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Thunderbirds are…GO, this time in 4K ultra-high definition which means…you can see the strings even clearer!
Add to that the newly mixed 5.1 surround sound, whatever that means (really loud, probably) and Thunderbirds 4k is suited and booted and ready for a 60th anniversary outing at UK cinemas from 20 September.
Thunderbirds 4k brings together two classic episodes of the 1960s puppet show Supermarionation show: pilot episode Trapped in the Sky and Terror in New York City (season 1, episode 13, for the nerds). Each episode is 50 minutes long, which brings the double bill up to movie length. It isn’t a continuing storyline but two random, standalone episodes. I’ve watched them both, and here is the review.
Sorry, Bill
I was never the biggest Thunderbirds fan as a kid, but I caught it occasionally and knew what it was. I grew up in the Terrorhawks era, so that was more my jam when it came to puppets Supermarionation.
More recently, I watched some of the reboot series Thunderbirds Are Go with my son, which combined the miniature sets of the original with CGI characters. The CGI was poor, but the sets, music, and plots were pretty good.
I skipped the Bill Paxton movie. I love Bill, but the movie looked shit.
The first thing you notice about the original show is the incredible 1960s aesthetics. It may be set in the 2060s, but Thunderbirds is pure Austin Powers when it comes to fashion, baby. The crew signs off radio transmissions by saying “F.A.B.” The instrument panels have dials, needle indicators, tape recorders, and flashing lights. The suits are sharp and the aeroplanes are supersonic jets with onboard cocktail bars. The details on the miniature work really pop in this remastered version.
There’s something naively hopeful about it all – a real belief that humans can not only achieve anything with technology but can do it with style.
Things still go wrong, of course. We wouldn’t need a show about a secret International Rescue force otherwise.
Trapped in the Sky
The first episode is called Trapped in the Sky. Just how the heck can you get trapped in the sky? I’ll tell you how – by planting a bomb on the landing gear of an atomic-powered supersonic jet so it blows up if it lands. It’s like Speed…on a plane.
The good news: the plane’s nuclear motor means it can stay airborne for six months. The bad news: the show is 50 minutes long, so they have to engineer a race against time. They do this by saying that the anti-radiation shields have to be serviced in two hours (WTF!) or the passengers will get a dose of unwanted chemotherapy. Seems like a design fault.
The plot of this one is goofy as hell to be honest, but it has enough charm, innocence, and sincerity to carry it through.
We don’t get much of an origin story for the Tracy family and their new, incredibly well-funded enterprise. International Rescue is ready to go, and this is their first mission. Somehow, the Japanese bad guy ‘The Hood’ already knows about International Rescue and wants to steal their designs, so he plants the bomb to lure them out.
We get our first look at Thunderbirds 1 (the rocket ship), 2 (the cool transport aircraft), and 5 (the space station), but have to wait until episode two to see Thunderbird 4 (the submersible). We don’t see Thunderbird 3 (the spaceship) in either episode, which is a shame.
I like that the show takes its time to show the crew boarding and taking off. It is the best part of the show for me. The design of the ships is key to the show’s enduring success.
Terror in New York City
The episode begins with the US Navy shooting Thunderbird 2 out of the sky. What did I miss? Are International Rescue fugitives now? No, it’s just a case of ‘shoot first, ask questions later.’ While Thunderbird 2 is being repaired, the team hopes that an emergency doesn’t arise that requires the specific capabilities of Thunderbird 2.
An emergency arises that requires the specific capabilities of Thunderbird 2.
The emergency is caused by engineers in New York who are trying to move the Empire State Building. Really. They put it on a track, but it collapses. Who knew? It’s a bold move choosing an episode with echoes of 9-11 for your double bill.
The episode focuses on rescuing two news reporters who are trapped under the rubble. The entire Empire State Building falls on them, but they’re fine. For now. Their air pocket is filling with water from an underground river that nobody knew about, which provides this episode’s ticking clock.
The plot is crazy, but you have to admire the ambition. It might have helped to have some connective tissue between the two episodes. An old woman appears at the end of Terror in New York City, whom I now know is Grandma Tracy, but we missed the episode with her introduction. Her puppet looks creepy as hell.
And did Lady Penelope always have an old lady’s voice? Weird.
Thunderbirds Stop?
I don’t want to be too harsh on Thunderbirds 4k because I truly love the design, the craft, and the love that went into making these shows, but they could really do with better plots. Were they all this bad? If you’re being nice, you might say they have a goofy charm, but this double bill is for purists only, and I can’t see it winning over a new generation of fans.
But it will look damn good on the big screen.
Thunderbirds, with this 4k restoration, will be in UK cinemas on the 22nd of September.
