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Thunderbirds
are Go
(1966) |
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The Thunderbirds "Supermarionation" series didn't make as many waves in the US as it did in Britain and Japan where it proved enormously popular and developed a hardcore cult following. The series, developed by Gerry and Sylvia Andersen is a quirky product of the 60's - a puppet show, shot as a film.
Their popularity can be gauged by the fact that two feature length spin-offs were produced for theatrical release and now, more than thirty years later, the Thunderbirds series has been issued amidst great fanfare as a fabulous boxed set of DVD's and a wave of Thunderbirds nostalgia has slowly been creeping up on an unwary Britain. Suddenly shops like Forbidden Planet are stacked with Thunderbirds memento's and there has even been talk of a Hollywood remake with Uma Thurman rumoured to be pencilled in for the to-die-for role of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, quite possibly the most sought after woman on the planet and the role model for an entire generation.
Just in case you weren't aware, Thunderbirds, set in the future (2065), is about an incredibly wealthy and resourceful family, the Tracy's, who have built up a magnificent fleet of spaceships and crafts that are the envy of the entire world. The Tracy's have established an organization called International Rescue which basically involves them eavesdropping in on airwaves all over the planet and outer-space and springing into action whenever there is an SOS. International Rescue will be found hurtling through space in order to rescue some little girls pet kitten that may have been accidentally launched to Mars - such is their devotion to their cause. When all else fails, in a hairy situation one can still almost certainly rely on International Rescue to save the day. The team is led by Multi billionaire philanthropist and ex history making astronaut Jeff Tracy. He is ably assisted by his team of sons, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John. Brains is a young genius who is very much a part of the team yet is not a son, though he might as well be. The team is backed up by faithful aide Kyrano and his charming daughter Tin-Tin who is sure to one day marry one of the Tracy boys. The European end of this operation is handled with super efficiency by the aristocratic Lady Penelope, a ravishing ice-cool blonde beauty who resides in her mansion on the Creighton-Ward estate just outside London and has rejected the frivolous lifestyle of high society to devote herself to the service. She in turn is ever reliant on her faithful and humble butler Parker who is a man of many talents and once used to be a safe-cracker of the highest repute.
The movie begins with the high tech multinational Zero-X about to launch their mega-billion dollar space ship to Mars with a crew of five. The take off goes smoothly but just as the craft is about to leave earths atmosphere, something goes terribly wrong. A latex mask wearing, foreign accented nasty is concealed in the space craft about to tamper with some wires when he slips and gets caught up in the mechanism causing a jamming up of the system. The mission has to be aborted and when Zero-X are finally prepared for a re-launch it is decided that International Rescue be asked to provide security cover in case of another dastardly sabotage attempt. Jeff Tracy assigns each of his sons a role to play but the crucial assignment of making sure there isn't another sabotage attempt is entrusted to Lady Penelope. She spots signs of trouble and makes sure that a repeat sabotage doesn't occur when Parker chases down the would be assassin and Lady P, in her cool and calculating manner, does the rest….("I don't think there's much point in looking for survivors, Parker"). Virgil and Scott, having completed their missions hook up with Lady Penelope for a night on the town, while Alan sulks at home with nothing to do. He goes to bed and slips into a surreal dream where he and Lady P are on a hot date among the stars of the galaxy and superstar Cliff Richard makes an appearance but it ends with a rude bump as he falls off his bed.
When the crew reach Mars, things are quiet…..unnaturally quiet for a while before the snake-like rock formations on the planet unleash all hell, making it very plain that invaders are not welcome. The crew manage to escape but only for things to go horribly wrong upon re-entry to earth. With every second counting, the International Rescue team has to roar back into action, but is it too late this time around? Your guess is as good as mine! It's standard Thunderbirds fare; nifty sequences involving cool looking sci-fi age toys and gadgets, loads of explosions, thrills, spills and chills along the way. The best bits however are when the stylish Lady Penelope is on screen, as she exudes an unparalleled screen presence and charm, wit and intelligence. I doubt this feature length movie will win many new converts, but for those who are already addicted to the kooky brilliance of Gerry Anderson, it totally hits the spot. Pity though that The Hood didn't make an appearance.
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