Thunderbirds Are GO

Rating:
Summary: The '"No Puppets" Viewer' has got it all wrong
Review: First of all, they are the TRACY brothers NOT the 'ALAN' brothers....Alan is one of the brothers. In my opinion, what makes the Thunderbirds cool is the different vehicles and gadgets, and the great miniature sets, all of which contribute to creating a somewhat believable self-contained world. And another thing: when I think of the time period in which the Thunderbirds' movies and television episodes were produced (the 1960s), I don't think of the elements of the show relating to the Cold War or the U.S. vs. the U.S.S.R....I think of the quest for space, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's idealized view of the future, and the emphasis on innovative gadgetry. I have the laserdisc versions of the two Thunderbird movies in letterbox and I did have the VHS pan-and-scan videos, and I must say it's a treat to watch either film in widescreen. The photography and image composition are excellent in this format, and it helps make up for the slow pacing in both films. I prefer "Thunderbird 6" over the first film because there is a bit more humor and I think the special effects are an improvement over "Thunderbirds are Go!" To me, paying 20 to 25 bucks for both films together is a bargain considering what I paid for the these two films on laserdisc and VHS. FAB!

Rating:
Summary: MY SON LEARN ENGLISH WITH THUNDERBIRDS & FUN
Review: I AM A MOTHER AND A KINDERGARDEN TEACHER TOO, AND I FOUND WITH MY "THUNDERBIRDS" COLLECTION AN EASY WAY TO TEACH ENGLISH TO MY KIDS, AND THEY REALLY ENJOY THIS TWO CHAPTERS BECAUSE THE SUBTITLES AND THE MAGIC FORMULA OF SUPERMARIONATION MAKE THEM FELL INSIDE THE MOVIE... IN "THUNDERBIRD 6" WE CAN FIND THE WHOLE TEAM IN A RESCUE ADVENTURE...AND IN THE "THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO" THE VISUAL AN SOUD EFFECTS ARE GREAT....

Rating:
Summary: Heavy-duty futuristic hardware, explosions, and...puppets
Review: I was so surprised that I liked these movies a lot more than I thought I would. These films were obviously a labor of love for Sylvia and Gerry Anderson, and their extra efforts show in every frame. Derek Meddings' designs are just incredible; it's easy to see how he was hired to do the futuristic model effects for the James Bond movies. And the dream sequence in "Thunderbirds Are Go!", in which Cliff ("Devil Woman", "Little in Love") Richard and the seminal group The Shadows are modeled by perfect marionette replicas (in what could quite possibly be the first MTV-type music video ever) is alone, in my opinion, worth the price of both DVDs.

The only quibble I would have with both movies would be in the pacing. There are quite a few slow points in these films (e.g., the launches of the Thunderbirds, the rollout of the Mars vehicle in "Thunderbirds Are Go!" which goes on for a full 10 minutes!). The finely detailed work in the sets and the marionettes well deserve this extra ogling time, though, and I believe kids will particularly be impressed by the "hardware" displayed and won't mind the plodding of these scenes.

The extras are fun, too. Sylvia Anderson and David Lane discuss all the trials and tribulations of pulling off high-tech science-fiction adventure with a cast of 18"-tall puppets.

Rating:
Summary: No puppets!
Review: Ok, look people. I don't understand what the big deal of this is. Like, it's from the 1960s- you know- during the Cold War period. So, I suspose the only reason why people liked it was because they associated us (Thunderbird team) with the Soviets (Aliens). But the Cold War is- like- over. So why should we dwell on stupid, hand-made puppets when there are cool sci-fi shows out there minus the pupets! The characters were also poorly designed. Lady Penny, what a wimp! The Alan bros- lifeless!

Rating:
Summary: Gerry & Sylvia Anderson Rule
Review: The gentleman from Seattle knows what he is talking about. Let me echo and affirm that "Thunderbirds" by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson has NOTHING to do with the American Air Force precision flying jet team nor the cold war with CCCP. The naming is coincendental and that is as far as one can take it. Gerry & Sylvia like Gene Roddenbury in American were and continue to be VERY optimistic about human endeavor and the future of the human race. International Rescue is about using technology to help people and make a difference. The TV show and these two movies are a testament to that ideal.

The show was so successful and the message so clear that Stanley Kubrick had serious discussions with Gerry and Derek Meddings about producing all the special photographic effects for 2001! That says something.

The Tracy boys were named for our Mercury Astronauts: John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, "Gus" Virgil Grissolm, Alan Shepard and Gordon Cooper. The only conclusion you can derive from that is that Gerry & Sylvia admired the genesis of the American Manned Space program enough to immortalize it in their show. That's pretty cool.

The show is goofy by today's standards, but was cuttting-edge by yesterday's. Never discount the formative steps that brought us to today's effects capabilities. Derek Meddings - special photographic effects superviser - went on to do Superman 1 -for which he got an Academy Award nomination - & 2 and many of the better James Bond films - "Moonraker" and "The Spy Who loved Me" - for which he got another Academy Award nomination - to name a few. That's not too awfully bad.

I love this show and can't wait to replace my VHS versions so I can finally see these two in widescreen format

The live-action movie that has been talked about for about 20 years is finally being released the end of this month. Sadly, Gerry & Sylvia are not apart of the production but the original was so impactful for a new genreation of film-makers that they are fired up to translate it into the cutting-edge show of our time.

Besides, Ben Kingsley playing the Hood, Bill Paxton playing Jeff Tracy and Anthony Edwards playing Brains is pretty inspired casting. Can't wait for this new genration of heroes.

Rating:
Summary: The Fabulous Thunderbirds!
Review: The works of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson have diminished little since their salad days in the 1960s.
The release of 'Thunderbirds are Go' and 'Thunderbird 6'to DVD to coincide with the theatrical release of the live action movie in theaters soon,is a delight to see once more.
I hadn't seen these movies since their intial release in 1966 and 1968 respectively but my memory told me the second one was a little better,and I was right.'Thunderbirds are Go' gets a little long in spots and is at times a bit disjointed in plot while 'Thunderbird 6' generally moves along very well.
While working with marionettes and miniature sets was nothing
new,the Andersons took the two where no man or woman had gone before and made it almost an artform in itself.The Andersons' imaginations on the Thunderbirds series and the many others they had running and working at the same time like 'Stingray' and 'Fireball XL-5'(my fave)showed the unbelievable talent and skill they possesed.And to see how well these films still stand up today is a fine testament to that.
Sure you can still see the wires from time to time but the main thing was the tapestry they wove with their myriad of plot devices coupled with the working and integrating of the marionettes with live sequences/actors.In fact in 'Thunderbird 6' try to differentiate between the miniature Tiger Moth biplane and the real thing(...or was it?).And was that the marionettes hand or an actors?
Furthermore the Andersons took the entire thing beyond just this and made each individual marionette into a genuine character with all the foibles and emotions one sees with live actors.With just the right dialogue and nuance they pulled you into that world and you "believed".This hadn't been done before nor has it since.
The only other work that comes close and achevied similar results in another related but different medium was Jim Henson and the Muppets.
Much of the Andersons work inspired many pros in the motion picture field for years and does to this day,especially those that work with miniature sets so important in countless pictures involving SFX.
So here's a tip of the hat to you Sylvia and Gerry Anderson.
You did GOOD!!!