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Rating: 
Summary: Not MY "best of"...!! ;)
Review: I'm a member of Fanderson (the Gerry Anderson appreciation society!) and voted in the poll to see what episodes would be included in this set. Of my selection, only SUNPROBE made it onto this disc but that's okay - You'd be pretty hard pressed to find a "bad" THUNDERBIRDS episode anyway! This is a wonderful series with a very positive philosophy - Set in 2065(ish), there are no wars and the nations of the world are at peace. Sure, we occasionally get a mysterious "foreign power" to play against Internation Rescue, but even then the moral centre is still present: Human life is PARAMOUNT to International Rescue; No matter how much damage to property is done or how much money it costs, as long as one single life is saved then it has been worth it.
TRAPPED IN THE SKY is the first episode of the series and showcases the first rescue mission for the Thunderbirds. The scenes with the FIREFLASH passenger jet attempting to land on International Rescue's mobile platforms, accompanied by Barry Gray's magnificent music, will endure for a long time after seeing it.
Another highlight of the disc is SUN PROBE: It's one of my favourite episodes of the series, featuring a rare space rescue in THUNDERBIRD 3 but managing to show the popular THUNDERBIRD 2 in a good role too.
So this is a great way to sample THUNDERBIRDS if you can't afford the full set, but I think you are missing out on far better instalments if this remains your only exposure to the series (END OF THE ROAD, EDGE OF IMPACT, CRY WOLF and THE IMPOSTERS are amongst my favourites!)
Rating:
Summary: Bet it's still better than the 2004 Movie!
Review: If you don't already have the A&E megaset, this is a fine introduction to the world of GERRY ANDERSON's THUNDERBIRDS.This the real deal & real fun! Marvelous minatures, some of the best explosions and pyrotechnics, and special effects by DEREK MEDDINGS (James Bond, Batman). Forgo the FRAKES film ( it can never be as good!) and pick this up instead.... you' ll love it, and so will your kids...
Rating:
Summary: Bet it's still better than the 2004 Movie!
Review: If you don't already have the A&E megaset, this is a fine introduction to the world of GERRY ANDERSON's THUNDERBIRDS. This the real deal & real fun! Marvelous minatures, some of the best explosions and pyrotechnics, and special effects by DEREK MEDDINGS (James Bond, Batman). Forgo the FRAKES film ( it can never be as good!) and pick this up instead.... you' ll love it, and so will your kids...
Rating:
Summary: Unusual concept well done
Review: This is the action-adventure series of marionettes (not puppets) based on the "Bonanza" family tree structure (father with many sons), and everyone is named after an American astronaut (Alan, Scott, Glenn, etc.) I remember watching this as a kid, so I had a bit of interest whenever I passed by (and passed on) the expensive DVD's available for the series. I'm not going to invest $130 in the whole series, but this "best of" sampler is well worth the money.
Viewing it now as an adult, I can really appreciate the attention to detail, and professionalism that was put into the production. In today's dollars, each episode would cost about $500,000 to make.
Some of it is cool, but totally impossible or unlikely, such as launching your huge rocket through the center of your house (after sliding the swimming pool out of the way first). A few things are really over technologized, such as the way the sofa in the office descends on a pneumatic post and carries the occupants about 100 yards to the rocket, then lifts them into place, or the ramp that you slide down, right into the command chair. You'd think the Tracy's would save a few bucks and just walk over and get in.
The stories themselves are rather thin, but the suspense of the rescue and the technological gismos is the fun part.
There are six "regular" episodes, plus one episode that has on-screen text trivia that points out, for example, the toothpaste cap used as the gearshift knob in a vehicle. There is also some sparse background info on Gerry Anderson and the series.
This DVD is "F-A-B".
Rating:
Summary: This is the one to get - suitable for kids of all ages!
Review: This version contains six of the best TV episodes of 'Thunderbirds.'
The show was so wildly popular back in the day they made two feature films, 'Thunderbirds are Go! and 'Thunderbird 6' - also available on DVD. The TV show is more jam packed with action and suspense than the films.
'Thunderbirds' is a fun show from the 1960's about a peaceful future, but with plenty of mass destruction. Mankind gets into trouble from time to time and only Thunderbirds can rescue them - good tension/race against time and action, but 6 year olds can watch it and have fun too.
It's a timeless program that accrues new fans when rebroadcast.
'Team America: World Police' (2004) accurately captures the look and feel of 'Thunderbirds,' but adds extreme violence, foul language, and explicit sex not present in the original. The SFX in 'Thunderbirds' are far more realistic looking than in 'Team America.'
'Thunderbirds' was also remade into a 2004 live action film - a $70 Million afterschool special starring Ben Kingsley. The original correctly assumes children will enjoy watching adults in exiting adventure roles - thus there is no relation but the name.
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