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
Thunderbirds (2004)
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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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Reviews for Thunderbirds
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.
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.
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.
It's something of a feat to miss two target audiences with one movie, but that may just be Thunderbirds main claim to fame.
It’s a light, zippy adventure yarn, and I bought it. I know I probably shouldn’t have, but I bought it.
Kids at the screening I attended loved the film and adults found it quite interesting. It reminded me of the "Spy Kids" movies.
This is like a C-movie version of Spy Kids. And I didn’t even like Spy Kids.
As Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio and this paper-thin adventure prove, trying to breathe life into beloved puppet figures can be deadly.
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.
If the actors don’t appear interested, then an adult audience can’t be expected to follow suit.
Fun at times and tedious at others, it's an action-adventure fantasy aimed particularly at gadget-loving boys.
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.
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.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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|---|---|
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