Thunderbirds Are Go - The Movie

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO – THE MOVIE [1996] [Blu-ray] Their First BIG Screen Adventure in COLOUR! Breathtaking Entertainment! Brilliant! Decades Ahead of it’s Time! THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO! Blast off into more action and more adventure with the first ever feature-length film starring the International Rescue team! Millionaire ex-astronaut, Jeff Tracy, his five stalwart sons, Brains, the inventor of the Thunderbird crafts and the fabulous secret agent Lady Penelope launch into action in this “SUPERMARIONATION” classic from the mind of the iconic visionary Gerry Anderson! This enduring cult classic is presented on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK. When the mighty spaceship ZERO-X is sabotaged on its first mission to Mars, International Rescue is summoned to provide security for the second launch attempt. But after the spaceship reaches its destination, it is attacked by Martians life forms! Once again the brave and resourceful International Rescue team is called into action. Can the team help the damaged spaceship re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere and prevent a catastrophic crash-landing without devastating consequences! Voice Cast: Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, Alexander Davion, Peter Dyneley, Christine Finn, David Graham, Paul Maxwell, Neil McCallum, Bob Monkhouse, Shane Rimmer, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Jeremy Wilkin, Matt Zimmerman, Cliff Richard (Himself) (uncredited) and The Shadows (Themselves) (uncredited) Director: David Lane Producers: Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Gerry Anderson (uncredited) Screenplay: Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson Composer: Barry Gray Cinematography: Paddy Seale Video Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor] Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 [Techniscope] Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo and 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio [Original Mono] Subtitles: English Running Time: 93 minutes Region: Region B/2 Number of discs: 1 Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Gerry Anderson is a cult figure to many people who grew up in the 1960s and the 1970s. Gerry Anderson was responsible for awesome puppet shows such as ‘Torchy the Battery Boy’ [1957], ‘The Adventures of Twizzle’ [1958], ‘Four Feather Falls’ [1960], ‘Supercar’ [1961-2], ‘Fireball XL5’ [1961-2], ‘Stingray’ [1963-4], ‘Thunderbirds’ [1964-6], ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’ [1967], ‘Joe 90’ [1968] and ‘The Secret Service’ [1969]. The appeal of Gerry Anderson shows was the combination of puppets, highly detailed models and, of course, the techno-fantasy element and the fascination with machinery moving into action and being blown up, the endless countdowns and doubletalk such as “F.A.B.” and “Spectrum is Green” and so on. ‘Thunderbirds’ emerged in a big-budget, live-action big screen remake. Thunderbirds are one of a host of TV series from the 1960s and 1970s that were variously resurrected in the 1990s-2000s, either being remade, which is too big to mention. Certainly, the idea of a live-action Gerry Anderson production is an immensely exciting one. Personally, I would love to see a big-screen production made out of Gerry Anderson’s best puppet series ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’ [1967]. ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ was the first of the two feature films that the Andersons spun off during the height of Thunderbirds mania. This was something the second film, ‘Thunderbird 6’ [1968], succeeded in transcending much more successfully and the sequel was much better sustained dramatically, but here the suspense is piecemeal and the central narrative irregular. The Thunderbirds team are a sort of sub plot in the ZERO-X story and the story goes into other territories that have to introduce into the film with regulars like The Hood and Lady Penelope. The Hood is not much of a threat and it is never particularly clear why he is trying to sabotage the ZERO-X spacecraft, while there has been included a contrived car chase sequence in the middle for the sole purpose of introducing Lady Penelope, Parker and the FAB 1 pink Rolls-Royce. The main stars of the film are of course the wonderful Anderson puppet models and the introduction of the Tracy Brothers over the opening credits is each preceded by the models they fly, for instance. The ZERO-X scenes reveal what the Andersons did the best by making amazing models and eventually blowing them up with so much panache. The opening scene with the unveiling of the ZERO-X, with all of its elaborately detailed modular parts joining together and dwarfing the other tiny models on the airfield, is fabulous and is one part where the film takes maximum advantage of the big screen. Plus there were other dramatic effects that made you gasp and that was seeing the FAB 1 Pink Rolls taking to sea and floating, and the wire model of Alan swinging away from the ZERO-X spacecraft near the end of the climax of the film, that makes you take a sharp intake of breath. The film never takes itself too seriously. The end credits are shown against The Royal Marines Marching Band doing a rendition of the Thunderbirds theme and then moving in formation to spell “The End.” The credits also thank the controllers of the film’s fictional Glenn Field for co-operation, note that “Martian sequences filmed by Century 21 Space Location Unit” and point out that “none of the characters appearing in this photoplay incidentally resemble any persons living or dead ... since they do not yet exist.” There is also a puppet dream sequence that offers a bizarre mix of adolescent romanticism and Space Age dream where Gordon cavorts through space with Lady Penelope and ends up hanging from a crescent Moon before, no doubt symbolically, falling to Earth; also included are puppet versions of Cliff Richard and the Shadows, singing a number while hopping about on giant space-faring guitars. Admittedly, ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ has sadly some slight faults; the most major problem being the pacing of the story line, but this is not detrimental, because today’s audience would moan it takes an eternity to launch ANYTHING in this film, whether it's the rockets or the hydrofoil, but that is all part of the charm of this 1996 film and I will not have anything bad said about it, as people today want it all to be “wham bam thank you mam” and it makes you appreciate all the professional effort the Andersons put into this particular film and beats hand down anything the Americans brought out at the same time, but the puppets had to have an American accent, because it was mainly aimed at the American market, but at least Lady Penelope, her chauffeur Parker, and Tin-Tin, have British accents to make the film so distinctively British in every other respect. Yes, even puppets observe teatime in ‘Thunderbirds Are Go.’ But enough of this grousing, ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ deserves to be seen for what it is, a pop culture phenomenon novelty of its time and also totally fascinating and endearing as a favourite toys from one's childhood. Even today, the Thunderbirds cult continues to grow and includes such celebrity fans as Mick Jagger and especially Michael Jackson before he sadly passed away. After ‘Thunderbirds Are Go,’ Gerry and Sylvia Anderson created a sequel, ‘Thunderbird 6’ [1968], which marked the end of the Thunderbirds franchise, but they continued to work in the sci-fi genre, producing the film ‘Journey to the Far Side of the Sun’ [1969] and TV series like ‘UFO’ [1970] and ‘Space: 1999’ [1975]. Released at the height of the James Bond craze, ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ certainly attempted to cash in on the popularity of the 007 franchise with its emphasis on espionage, saboteurs, and special effects. The creators even admitted that the Scott Tracy puppet was modelled on Sean Connery. But something was lost in the transition from television to movie screen and the Andersons' lavish marionette epic failed to click with its intended audience. A pity since no expense was spared in bringing Thunderbirds to the big screen in the awesome “SUPERMARIONATION” process. Want to know where all the money went, well of course it was well spent on the wardrobe and spectacular sets. Lady Penelope's wide array of furs and boas alone must have cost a fortune, not to mention her pink FAB 1 Rolls-Royce with its arsenal of weapons and communication devices. Undoubtedly, the real jaw dropper is the “Swinging Star” nightclub set which is featured in a puppet dream sequence. Yes, you read that correctly. Here is where you'll see marionette caricatures of Cliff Richard and the Shadows performing "Shooting Star" while cavorting on a giant oversized guitar in outer space. Obviously, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were light years ahead of their peers in their philosophy about on-camera talent. Who needs big-budget stars, greedy agents, and temperamental egos on the set when you can have a cast of well-behaved puppets? The stars of ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ were relatively low maintenance (sure, they might need some paint touch-ups or a new head after a gruelling day under the hot studio lights), required no meals, breaks, or bathroom facilities, and never embarrassed themselves by ending up on the front page of The National Enquirer. And when critics wrote that the cast of Thunderbirds Are Go gave "wooden" performances, they were just stating the obvious. Yes, sir, no cheap plastic parts for these superstars! Actually, all the marionettes were composed of interchangeable parts made out of urethane foam and fibreglass, that is why the film is still a massive cult hit and now preserved for all to see on this awesome big bold Blu-ray disc. Blu-ray Video Quality – ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ is presented in the theatrical 2.35:1 [Techniscope] aspect ratio, plus a brilliant 1080p image resolution to great effect. Sharpness is excellent revealing much detail in the formation of the puppets, and colours are generally strong throughout without it ever becoming unmanageable and the first film seems to have a little stronger colour than the second film. Contrast is perfectly consistent and there are occasional dust specks in the film and small scratches and one glaring bit of damage during ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ but not detrimental with your viewing enjoyment. Blu-ray Audio Quality – The Blu-ray disc offers you a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio [Original Mono] mixes. Though the mono sound mix is likely the one theatregoers would have heard with the cinema release at the time, the re-purposed surround mixes offer better than average fidelity and some surround activity in the rears now and again, though the front soundstage is by far the more prevalent in the design. Dialogue is always clear and concise and has been placed in the centre channel. The delightful music, particularly in Thunderbird 6, gets a nice spread through the soundstage. There’s decent bass in the mix, too, for some added impact. Luckily there is no age-related artefacts crop up at all. Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Audio Commentary: Commentary with Producer Sylvia Anderson and Director David Lane: With the start of this commentary we get to hear Sylvia Anderson talking about the M-G-M trade mark beginning of films and we are also informed that she was the voice of Lady Penelope and helped to produce and create the two Thunderbirds films. Then in comes David Lane, who produced the two Thunderbirds films, and talks about what a total joy it was to make the films. David also comments on the rousing music and how iconic it is, especially whenever the TV series came on the television, and both of them praise Barry Gray the composer, which he recorded in the Denham Studios. David makes a detail comment about the scenes with the ZERO-X spacecraft and says if it was shot today it would all big quick images, whereas the film at the time was more methodical in its approach to filming. We find out that Gerry Anderson made everyone who built the models, to go down to where they were building the aircraft “Concorde” and view the flight deck and what you see in the film is a replication of “Concorde” and its flight deck. We also find out that all the Tracey puppet brothers were named after famous American astronauts at the height of space exploration. Another fascinating fact we find out, is that Stanley Kubrick was a massive film of Thunderbirds and wanted the model makers to work on his ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ but the Andersons turned him down. Sylvia Anderson tells us that the “Dream Sequence” was a her favourite part of the film, and especially having Cliff Richard and The Shadows in the film as well, especially the Andersons had a holiday home in Portugal, which was next door to Cliff Richard’s home and that is how they became good friends for the film, and especially writing the song “Shooting Star” for the film. When Cliff Richard and The Shadows visited the film set, they totally fell in love with their puppets. They both praise Derek Meddings interpretation of the Martian landscape, as well praising Barry Gray’s subtle background music for when you view the Martian landscape. When the ZERO-X crash lands and explodes, all the houses were modelled on houses in Portugal. As we head towards the end of the film, where the outside filming was done with The Band of H.M. Royal Marines, David informs us that it was filmed in an army barracks in Kent and David had to get up at 4:00am to drive down to the barracks and had had to shoot the whole thing in a morning and on top of all that, they had to hire a big crane to get the high shots and right at the very end Sylvia Anderson puts on a Lady Penelope “posh” accent and says, “David that was F.A.B.” And so that ends a really fascinating audio commentary and was well worth listening to, so happy viewing folks! Special Feature: Isolated Score Track [2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo] Special Feature: Gerry Anderson's Countdown to Thunderbirds [2015] [1080p] [1.85:1] [14:08] With this particular special feature, it is broken up into five separate section and the first one has Gerry Anderson [Producer] talking to a hidden presenter. He first tells us that every time he is greeted by people, they always ask him how he came to make “SUPERMARIONATION” pictures, well it all came about by splitting the word up in three words, which were “SUPER,” “MARIONETTE” and “ANIMATION” and Gerry Anderson says that it was just that simple. Next up Gerry Anderson tells us that he started his career in the film industry as a sound editor. Then with a few friends started up his own Production Company, and there were originally only five people altogether, and for ages they just had to sit around and wait for something to happen and work to come in. Then one day if by magic, a young lady turned up at their office, and informed them that she had 52 scripts, each lasting 15 minutes long for a Television Series and mainly aimed at children and was to have puppets in them, and that turned out to ‘The Adventures of Twizzle’ [1958], and Gerry Anderson says that he was totally ashamed of what they had produced. The next project was ‘Torchy the Battery Boy’ [1957], and was a massive successful TV series and got front page publicity in the TV Times. One thing Gerry Anderson hated with these early puppets, is how the head worked, especially with the head jerking back when they spoke, and felt it was not a very professional way of doing the puppets, and eventually they had an electronic device fitted in the head, which made the mouth work in a much more professional way of working the puppets. Gerry was not happy with the wire being visible and a Company he was dealing with was able to produce black wiring that would not be visible on the TV screen. Eventually Gerry met up with Lew Grade, who was the Chairman of Associated Television and Gerry informs us that he was finally summoned into Lew Grades office. With Reg Hill, who was the business partner of Gerry Anderson, had a script for ‘Supercar’ [1961-2], and showed it to Lew Grade who wanted to know how much it was going to cost, and Gerry said £3,000 and Lew Grade shouted at him in saying, “that is absolutely ridiculous, and I cannot pay that sort of money,” so Gerry went home and stayed up all night trying to figure out what can be trimmed from the cost, but eventually next morning went back to Lew Grade’s office and informed him that he could make the TV series for one third the cost and Lew Grade agreed to the deal and Gerry Anderson made 26 episodes of ‘Supercar’ and was huge success. After ‘Supercar,’ Gerry Anderson hit on an idea for a TV series about a secret organisation called “International Rescue” after seeing a news broadcast on his television screen about some trapped miners in Germany, well after some persuasion Lew Grade backed his idea, especially explaining what the different vehicles did, in the meantime Gerry sent a brief to Derek Meddings, who got set to start making the Thunderbirds models. So when everything was ready, they went into producing 30 minutes episodes in duration. Eventually when the first episode was ready, Gerry took it to Lew Grade’s private viewing theatre, but when it was finished being projected, Lew Grade turned to Gerry and shouted at him saying, “this is not a Television show” and after a long pause said, “Gerry, this is a feature film,” and Gerry was totally vindicated in his pursuit in producing something totally unique and special. Gerry Anderson talks about the character “Parker” and how he came about and Gerry use to go to this lovely pub regular called “The King’s Arms” which was next to the River Thames, for lunch, and they had this wonderful wine waiter who was a cockney with a “posh” voice and was always dropping his “H’s” and they decided that this was the voice they wanted, so Gerry sent David Graham [Voice Artist] regular on the Companies expenses to mimic the wine waiters voice to a “T,” but over time they wondered if they should inform Arthur the wine waiter about using his voice for the character “Parker,” but they never did and when Arthur eventually passed away, he never knew about this situation. And this brings us to the end of this very informative and interesting special feature. Special Feature: Entertainment is Go [The Making of Thunderbirds] [2014] [1080p] [1.85:1] [22:28] This is basically a follow up to the previous special feature. But starts off with images from the Premiere of ‘Thunderbirds Are GO – The Movie’ and Gerry Anderson [Producer] talks about all the ice sculptures of the Thunderbirds vehicles in the foyer of the cinema. And once again we have Gerry Anderson in the studio informing us about the film in general and whether it would make any money. Next up we have Jamie Anderson [Gerry Anderson’s Son] talking about the Company and what it produced. But again it is back to Gerry Anderson [Producer] and also with Jamie Anderson, who again talked about the Company and how it would progress with all the merchandise when the film was released. They both talk about ‘Stingray’ [1963-4] which was the first TV series filmed in colour. But then they wanted to up their game, and that is when the TV series of ‘Thunderbirds’ [1964-6] came into its own, which of course was a massive hit with the British audiences, but unknown to the audiences, it was the most costly TV series ever and it showed. Despite working in a run-down part of London in a place called Slough, where they worked all hours they could cram into 24 hours, but despite this, Gerry Anderson tells us that they had a wonderful staff, that worked as a team and they eventually had a staff of 100 people, and because they were a professional unit, they were allowed to have a free hand in what they produced, without any interference, especially from Lew Grade. But of course Lew Grade wanted to break into the American TV market, and that is why most of the puppets had an American accent, but of course Lady Penelope especially, had to have a “posh” English accent and her butler Parker had to have a cockney accent, and of course became a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite making 9 episodes of 30 minutes, Lew Grade wanted them turned into 60 minute episodes, so they had to go back and reshoot extra footage, but because they were on a Commercial TV Channel, each episode was really only 45 minutes in length. But when the film ‘Thunderbirds Are GO – The Movie’ was not a massive success, because people said why should I watch the film, when I can view Thunderbirds on the television, but of course over time when the film first came out on a VHS Tape and then eventually onto the DVD format, it became a massive cult hit. But when ‘Thunderbirds 6’ film came out, was sadly also not a big hit, but of this this film has also now became a massive cult film success. With this special feature we get to view lots of behind-the-scene images and also we get lots of clips from the two films. Which brings us to the end of this very enjoyable special feature. Special Feature: Cliff Richard and The Shadows [Unseen Test Footage] [1996] [480i] [4:3] [17:00] The footage you get to view, is of Cliff Richard and The Shadows that was recovered in 2013. It is presented for the first time in having been forgotten for nearly about half a century. No documentation survives to indicate why the footage was recorded. However, it seems likely that this film was used as reference material for the puppeteers to choreography the “Shooting Star” sequence. The footage was recorded in 1966 and was directed by Gerry Anderson [whose voice can be heard throughout]. The actual film is in black-and-white and some of it is a bit rough. What you get at the start of the full video that was shot in a studio, and then over time each individual person is filmed separately, meaning the three guitarist and the drummer and you hear Cliff Richard singing in the background each time the individual person is filmed. But near the end we have the three guitarists in front of the camera doing a short instrumental tune that is used in the film. So ends a really fascinating rare film footage and I am so glad it was included in with all this special features. Special Feature: Cliff Richard and The Shadows: Shooting Star [1996] [480i] [4:3] [2:48] Here we get to see the full video, with all the edits inserted, that you viewed in the previous black-and-white special feature. People have wondered what this video was for precisely, but I personally feel this was probably used as a promotional video for the ‘Thunderbirds Are GO – The Movie.’ I also feel this was probably used for the actual soundtrack for the film sequence at the “Shooting Star” nightclub scene, especially with all the proper editing, as shown in the video. Special Feature: Thunderbirds Are GO: History and Appeal [2004] [480i] [4:3] [10:24] This is the start of several short M-G-M Home Entertainment presentations. First up we have Sylvia Anderson [Producer] talks about the legendary Lew Grade, who later became Lord Grade, and talks about what an entrepreneur business person he was, especially being looked upon as the old style salesman. Next up is Richard Hollis [Film Historian] and talks about how Gerry Anderson got the idea for Thunderbirds. Also the Tracey Family was modelled after the family in American TV series ‘Bonanza.’ So successful was the TV series of ‘Thunderbirds,’ that at one time it was being broadcast in 60 countries. Sylvia Anderson also tells us that Lew Grade started to pressurise then to make ‘Thunderbirds’ films and eventually Lew Grade introduced the to an Executive, who gave then the green light to make a Thunderbirds film., which really energised them all to make the films. Next up we have David Lane [Director] who directed 6 of the ‘Thunderbirds’ TV series, but of course eventually came on board and did the two ‘Thunderbirds’ films, and he tells us that he had a brilliant time making the two films. But most of the people in this M-G-M special, says the two films catered for all age groups, as each age group sees something different in either the film or the TV series, which all in all id really family entertainment. So ends another fascinating M-G-M Home Entertainment presentation. Special Feature: Thunderbirds Are GO: Factory of Dolls and Rockets [2004] [480i] [4:3] [8:40] This is the second extra special M-G-M Home Entertainment presentation and once again we have Sylvia Anderson [Producer] talking about one time when they were young filmmakers, who wanted to make big movies and it was only by accident that they ended up doing what they did best. Next up we have Mary Turner [Puppet Coordinator] who talks about that is was all very experimental and were basically making it up as they went along, but they were also very keen on what they produced. . We here again how the word “SUPERMARIONATION” came about, which Richard Hollis [Film Historian] also elaborates on. The people who worked the puppets, at first could not see what they were doing, but a small monitor was invented, which is still used today, was fitted on the gantry where the puppeteer worked and a big problem was solved, despite at the time was very complicated, but it worked. The only difficulty we find out is that the puppets could not walk through any door entrance, which you can observe when you watch the Blu-ray. So here again end another short special for your enjoyment. Special Feature: Thunderbirds Are GO: Epics in Miniature [2004] [480i] [4:3] [7:48] With this M-G-M Home Entertainment presentation special, we get to see Richard Hollis [Film Historian] talking about how ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ were filmed in Techniscope, which was the ideal aspect ratio format for filming ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ and how everything has to be big and very explosive. They originally wanted to film it is CinemaScope aspect ratio format, but because of technical problems, had to in the end use Techniscope aspect ratio format. Sylvia Anderson [Producer] praised all the people behind-the-scenes and of course says that is why ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ was a big success in their eyes, especially with the amazing special effects, and also praises Derek Medding [Visual Effects Director] in saying that he was a genius and would have been lost without him and would of not made ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ look spectacular on the screen, especially with all the amazing big explosions, which were filmed at 125 frames per second, which is why the explosions look so spectacular, but they had to use excessive lighting and to be in the actual room where it was filmed was so totally uncomfortable, to the point if you was in there long enough, you would of fainted. What also made ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ exciting is the brilliant music, which was composed by Barry Gray, who not only composed the music, but also did the arranging, which is why it made the music of the film ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ so distinguished, because they used a 70 piece orchestra, which gave it the big fat sound. So ends another interesting M-G-M Home Entertainment presentation. Special Feature: Photo Gallery [2004] [480i] [4:3] [3:22] Here we get to view lots of colour and black-and-white images from the film ‘Thunderbirds Are GO’ and also lots of close ups of the puppets, as well as behind-the-scenes images. But as you view these images, you get some jolly music in the background as a bonus. Special Feature: Come With Me to the Rushes [2004] [480i] [4:3] [00:28] This is part of the M-G-M Home Entertainment presentation, but without that introduction. Once again we get Sylvia Anderson [Producer] talking about a work colleague Arthur Crips [Property Master] who was speaking to him one day and told him he was to accompany Sylvia to see the “rushes,” but Arthur looked at her suspiciously and says to Sylvia, “no I do not,” but unfortunately he took her statement the wrong way, because Arthur was thinking it was a something sexual and of course Sylvia Anderson thought this was totally hilarious, and so ends a very short feature. Special Feature: What Does F.A.B Mean? [2004] [480i] [4:3] [00:30] This is another part of the M-G-M Home Entertainment presentation, but without that introduction, like the previous short above. Here Sylvia Anderson [Producer] gives a very simple answer as to how F.A.B. was created, that people always asks her. Well in the 1960s and especially in the Swinging Sixties period, the buzz word was either FAB or FABULOUS and thought putting full stops between each capital letter would be perfect and of the times, and there ends another very short special. Theatrical Trailer [1996] [480i] [1.85:1] [1:25] This is the original USA Trailer. The quality is absolutely atrocious and typically over the top for the American public. Theatrical Trailer [1996] [480i] [1.85:1] [1:25] This is the original UK Trailer. The quality is so much more superior and presented in a much more professional way. BONUS: You have a special beautiful designed colourful 16 page booklet that has lots of interesting information on the ‘Thunderbirds Are Go!’ film, and also lots of very interesting Behind-the-Scene information, plus loads of beautiful colour photos. Finally, ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ is without a doubt the grandest and loftiest production they had yet mounted. Special effects director Derek Meddings (whose feature film work included several James Bond films, the first three Superman films, and Tim Burton’s first Batman) created some of the most impressive and rather epic-looking models he’d ever made, especially being viewed in the brilliant and awesome Technicolor and Techniscope. If you like this kind of puppet-based action, and who doesn’t, then this Blu-ray is for you and it is worth it to see the retrospective documentary featuring interviews with the late great Gerry Anderson. Well worth a look. Highly Recommended! Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Fan Le Cinema Paradiso WARE, United Kingdom

The Blu-ray disc version of this film has greatly improved sound and picture quality over the standard DVD disc version.

Great nostalgia

I first saw this film as a Channel 5 afternoon movie when I was a boy, by which time I was pretty familiar with THUNDERBIRDS the TV series. Never has a film of such scope been made primarily using puppets and models, and THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO, the first THUNDERBIRDS feature film will provide the whole family with a night of pleasure. Musically, it features the theme played by the Band of Royal Marines and a guest appearance by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. For this Blu-ray edition, some bonus material is also in order, including a history of the series and the film.

Great value and quality thank you

Thunderbirds on the big screen was always going to be both a challenge and look vastly different to the TV series, and it certainly shows in this the first of the two films. Right from the start it looks altogether superior with the long lingering scenes of the superb Zero-X craft being assembled at the airfield, plus the bigger budget allocated to the production means that more emphasis is given over to the model effects sequences which as ever look excellent. Away from the main story is a somewhat rather camp dream scene in which Alan Tracy dreams that he and Lady Penelope are at the Swinging Star nightclub and watching a performance by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and to this day I still wonder how the guys feel about being immortalised in puppet form by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson! It has no real relevance to the story in any way but it's a nice diversion nonetheless. Once we get back to the main plot and the film hurtles towards its destructive conclusion, the excitement level rises slightly and so does the tension as the doomed second Zero-X craft plummets to its inevitable fiery doom, but not before International Rescue save the crew in a dramatic last-minute act of heroism as they race against time to avert a disaster. The eventual trail of destruction that follows as the ship crashes through the town of Craigsville is typical of the genius that was the late, great Derek Meddings - his superb visual effects work being a particular highlight of every Anderson production. I found that as I watched the film from start to finish it occurred to me that maybe overall it is perhaps a little more tightly and tensely plotted than many of the TV episodes, especially from the scenes set on Mars onwards. And veteran composer Barry Gray produces another memorable and stirring music score, which carries the whole thing along quite nicely indeed. Despite all the effort that went into making the film it ended up becoming a box-office flop, which is a little hard to understand given just how popular Thunderbirds was at the time. But it's good fun no matter how young or old you may be, as well as being escapist fantasy. That plus it was brought to the screen by a man who knew a thing or two about creating shows that will live long in the memory for many years to come.

Brought as a gift for a Thunderbird fan fast delivery & given excellent feed back

Most know Thunderbirds on the small screen well this is their trip to the big screen, big screen disaster requires a big screen international rescue mission.,