from the Thunderbirds to all the equipment used by International Rescue & the depiction of their era is sensational.

The attention to details both large & small is fantastic.

Things like replacing the sash's on the Tracy uniforms from the 60s series with a utility belt that also has a built-in comm device & glows when activated makes sense.

The utility belts had some garish colors on the original show.

Now they match the color of the particular vehicle being piloted.

Tin-tin is now Kyrano & is the security officer who pilots the stealth vehicle. About time a female was part of the team.

Sometimes the humor is too often & lame.

All & all its a production that would have made Gerry & Sylvia Anderson very proud.

Pow · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2023 10:04 pm Post subject:

Caught this film on TV just today, hadn't seen it since I first took it in at the theater when it was first released in 2004.

Again, the production values for the movie are absolutely superb! From the awesome Thunderbird vehicles & various rescue equipment, Tracy Isle, the Hood's submarine. The sets are all fantastically designed with their painstaking detail by the terrific artistic designers. Sadly, the only thing lacking was a stronger story. The film should have focused upon the entire Tracy family & their friends, not the kids. Silly and lame comedic moments were also added to the story which hurt the movie and disrespected the source material.

So from the standpoint of the sets, props, and visual effects it was all perfect & impressive. The casting was fine. The IR uniforms were just okay but nothing to write home about. However, the scripting was its downfall. Had the movie been done properly it could have spawned a wonderful franchise, which I'm sure is exactly what the producers had in mind. Sadly, even International Rescue couldn't save this film.

Jonathan Frakes is a excellent director and the action scenes are all first rate. He can also provide fine characterization when he has a superior script. He's gone on record stating that the fact that Thunderbirds bombed with critics & audiences has badly damaged his filmmaking career. And that's a shame as he is a talented director and deserves another chance.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2023 11:07 pm Post subject:

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This movie is a mixed bag of good and bad elements, and the 24 IMDB trivia items reflect this. Behold this sampling (in blue text), with pithy comments by yours truly. Very Happy

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Although he shaved over 3 million dollars off the original budget due to his fast shooting style, director Jonathan Frakes has openly admitted that the film's disastrous box office performance probably means he is unlikely to be offered a feature directing assignment again.

Note from me: Apparently he was right. Even through Frakes has directed many TV episodes since 2004, he hasn't helmed a feature film since Thunderbirds.

The five brothers were originally named after five of the "Mercury Seven" - John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Alan Shepard, Virgil Gus Grissom, and Gordon Cooper.

Note from me: This is plum cool! Kudos to the Andersons for this classy touch.

When The Hood controls Brains to activate the command controls on Tracy Island, he walks towards the desk in a jerky, puppet-like motion, even though the marionettes in the series did not walk in such a manner. The Hood states, "Like a puppet on a string" to further underline the reference.

Note from me: Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the Super-Marionation puppets walked at all. That's why they had all those motorized chairs and other clever ways to get around without walking.

All three police men who lead Transom, Mullion and the Hood away are Jonathan Frakes impersonators. The real Frakes is at the back of the shot as a policeman.

Note from me: Wow, that's something to watch the next time we watch this movie. Very Happy

Anthony Hopkins and Patrick Stewart, were both the production's choices to play The Hood, however both actors turned down the role, having never been fans of the TV series.

Note from me: Not sure how well this would have worked in either case. Ben Kingsley did a pretty good job, all things considered.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2023 3:18 pm Post subject:

WadeVC · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2024 7:40 pm Post subject:

I did not know they made a movie of The Thunderbirds, and I am going to have to add this one as well to my "To watch" list.

I am a huge fan of the TV series, and would love to find the entire series on DVD.
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"You look like a pooped out pinwheel."
-Robot Monster

Pow · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2024 11:49 pm Post subject:

The Thunderbirds film looks fantastic, WadeVC, but you'll be let down by its execution. The script puts the spotlight on the youngsters at the expense of the Thunderbird vehicles, as well as adult Tracy family members. It also has moments of camp comedy scenes which are lame.

The artistic designs for everything from the Thunderbirds to the sets are terrific looking. I only wish the screenplay had been much better. Sadly, Jonathan Frakes said the box office failure of this movie killed his film directing career. Much to his credit, Frakes did meet with Gerry Anderson to discuss the project. Something that the arrogant & ignorant producers refused to do.