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Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles, Ben Kingsley, Brady Corbet ... see more see more... , Soren Fulton , Vanessa Hudgens , Ron Cook , Philip Winchester , Lex Shrapnel , Dominic Colenso , Ben Torgeson , Bhasker Patel , Deobia Oparei , Genie Francis , Lou Hirsch , Debora Weston , Demitri Goritsas , Harvey Virdi , Nicola Walker , Mark Nelmes , Stewart Howson , Rose Keegan , Andy Smart , Alex Barringer , Kyle Herbert , Johannes Zadrozny , Julian Spencer

Directed by Jonathan Frakes and based on the '60s British television series of the same name, Thunderbirds chronicles the intergalactic exploits of the Tracy family. Set in 2010, the world looks towar... read more read more...d the mysterious Tracy Island when mere international security is not enough; the remote South Pacific island not only houses former astronaut and lifelong entrepreneur Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his five sons, but also serves as headquarters for the top-secret International Rescue organization. The unthinkable happens, however, when an insidious criminal mastermind known only as "The Hood" (Ben Kingsley) manages to get past the island's innumerable security measures and attempts to take over International Rescue. His goal: stealing the organization's five most advanced rescue vehicles, each of which was designed to accomplish a specific task, and using them for his own agenda. With Jeff and his four eldest sons deployed on a mission, there's only one person with any hope of stopping the takeover -- Jeff's youngest son, Alan (Brady Corbet), who vows to save his family and keep the Thunderbirds alive. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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44% liked it

21,118 ratings

Critics

20% liked it

100 critics

PG, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Jonathan Frakes

Release Date: July 24, 2004

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DVD Release Date: January 21, 2003

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Stats: 1,083 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,083)

  • aquateen2
    November 6, 2011
    aquateen2
    Thunderbirds could have been a good movie, all it needed was say something to do with the series or a good script without simplistic dialgoue.
  • SirPant
    February 28, 2011
    SirPant
    Yikes! I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone attempted a live version of The Thunderbirds, interesting that that someone would be Jonathan Frakes. Gerry Anderson has said many times that he originally wanted his series to be live action but with the many special e... read moreffects it involved the budget would have been huge so he decided to use puppets instead. I enjoyed all of Anderson's puppet shows when I was younger, he's got a huge cult following but what Frakes failed to realise, is that it's the puppet element that people enjoyed the most. I'm not surprised that fans were more than a little upset about this film. Firstly, the Thunderbirds aren't really in it which is a fairly unforgivable flaw (and they are all about 12 years old, what is that about?), and secondly, it's solely aimed at young kids who would be unfamiliar with the original TV series. If that wasn't enough, the main story basically involves three obnoxious kids running around shouting and 'high fiving' each other every ten minutes and a young lipstick wearing boy who has father issues. It's as awful as it sounds. That said, Bill Paxton was perfect casting considering he was portraying a wooden puppet, although the puppet in the original series was a slightly better actor.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    November 3, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    When I was a kid, I used to watch the Thunderbirds, I thought the show was excellent, fun and Thrilling. I was a little skeptical about watching this film, as it looked like a kids film, and it also looked like the film makers didn't know what they were doing. Boy was I right. Th... read mores film is Aan insult to the original series, and it's fans. They could've at least made a film that the whole family could love, but instead they made a crap film. With it's child oriented humour, the film is a faillure even by child oriented film standards. This film was amusing, but it wore off, and the fact that they 'reinvented' the look and style of the original series was just wrong. They could have at least try to make a film that the entire family could love, instead they simply made this film for kids, this was honestly a bad move. One of the reasons why is becase the original fans of the series were born in the 60's and grew up watching Thunderbirds, my dad grew up on it, and he made me watch it when I was a kid. Anyhow, the film is terrible because every actor here seems miscast for the part, the story is lame, and the actors are plainly silly. Ben Kingsly was a joke in this film, not even his talent could redeem such a horrid picture. I really was hoping for something terrific on screen. Instead we were given a total joke of a movie. The nostalgic feel of this film is absent. The only good thing that came out of this film is that it will reiinforce the status of the original series more. Watch the series instead instead of this filth. This is a film that should not have been made.
  • fb733768972
    February 6, 2010
    fb733768972
    Really? This is like comparing Spy Kids to Battlefield earth!
  • webalina
    June 29, 2009
    webalina
    Not a terrible film (not good either)...what was the point of this? The reason the Thunderbirds TV show was so cool was the puppets. This film? No puppets. The prosecution rests.
  • superclerk25
    February 27, 2009
    superclerk25
    This is a good kids movie. It was well directed as well.
    I know some out there thought it was crap but the flick was made for kids. Get over it.
  • harrycaul
    December 21, 2007
    harrycaul
    Bearing in mind I couldn't stand the original puppet series, this needed to be bloody brilliant for me to even like it a little. It wasn't; I didn't. In fairness, Sophia Myles is good as Lady Penelope, and Ron Cook and Ben Kingsley aren't bad as Parker and The Hood, respectively.... read more As for the Tracys, they're so nauseatingly sweet and goody-goody they're like the superhero equivalent of The Osmonds. Dreadful.
  • SarahG1988
    January 23, 2007
    SarahG1988
    Well I'm not sure what to say about this film, due to the lack of any quality at all. I enjoyed it, mainly because I laughed through it! One performance ,which was near enough to the character, was Anothony Edwards' performance of Brains! It was very good, Almost making me believ... read moree he was Brains.

    If you want to see it, don't go by yourself. take your children or younger brothers and sisters-they'll enjoy it more!I have to declare that the original Gerry Anderson puppet version is better and shouldn't have been made in such a poor way!

    Not bad,could have been much much better
  • kiriyamakazou
    June 4, 2006
    kiriyamakazou
    The film fails miserably. Mainly because for some reason the makers decided to aim it squarely at kids, and really young kids at that. It doesn't even focus around the main chracters of the show. It is like Spy Kids with lots of rockets. I was never a fan of the TV show but it wa... read mores much better than this and deserved a good adaptaion. There is some good to be found mainly in the performances of Anthony Edwards as Brains and Ron Cook as Parker.
  • husky10000years
    June 30, 2007
    husky10000years
    This movie is not very good. The good stuff is the redesign of the ships, costumes and locations. I thought it would be alot better as the TV series.

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Critic Reviews

Joshua Katzman
May 18, 2008
Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader

There's enough special effects razzle-dazzle to distract the average ten-year-old, but the script by William Osborne and Michael McCullers is stilted and humorless -- a little camp might have helped. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
July 21, 2005
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

A new and rather breathtakingly misconceived attempt to revisit a vintage TV show that did not under any circumstances need to be revisited. Full Review

Richard Roeper
August 2, 2004
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

This is like a C-movie version of Spy Kids. And I didn't even like Spy Kids. Full Review

Claudia Puig
July 30, 2004
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Fun at times and tedious at others, it's an action-adventure fantasy aimed particularly at gadget-loving boys. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
July 30, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Not intended for people old enough to pine for the puppets. It's for people who don't remember the first cast of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
July 30, 2004
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

A fun afternoon for preteen moviegoers that has just enough charm, humor and game- for-anything actors to keep parents halfway interested as well. Full Review

Joe Baltake
July 30, 2004
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

The people who made Thunderbirds took a unique property and made it utterly commonplace. Full Review

Jay Boyar
July 30, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Aside from possibly launching a Ben Kingsley line of cosmetics, Thunderbirds seems destined to leave no lasting mark. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
July 30, 2004
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Thunderbirds looks like something that began as a high-camp adventure for grownups and then got dumbed down for kids. Full Review

Megan Lehmann
July 30, 2004
Megan Lehmann, New York Post

A lackluster Spy Kids wannabe.

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