A 20th Anniversary Retrospective on the Thunderbirds Movie

[@freijapersson305]

This movie meant so much to me when I was younger. I can’t honestly count how many times I’ve watched it. From time to time I wonder what could have been with those 2 other movies Fantastic ”video” guys!

[@martingainsford3225]

Some fascinating anecdotes from cast and crew. I was fortunate to attend a preview screening and met Frakes. A lovely guy. Also interviewed most of the Tracy boys a number of times publicly and for publication and again all were a delight. Ultimately for me as an original ‘60s kid it never really ticked all of my boxes but I appreciate there are many fans of the film so it’s lovely to see the anniversary celebrated so thoroughly.

[@ACtheLegend]

Cheers Martin, that really means a lot coming from you 😊

[@martingainsford3225]

Thank you. I’m flattered. It’s not always about personal interest in a subject but more an appreciation of the affection and enthusiasm others have. You pulled together a wonderful tribute.

[@devoureroftea7583]

Oh guys, what an incredible piece of work, congratulations! It's wonderful you managed to get so many people to chat about it but Ron Cook Himself I didn't expect at all! It's so lovely to hear how he and Sophia Myles really did enjoy a Penelope/Parker bond in real life. And listening to Dominic Colenso's anecdotes were incredibly bitter-sweet. It's not the first time I've heard that Bill Paxton was an absoulte joy, but to hear more on it and how he mother-henned the Tracy Boys actors was so lovely. I'm so glad the cast and crew had such a good experience with it for the most part, and regardless of how it was received by certain people, a lot of people really did care and were passionate about it. It's a huge shame we never saw the planned sequels - Dominic saying "we [the cast] should have grown old together" really got me - but I would say that it does work very well as a standalone, it doesn't rely on a sequel to pick up the shortfalls of a convoluted plot, meaning the sequel would have just been its own contained adventure just like a Thunderbirds episode! I never really gave much thought into the CGI before and I agree, it actually holds up pretty well, because it's not used *too* often. I love that the oil rig scene was practical effects and modelwork and real pyrrhotechnics, something I think is sorely missed today. I really loved the discussion about the music too as it wasn't really ever something I'd thought about before, some really cool insights. It's interesting to hear about why the movie bombed. The time of its release was very unfortunate what with Spiderman and Shrek 2, but I wonder as well if the fact that Thunderbirds was being rerun at the time didn't help, so it was fresh in the minds for a lot of people who had grown up with it originally? The styalistic differences were quite jarring - I remember! I was 7 at the time and I wasn't thrilled with the style of the crafts and Tracy villa, simply because I just wanted them to look exactly the same as the originals, but I think your interviews have explained very well why this couldn't be the case. I also wanted the Tracy brothers to look exactly like the puppets but alas, Sean Connery wasn't available to play Scott 😞 That all being said, I did really love the movie. I loved that we got to explore Tracy island in a way the puppets never could, going through the jungle and battling the Hood's goons with pod vehicles, even crawling around the airvents and sliding down TB1's blast vents. It was like a giant adventure playground 😂 I know it wasn't everyone's cup if tea but I really enjoyed the story and the journey the characters go through, and of course the rescues. It certainly has its shortcomings and it''s definitely eclipsed by the original series, but as a former member of the target demographic, I think it did a great job. (And, uh, in my humble opinion, it does a better job of being a Thunderbirds movie than TAG 1966 and TB6. It uses every single one of the Thunderbirds in a meaningful way for a start. Justice for TB4 💪) So yeah, fantastic work Jack and AC, thank you for making and organising this! Now, you have plenty of time to save up for a trip to the Seychelles for an on-location 30th 😁 - Emily

[@Gripweed909]

Love all your enthusiasm. Congratulations on the retrospective. So much work must have gone into it. Well done

[@Watsonmakesandpaints]

Been so stoked to watch. Im only a little bit in but really enjoying so far. 🎉 happy 20th!

[@ACtheLegend]

Woohoo, hope you enjoy it Watson, and don't be afraid to split up your viewing experience - lots of people have been telling us that's how they've been doing it and it's been working well for them :)

[@Coco_9728]

This was awsome! Even though I’m a really big fan of anything Thunderbirds related, I still feel like I learnt so much from watching this retrospective. Can you do another retrospective on the 2015 Thunderbirds are go series?

[@Bondoz007]

I saw this movie at the cinema, I'm not a particular Thunderbirds fan. I really enjoyed it. I remember the teaser trailers using Song 2 by Blur (the "woo hoo" song) which was a perfect match for the film. I loved that beautiful opening titles - they are a work of art in themselves. This film had a lot going for it and I'll always rewatch it if i have a chance. Great to see you bringing the love here ❤️

[@akshaytrayner1960]

This was amazing

[@The2ndFox]

This video is four times the length of the movie… but I bet this video will be a better investment of my time.

[@fictiveescapes]

Yes! Been waiting months for this!😂 so excited ❤

[@ACtheLegend]

Enjoooooy 😊😊

[@crazyjedi5994]

Great work!!

[@carldurrell9943]

👍❤️🚀🏝️FAB!!!🏝️🚀❤️👍

[@nathanprosperi1216]

Fantastic retrospective, guys! Really well done. I remember this movie being my absolute favorite when it came out (I had just turned 7, I believe), and I still really enjoy it now. AC's article on the film was such a refreshing read, I still go back to it every so often (In fact, I was just reading Jack's writeup of Thunderbirds Are Go from '66 earlier today!) A question for AC, if I may: How did you manage to get your hands on previous scripts for the movie, (the 1998 Kirkpatrick script, and the 2003(?) script with Aristotle Spode)? Is it still possible to find them somewhere online? The 98 script especially seems like a fascinating read. Great job again you two!

[@tracytron7162]

On the topic of Fermat: I don't necessarily dislike him, but he really did feel very tacked on in my opinion. And makes Tin Tin feel kinda pointless, like she's just... There to be "The girl" of the group and "the love interest" a cheap deus ex machina at the end, and not much more. And what makes it a legitimate issue to me is that if we go back to the original series you can actually see that Tin Tin was sorta tutoring under Brains, so you already had a smart character for the group and wouldn't even need to change the script much. You could have her and Alan discover the gallium electrolyte compound on TB1 instead of him and Fermat, and then have her come to talk to Brains about it just like Fermat does, and have her hacking that comms antenna instead of Fermat.

[@tracytron7162]

Oh jeez I did not expect this to be so long lol

[@ACtheLegend]

Impossible to have too much Thunderbirds content :)

[@tracytron7162]

@ACtheLegend Agreed, I ain't complaining I was just surprised lol XD

[@Narrator-Voice-Dude-Official]

This video is such a loving and caring Retrospective, Happy 20th Anniversary Thunderbirds 2004 (Also, quick question: What is your thoughts on the 2015 Thunderbirds reboot "Thunderbirds Are Go")

[@ACtheLegend]

Without waffling on for as long as I did in the video, I love TAG, it's so good and I'm delighted it got 3 Seasons to breathe and came to a satisfying conclusion :)

[@Tha_Greatest3882]

5:27:00 wasn't it just the hood that made the telescopic legs go down earlier than necessary? just because he was rushing into the banks. I think it was just to showcase that it "Was" Possible to do...

[@ACtheLegend]

The making of book specifically mentions they designed it to land in its legs in normal use, but I like your thinking there as that's certainly a possibility too! 😊

[@Tha_Greatest3882]

@ aaah that explains a lot Thanks AC

[@ACtheLegend]

​@@Tha_Greatest3882 they should have made a tie-in game called Hood Rush 😂

[@DavidOspina-q1c]

What happened to Thunderbirds actor Soren Fulton?

[@simonhunt7269]

I would have thought Parker being a Hammers fan would be a lot less alienating to Scottish, NI and Welsh viewers though

[@PhoenixZeeb]

Great Video so far about 4ish hours in, bit of a suggestion thoe, the watch time is too long for a single video, this video could of easily been split into 4-5 separate videos.

[@ACtheLegend]

We debated splitting it, but in the end decided against it, instead settling on time indexes that people can watch it in segments whenever they wish 😊

[@worlnedworder]

ngl the fact that the thing in the middle its top of thunderbird 2 didnt go down made the thing look so bad

[@ACtheLegend]

I get what you're saying, and I can kind of see it from both sides - if the roof of the central pod dropped it'd be more accurate to the series, but equally when it doesn't drop it helps maintain the crafts smooth lines, which I rather like.

[@patwaters-actormoviereviewer]

Were those ridiculous baseball caps supposed to be a nod to the IR hats from the original TV show?

[@ACtheLegend]

Potentially, they're certainly equally impractical, but nowhere near as iconic 😅

[@patwaters-actormoviereviewer]

@@ACtheLegend They look so rubbish, i mean the original caps from the show were strange, but the caps for the film... just... Who in the costume department decided on those hats?

[@davidlogan4329]

It was a trash movie.

[@ACtheLegend]

Really wasn't, but each to their own 😊

[@B-A-L]

6 hours about a movie that was a load of crap? I could watch the entire Star Wars sequel trilogy in the same amount of time and still have time to sum up how bad they were!

[@ACtheLegend]

Yet you were still good enough to comment, which boosts our engagement stats, thanks muchly :)

[@Armadacon]

Completely agree. It was so bad, that they tried to 'bribe' Gerry Anderson to say nice things about it. Gerry refused, saying that he had his reputation to think about. This flick lost so much money, that it's an official turkey. Jonathan Frakes has even apologised for it.

[@Armadacon]

@@ACtheLegend Yup. They even get to read the comments.

[@ACtheLegend]

​@@Armadacon they didn't try to bribe him, they offered him a promotional deal which he turned down because he felt he couldn't promote a project he hadn't worked on.

[@Armadacon]

@@ACtheLegend The Producers didn't want Anderson on board. Frakes actually talked to Gerry before production had begun. When everything was going south. The Producers needed an endorsement from Gerry to salvage the film. They sent him an offer to endorse the film. Gerry did say that he needed the money, but binned it. Now. Which interview did you read. I read the interview with Gerry Anderson. He said that he had his reputation to think of. He was right! It's interesting to note. He thought more of Team America: World Police than Turkeybirds.