Thunderbirds Are Go Sat 5pm

Anonymous

The Thunderbirds movie was soooo disappointing that I felt sick when this CGI version was announced, but I have just started to think it may actually be pretty good and worth a watch.

Its a modern day kids show so its never going to be as gritty as a lot of us may like (think climbing trees 1970 v conkers ban in playground 2015), but I am starting to think (hope) they might have a lot of the magic of the original within its new format.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y2hFqgtjLk

finchy

It should be more like Captain Scarlet, in that they don't always win.

rick_chasey

Main disappointment is the music to be honest.

mr_goo

I know someone quite well who worked on this. Its made in New Zealand by the same production company that made Lord of Rings/Hobbit/Avatar. I not sure the production team are entirely happy with it, from what I hear. Thinks its the CGI characters and real models/sets mix up that is the problem and possibly the budget didn't help.
I also learnt something the other day on a quiz programme. The Tracy brothers were named after the US astronauts on the Mercury Seven program, the precursor to the Apollo missions.

Alan Shepard
Virgil Grissom
John Glenn
Malcolm Scott Carpenter
Leroy Gordon Cooper

ballysmate

For some reason Gerry Anderson came to dislike John in T5.
Beats me why.
"IT'S A PUPPET"

mr_goo

Well, like the child I am, I had to watch it. The problem is that for many like me who grew up watching the original, nothing will ever compare. Its a generational thing, the 60s version was for kids in the 60s/70s. What you have to get your head around is that this version is for kids of the 2010s/20s generation. Quite how they received it I know not.

Anonymous

Yeah, was not as good as I had hoped but glad I watched it.
There were a couple of inspiring moments/things.

The underwater exploration craft paying homage (I guess thats what they were doing) to an Eagle Transporter was very odd though (and even a little upsetting) IMO
Did anyone else think the music was a bit of an 'Incredible's' rip off at times?

I hope this generation enjoyed it. Was an insight into their world....... They count really quickly lol.

dj58

I grew up with Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, Space 1999.
I watched it out of curiosity, the thing that drove me around the bend was the incessant overbearing soundtrack/music. To me the original music score, along with the quality of the models / action / explosions / storylines, ok yes you could see the strings sometimes, is what made it memorable.

Considering that they copied the look of the original, the machines apart from T5, looked more or less the same, I don't understand why they didn't stick with the original theme music for the launch sequences. Unless they couldn't get permission/didn't want to pay royalties for it. Good effort and the story was quite good, (The Hood up to his usually tricks), though couldn't work out why Brains, Engineer, had changed nationality. Obviously it is not made for my generation, will be interesting to see how it is received by it's intended audience.

Anonymous

I found the set pieces became boring very quickly and everything was just too fast paced.
With models and real smoke/water/rubber/tyre marks etc. everything was much more exciting and engaging.
Trouble is that it takes more time to get that engagement and they prefer to speed it up and add some shallow wow factors.
Its perfectly possible to do a very good CGI version, you only have to look at Toy Story, but I guess this is not a movie so cannot be looked at like that.

New audiences seem to have to be told that something is dangerous or that Scott Tracy has done something brave etc.etc., whereas in the 70's you kind of had to work that out for yourself a little more and it was so much better for it.

The other odd thing is that they said they were told by young audiences 'what they wanted', and I don't think that ever works as good as giving them something they did not ask for.

CYCLESPORT1

It should suit younger children as it's fast pace but the story lines are not too long so it keeps them interested

mr_goo

Carbonator.

You are correct about the underwater research vehicle they had to rescue the crew from. It was a deliberate homage to Space 1999, and in the filming of the scenes, it was completely wrecked, so cannot be re-assembled.

As for the CGI quality, it is not possible to compare with any movie. Aparently the budget was not there to produce high quality. According to my contact they had awful trouble sorting out Lady Penelope, and couldn't even work out her look or character. In her mansion (not shown yet) they were going to put a faux Banksy on one of the walls. The old character would not have worked with todays young audience so they have made her a bit of a hip Chelsea girl. Obviously this does rankle with us of the older generation, but maybe it is something todays youngsters will identify with more.

In the first episode where we saw FAB1 driving along rolling countryside then being chased by a black car. This was supposed to be Dorset. The production team did not even research what Dorset looked like, or even look it up on the internet.

Anonymous

I found it disturbing that an Eagle-a-like was A/ On the seabed (like it had been buried at sea) B/ Had to be rescued by a measly Thunderbird and C/ Was destroyed.

RDW

Rick Chasey wrote:

Main disappointment is the music to be honest.

Yes, pity they didn't do something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZJShphKtp4

mr_goo

RDW wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Main disappointment is the music to be honest.

Yes, pity they didn't do something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZJShphKtp4

That works.

peat

Mr Goo wrote:

Its a generational thing, the 60s version was for kids in the 60s/70s. What you have to get your head around is that this version is for kids of the 2010s/20s generation.

I was a child of the 80's and totally captivated by the original series.

Blue Peter did their Tracy Island in 1993 and it was incredibly popular (remember, when kids used to do crafts...). Granted, alot has changed in consumer electronics since the early 90's, but I think properly creative arts such as puppetry can still be appreciated by adults AND children in 2015.