F.A.B? Not quite but nearly. (Thunderbirds (DVD))

Member Name: MI9to5

Product:	Thunderbirds (DVD)
Date:	21/09/08 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A modern version of an old classic

Disadvantages: Where are the iconic outfits?

The Thunderbirds was a hit TV show in the 1960's and 1970's that through the use of puppets told the story of the Tracy family who with their weird and wonderful crafts fought to save the world.

In 2004 a film was released to tell a further Thunderbird tale. This time however real-life actors where used instead in an attempt to bring the whole idea more up-to-date and make it appeal to more people. Now for me this was the best idea but for die-hard Thunderbirds fans the puppets will always be the real Tracy brothers.

Now when watching the "Thunderbirds" film you have to be aware that it doesn't fit into the timeline of the old Thunderbirds TV episodes, as the film to begin with shows Jeff Tracy at the helm of a Thunderbird craft and then progresses to show Alan's initiation into International Rescue whereas in the TV programme Jeff was never in control of a vehicle and Alan was already a fully fledged member.

The film begins with Alan Tracy and his best friend Fermat watching another daring Thunderbirds rescue on the TV at their boarding school. It is immediately apparent that Alan feels left out as he watches with both envy and pride as his brothers John, Gordon, Virgil and Scott work alongside their father to combat everything thrown at them.

After being taken back to Tracy Island by Lady Penelope and her driver Parker, Alan once again feels left out of the action but his father makes it clear that he must finish his schooling first and that in the meanwhile he and his four eldest sons can manage. Little to Jeff's knowledge however they are all in danger as unbeknown to any of them whilst performing their last rescue mission a tracking beacon was fired and stuck on Thunderbird 1.

This is of course the work of their archenemy The Hood. Within no time a missile has been fired at Thunderbird 5, which John Tracy is currently manning. This scrambles Jeff, Virgil, Gordon and Scott leaving Tracy Island in the hands of Brains. Using his mental powers the Hood then manages to overcome Brain's resistance and takes over Tracy Island trapping the Tracy boys in the space station. The Hood is now in total control but what he hadn't counted on was Alan and Fermat who along with Tintin are still on their secret island and they certainly aren't going to let him get away with it.

The film is in my opinion a great film for the entire family. It has a decent storyline that is relatively full of humour and some fantastic graphics. Furthermore the acting within the film is more than decent. Alan, Fermat and Tintin are all played exceptionally well by the young actors and certainly need very little help from the older characters to keep the film interesting. The rest of the Tracy brothers are also very well acted and in some ways embody some of the characteristics of the puppet characters from the original series.

It is however Lady Penelope and her driver Parker who really steal the show. In the original series they were both iconic characters and so the actors playing them had a tough job to ensure they remained this way. Sophia Myles as Lady Penelope really did an outstanding job and had everything about Lady Penelope down to a tea and Ron Cook was also exceptionally as Parker and played his role with both humour and seriousness.

I will however admit that the film isn't perfect. There are many things that the filmmakers should and could have done to make the film more popular. For a start the costuming of the Tracey Brothers should have been the iconic blue suits with the coloured sashes rather than the silver jumpsuits with coloured piping. Furthermore the introduction of Brains' son could have been explained, as he is a character that simply doesn't exist in the original series.

Apart from this however I found the film rather enjoyable. It is a piece of light entertainment that blasts a classic TV Programme into action and introduces some extraordinary vehicles and brave young heroes. Ok so it isn't the best that it could possibly be but it isn't that bad either.

Summary: A great film for family viewing