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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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81 - 100 (sorted by date)
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A piece that, despite all the flying machines, seems an earthbound retread of the 'Spy Kids' movies, marked by even less magic and imagination.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
07/29/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Thunderbirds wants to be two things at once: a live-action gee-whiz kiddie flick and a nostalgic spoof of 60's England when it swung like a pendulum.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
07/29/04
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Why an actor of Kingsley's stature would sign on for this hack work is a mystery.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
07/29/04
David Hiltbrand
David Hiltbrand
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A pretty entertaining, extremely good-looking cinematic blip.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment 2 Comments
07/29/04
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

Thunderbirds is another movie that feeds the notion that Hollywood knows how to take the oddest and oldest of material and make it look spectacular -- even if the final product is as empty as a dummy's head.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
07/29/04
Bob Townsend
Bob Townsend
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dreary sci-fi adventure.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
07/28/04
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly

Thunderbirds are GO! Head for this high-flying frivolity for fun, not brain matter. For kids of all ages, it’s F-A-B.

Full Review Source: EDGE Boston | comment Comment
07/28/04
David Foucher
David Foucher
EDGE Boston

Long may 'F-A-B!' live on, even as this mild update slips into the movie-history remainder bin.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
07/28/04
Gregory Kirschling
Gregory Kirschling
Entertainment Weekly

When it focuses on the action, Thunderbirds surprisingly is an entertaining, even compelling movie.

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
07/28/04
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

Thunderbirds contains enough elements to please fans of the show while also remaining coherent to viewers who've never seen a single episode...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
07/27/04
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

It's just another entry in a seemingly endless line of Spy Kids knockoffs.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
07/27/04
Ben Kenigsberg
Ben Kenigsberg
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is another example of the idiocy that often results when Hollywood attempts to convert an animated TV show into a non-animated movie.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 1 Comment
07/27/04
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Largely a case of what could have been, rather than what was.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
07/25/04
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

Sloppy, boring, dumbed-down and heinous. By the end, you may find yourself experiencing a fantasy of finding all the copies of the picture and burning the negatives.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
07/24/04
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

It’s badly acted, poorly written and completely lacking in wit, tension, or excitement.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
07/24/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Despite some incidental pleasures, thin writing, shabby direction and heavy-handed performances make this neither one for the purists nor thrill-seeking kids.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/23/04
Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine

The puppets still leave more of a lasting impression.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/22/04
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
07/20/04
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

The Thunderbirds vehicles are impressively realised (even the tarted up, purist-bothering motor of Lady P looks grand), but this live action adaptation of Gerry Anderson's iconic creations lacks any soul.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/20/04
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC

A piece of whiz-bang children's entertainment that could appeal to the family market far and wide.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
07/20/04
Ray Bennett
Ray Bennett
Hollywood Reporter
 
 
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