| THUNDERBIRDS |
 2004 - USA / UKDirector: Jonathan Frakes
- Reviewed by Vickie
I should backtrack a bit to say that I’ve never watched an episode of the 1960s cult TV series on which this film is based, and the reason is quite simple: those freaky-deaky marionettes scare the bejesus out of me. They’re one step away from ventriloquist dummies and they’re just plain frightening. That said, I subsequently didn’t expect much from the movie version of my own personal puppet nightmare, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Set in the near-future, or perhaps, a cartoon version of the present, the film follows the heroic Tracy family—aka "The Thunderbirds"—as they save lives around the planet. Heading up the group is father Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton), who leads his four oldest sons—the virtually anonymous and set-dressing like Virgil, Scott, John and Gordon—on mission after mission while youngest son Alan (Brady Corbet) furrows his brow in high school math class and wonders when he’ll get to play with the big boys. But Alan is actually the star of this Spy Kids-esque adventure, where the pint-sized players are the ones called upon to save the day. (Note: he’s the "star," second only to Lady P, in my eyes, that is.) Along with his bespectacled best friend Fermat (Soren Fulton) and "blossoming" tomboy Tintin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens), Alan is the only Tracy left when his father and brothers falls victim to the evil plot of The Hood (Ben Kingsley, in a deliciously nasty turn), who’s seeking vengeance for a past perceived slight. He’s held a grudge for a really long time and has decided to destroy the life-saving family once and for all, then use their secret island home and heaps of nifty aircraft and toys for his own nefarious purposes. What follows is a colorful and fun adventure romp for the whole family, filled with plenty of imaginative chase sequences, innocuous fight scenes (read: comic book-y, so no blood and gore) and enough kids-outsmarting-adults moments to delight the preteen set. Director Jonathan Frakes wisely allows the action to center on the kids, rather than the (comparatively) less interesting grown-ups. (Again, save for Lady P, who always is and always will be a fascinating creature.) He keeps the proceedings appropriately light and cheeky, and even tosses his wife, Genie Francis, a bone by giving her a teeny supporting role as a roving news reporter. It was also wise of the filmmakers to cast mainly unknowns (or lesser-knowns), thereby enabling audiences to avoid being distracted by big-name talent masquerading as these cult characters . The four Tracy brothers are barely in the film at all, though, and I couldn’t tell you which one was which, so fans may wish to take note. If you’re heading out to see Gordon or Scott do their thing, you’ll be disappointed. I think they have six lines between them. Total. But back to Lady Penelope. Ah, Lady Penelope. *sigh* Like the love child of Mary Poppins and Sydney Bristow (with just a hint of Elle Woods’ DNA), she’s the world’s coolest tough cookie. Perpetually clad in pink and with her dry and deadpan right-hand man, Parker (Ron Cook), at her side, Lady P is like a breath of fresh, fashionably fantastic air. She holds her own against her unpleasant foes and is easily the smartest person in whatever room she might be in. I wish they’d allowed her more screen time, but I suppose that’s what sequels are for. And it’s pretty clear that if the film manages to do respectable business at the box office, Thunderbirds 2 is an inevitability. |
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You must, you absolutely MUST see Thunderbirds, if for no other
reason than to feast your moviegoing eyes upon Lady Penelope
Creighton-Ward—quite possibly the most FAB-ulous big-screen heroine
to come along in recent memory. As played by Sophia Myles (who was last
seen vamping it up as one of Kate Beckinsale’s bloodsucking pals in
Underworld), the stunning "Lady P" is a brainy, ballsy and
beautiful butt-kicker with an equally impressive sense of style and
decorum. She is, by far, the best thing about the movie for anyone over
age 12.
