Alex
Aug 3rd, 2004, 05:21:48 AM
Anyone seen Thunderbirds? Some people don't like it. And it was definately a kid's film. But, aside from the absense of puppets (the acting was still a little 'wooden' though...har har ;)), I thought there were a bunch of bits better than the original:
The Traceys seemed more like a team. I liked the fact that Thunderbirds 1 and 2 required the whole team to operate. Thunderbird 3 took the whole family. Even Thunderbird 4 had two seats. In the series, it was very much "Scott flies Thunderbird 1", and "Virgil flies Thunderbird 2"...it seemed that there was far more teamwork, and much less heroism...what you'd expect from something that calls itself "International Rescue".
The new Thunderbirds are infinately better designed, from a logic point of view. You may not have noticed, but the engines on Thunderbird 1 actually shifted, like the exhaust on a Harrier Jump Jet does. That seemed a lot more logical to me. And Thunderbird 2 actually carries all 4 (we only saw 4) rescue vehicles - the Firefly, Mole, Thunderizer (and yes, that is a real Thunderbirds thing), and Thunderbird 4. It could deploy all 4 if needed...and because the whole family was there, they had the numbers to do it.
Parker was VERY English..."England won the football" "YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!" springs to mind. It had the whole cinema in histerics...England has about as much chance of winning a major tornemant right now as George Bush does of NOT saying something totally stupid. Its possible yes, but it ain't gonna happen any time soon.
The storyline was taken from actual Thunderbirds episodes, believe it or not. Its a bit of a mixture between the Gordon and Alan characters (they swapped them, because Alan is the youngest brother, and it made the most sense that way). But Alan did actually go through the whole "I get left behind" phase - they seldom used Thunderbird 3. He voulenteered for missions, but was told to stay behind. That episode ended up with Lady Penelope taking him on a date...her picking him up from school kinda mimicked that. And also, the Hood (at least, I think it was him) DID actually break onto Tracey island. And the Mole WAS used to break into the bank of England. And Alan and Tin Tin DID have a thing going on. Adding the youthful twist brought it up to date for what it is: Thunderbirds is, after all, supposed to be for kids.
Lady P was HOT!! And how many costume changes did she have? For example...when we saw her getting dressed, that was one outfit. By the time she got to Tracey island, she was in something else. When they left in Thunderbird 1, she had a pink-trimmed Thunderbirds jumpsuit on. Then, when she went in the bank, YET ANOTHER costume change. I bet Alan would have recommended a rear-view mirror as a future modification ;).
A lot of people went in there expecting the movie to add on to the Thunderbirds story. But that wasn't what it was for. It was a re-make - taking the idea of Thunderbirds, and modifying it. Thunderbirds was a TV show for kids. The movie is for kids. The thing is that these kids are a decade or so more recent...and they need new stuff. Its definately a family flick, but there were plenty of "lets keep the adults awake" bits chucked in every now and again...I noticed about 12 dad's perking up during the scene where Lady P was in the bath...shame there were so many bubbles, really. Kinda makes you jealous of Parker... And the media coverage...kids chearing the Thunderbirds while they watched...even Alan treating the Thunderbirds as if they were a video game...a very 21st Century take on it all.
For what it was, I thought it was great. And for you adults out there who are waiting for the DVD, coz you're not that interested - I recommend saving it as a movie for those days when you're ill, and you just can't be bothered. Its nice, simple, and fun, and you won't have to think that hard while you're watching it.
The Traceys seemed more like a team. I liked the fact that Thunderbirds 1 and 2 required the whole team to operate. Thunderbird 3 took the whole family. Even Thunderbird 4 had two seats. In the series, it was very much "Scott flies Thunderbird 1", and "Virgil flies Thunderbird 2"...it seemed that there was far more teamwork, and much less heroism...what you'd expect from something that calls itself "International Rescue".
The new Thunderbirds are infinately better designed, from a logic point of view. You may not have noticed, but the engines on Thunderbird 1 actually shifted, like the exhaust on a Harrier Jump Jet does. That seemed a lot more logical to me. And Thunderbird 2 actually carries all 4 (we only saw 4) rescue vehicles - the Firefly, Mole, Thunderizer (and yes, that is a real Thunderbirds thing), and Thunderbird 4. It could deploy all 4 if needed...and because the whole family was there, they had the numbers to do it.
Parker was VERY English..."England won the football" "YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!" springs to mind. It had the whole cinema in histerics...England has about as much chance of winning a major tornemant right now as George Bush does of NOT saying something totally stupid. Its possible yes, but it ain't gonna happen any time soon.
The storyline was taken from actual Thunderbirds episodes, believe it or not. Its a bit of a mixture between the Gordon and Alan characters (they swapped them, because Alan is the youngest brother, and it made the most sense that way). But Alan did actually go through the whole "I get left behind" phase - they seldom used Thunderbird 3. He voulenteered for missions, but was told to stay behind. That episode ended up with Lady Penelope taking him on a date...her picking him up from school kinda mimicked that. And also, the Hood (at least, I think it was him) DID actually break onto Tracey island. And the Mole WAS used to break into the bank of England. And Alan and Tin Tin DID have a thing going on. Adding the youthful twist brought it up to date for what it is: Thunderbirds is, after all, supposed to be for kids.
Lady P was HOT!! And how many costume changes did she have? For example...when we saw her getting dressed, that was one outfit. By the time she got to Tracey island, she was in something else. When they left in Thunderbird 1, she had a pink-trimmed Thunderbirds jumpsuit on. Then, when she went in the bank, YET ANOTHER costume change. I bet Alan would have recommended a rear-view mirror as a future modification ;).
A lot of people went in there expecting the movie to add on to the Thunderbirds story. But that wasn't what it was for. It was a re-make - taking the idea of Thunderbirds, and modifying it. Thunderbirds was a TV show for kids. The movie is for kids. The thing is that these kids are a decade or so more recent...and they need new stuff. Its definately a family flick, but there were plenty of "lets keep the adults awake" bits chucked in every now and again...I noticed about 12 dad's perking up during the scene where Lady P was in the bath...shame there were so many bubbles, really. Kinda makes you jealous of Parker... And the media coverage...kids chearing the Thunderbirds while they watched...even Alan treating the Thunderbirds as if they were a video game...a very 21st Century take on it all.
For what it was, I thought it was great. And for you adults out there who are waiting for the DVD, coz you're not that interested - I recommend saving it as a movie for those days when you're ill, and you just can't be bothered. Its nice, simple, and fun, and you won't have to think that hard while you're watching it.