Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) - Technically thrilling, but ultimately boring!
- Lewis D. Gilbert
- Aug 22, 2021
- 4 min read
*If you wish to learn more about this film, check out this retrospectives below.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Thunderbirds has been a staple of British television history ever since it's action packed debut in 1965. Yet many people forget that the team at Century 21 Studios also produced two feature length films with these puppet heroes. And while neither was a huge hit critically or financially, the films still hold a special place in the hearts of fans of this art form known as Supermarionation. Here is a look into the first film.
Being the first big screen outing for International Rescue, Thunderbirds Are Go is an excellent demonstration of the model work and life like special effects. While the Thunderbirds are obvious just models on wires, the effort to make them feel real is something to praise. It's a showcase for how miniature effects are just as effective at conveying drama and action as modern day digital effects.
The big standouts are both from the latter half of the film. The sequence on Mars feels extremely alien to our world, and gives off this tense and un-nerving atmosphere. The movement of the vehicle is sold by it's weight and size, although the weapons it has feel a little rubbery in how they respond to being fire.
The design of the rock snakes are also terrifying to look at but equally exciting as a sequence to witness. After a rather slow moving film, getting to witness characters in moral peril is a nice change of pace. It's also a nice change to see characters having to deal with the danger themselves. Most Thunderbirds stories sees International rescue resolve all issues for the characters in peril. Here though, it's up to the exploration team to fend for themselves.
Additionally, the final part of the film is brimming with the suspenseful drama and thrilling destruction that many would expect. The impending crash feels more a threat than at the start of the picture, due to the larger number of people at risk. My only concerns here would be the lack of suspenseful music which would normally accompany such a scene in the TV series. Also, the solution feels very underwhelming.
And while on a technical scale this film is a masterclass for the Supermarionation art form, this film falls down quite a bit on the story front. Thunderbirds Are Go for the most part is a snore fest, and doesn't put a lot of focus on the characters that audiences have grown to love in the TV Series. It says a lot when the first 20 minutes of the film are dedicated to slow preparations for a rocket launch, and democratic debating, it's not a surprise how slow and dull this film can appear. Additionally, the titular International Rescue aren't really needed until the final 20 minutes of this 90 minute feature. As previously stated, the two stand out sequences are both in the latter half of the film, meaning that unless audiences can be kept interested by the model work and unique ways in which the puppets are brought to life, it will be a long hour getting to a sequence that actually feels entertaining.
There is a dream sequence half way through the picture which features guest pop star, Cliff Richard. And whilst a colourful and unique sequence, it ultimately feels unnecessary, out of left field, and more focused on finding an excuse to get Cliff Richard into the film, rather than having an actual connection to the main plot. The song that Cliff performs is a nice tune which can be listened to and enjoyed by it's own merits. Additionally, as previously stated the technical achievements of the sequence like the rest of the film show off how far this team had brought the art of puppetry since the early days.
But it's not just the visuals that are an achievement here, as with the TV series, the regular voice cast are brought over and do a stellar job conveying the drama and action on screen. The stand-out performers would be Paul Maxwell as Captain Paul Travers, as well as Jeremy Wilkin's take over as Virgil Tracy. There is also a huge leap in terms of the film's music score, as regular composer, Barry Gray is given the budget to bring in a 70-piece orchestra. While the music isn't as notable as the work created for the TV series, and in some cases isn't used to help sell certain sequences such as the film's climax, pieces such as the Zero-X theme and main Thunderbirds march are used the right amount and give their respective scenes an extra level of grandeur!
Overall, Thunderbirds Are Go in reflection is a technical marvel, and is an excellent example of the achievements made by Century 21 over their time working with puppets. And while these achievements are worth celebrating, it is also worth remembering how sluggish and dull this film can be if the visuals alone can't keep your interest. If less time had been focused on hardware, and given the characters that the audiences had grown attached to the time to shine, then audiences might actually have felt more engaged in the story long before the 1 hour mark. But if there's one positive thing I can say about this film, it's this... IT'S TEN TIMES BETTER THAN THE DUMPSTER FIRE OF A LIVE ACTION THUNDERBIRDS FILM FROM 2004!!
SCORES
Story - 2.5/5
Characters - 2.5/5
Production - 4/5
Acting - 5/5
Music - 4/5
TOTAL - 7.2/10
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