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Thunderbirds

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Thunderbirds (2004)

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19 %
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Reviews Counted:99

Fresh:19

Rotten:80

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Live-action cartoon for kids.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for intense action sequences and language

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Jul 30, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $6,768,055

Synopsis: Based on the cult British television show from the 1960s, THUNDERBIRDS explodes into the 21st Century with this thrilling live-action version of the franchise. Drawing on similar themes and... Based on the cult British television show from the 1960s, THUNDERBIRDS explodes into the 21st Century with this thrilling live-action version of the franchise. Drawing on similar themes and familiar characters, director Jonathan Frakes (STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT) sticks closely to the spirit of the original show while making use of the new technology available to him 40 years after the program first aired to give the film a modern look. The International Rescue organization--a team of highly organized law enforcers--is the focal point for the movie. International Rescue is based on a remote desert island location, and is called into action whenever the world's sinister masterminds threaten to disturb the balance of society. Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) heads up the team, and employs his sons to help him out. Teenager Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) is a little too young to join, and is constantly frustrated by his lack of opportunity to join the brothers on their missions. But when the evil villain known as The Hood (Ben Kingsley) traps the International Rescue team in outer space, it seems Alan's time has come. The Hood steals one of the many spacecrafts designed by International Rescue, and executes an outlandish scheme to rob the Bank of England. Alan and his pal Fermat (Soren Fulton) attempt the double-whammy of rescuing the trapped family and stopping The Hood, by drawing on help from the sultry detective Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles), her butler Parker (Ron Cook), and a few gadgets and vehicles courtesy of International Rescue. With comic references to the original show scattered liberally throughout the movie, and a sense of fun and adventure, this is a film that should appeal to both old and new fans of these popular crime-fighting characters. [More]

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles, Brady Corbet, Soren Fulton

Director: Jonathan Frakes

Director: Jonathan Frakes
Screenwriter: William Osborne, Michael McCullers
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Mark Huffman
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Release:

Dec 21, 2004

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Reviews for Thunderbirds

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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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The premise of the TV series has been abandoned just as effectively as the Tracy boys have been marooned in space for nearly the entire story

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
08/10/04
Shane Burridge
Shane Burridge
rec.arts.movies.reviews

There’s no variation in tone during the gee-whiz cornball spectacle, causing the movie to meld together into an interminable and substandard action sequence.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
08/10/04
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Director Jonathan Frakes throws lots of bright colors and weird gadgets at the audience, but none of this hides the lack of imagination at the movie's center.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/08/04
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

Thunderbirds is just plain bad.

Full Review Source: Talking Pictures (U.S.) | comment Comment
08/07/04
Tony Toscano
Tony Toscano
Talking Pictures (U.S.)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
08/07/04
Boston Phoenix

Lays an egg...could be last movie ever based on a British TV series.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
08/06/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

What's the point of this live-action version of a puppet show? As in 'Pinocchio,' the magic disappears when the marionettes become flesh and blood.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
08/05/04
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Jet-propelled, it's not.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
08/04/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

It's something of a feat to miss two target audiences with one movie, but that may just be Thunderbirds main claim to fame.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
08/04/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The gadgets are great but the concept crashes.

Full Review Source: Modamag.com | comment Comment
08/04/04
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
Modamag.com

It’s a light, zippy adventure yarn, and I bought it. I know I probably shouldn’t have, but I bought it.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/04/04
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Kids at the screening I attended loved the film and adults found it quite interesting. It reminded me of the "Spy Kids" movies.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
08/03/04
Vince Koehler
Vince Koehler
Entertainment Spectrum

This is like a C-movie version of Spy Kids. And I didn’t even like Spy Kids.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
08/02/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio and this paper-thin adventure prove, trying to breathe life into beloved puppet figures can be deadly.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
08/02/04
Addie Morfoot
Addie Morfoot
FilmStew.com

Thunderbirds is one of the more mediocre kids movies out this summer, which means kids might enjoy it if there’s nothing better to do.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
08/01/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Silly, yes, and with a creaky script to boot.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/01/04
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

If the actors don’t appear interested, then an adult audience can’t be expected to follow suit.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/30/04
Pete Croatto
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com

Fun at times and tedious at others, it's an action-adventure fantasy aimed particularly at gadget-loving boys.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
07/30/04
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

The movie has been dumbed down and larded with transparent messages about teamwork, loyalty and doing the right thing until only the least-sophisticated children will be able to tolerate its inanities.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/04
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Not intended for people old enough to pine for the puppets. It's for people who don't remember the first cast of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
07/30/04
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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