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Thunderbirds (2004 film)

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Thunderbirds (film)
Company typeFilm
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedJuly 20, 2004; 22 years ago (2004-07-20)
FounderJonathan Frakes (director), William Osborne, Michael McCullers (writers)
Headquarters
United Kingdom, United States
ProductsScience fiction action-adventure movie

Thunderbirds is a 2004 science fiction action-adventure movie helmed by director Jonathan Frakes and penned by William Osborne alongside Michael McCullers. It is adapted from the television series created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson. The storyline follows the antagonist, the Hood, who traps International Rescue (IR) leader Jeff Tracy and four of his sons aboard the damaged Thunderbird 5. His goal is to steal the remaining Thunderbird crafts to carry out crimes falsely attributed to IR. Jeff’s youngest son, Alan, together with his friends Tin-Tin and Fermat, strives to thwart these plans. Unlike the original show’s use of puppetry and miniature models known as "Supermarionation", this film employs live-action combined with CGI effects.

The movie premiered on 20 July 2004 in the United Kingdom and later on 30 July in the United States. It was met with unfavorable critiques, mainly due to its stiff character portrayals and a weak storyline, ultimately resulting in poor box office performance. While Gerry Anderson condemned it as "the biggest load of crap I have ever seen," Sylvia Anderson regarded it as a "great tribute" to the original series. The soundtrack includes "Thunderbirds Are Go" performed by pop-rock group Busted, which topped the UK singles chart and earned the 2004 UK Record of the Year award.

Plot

Set in 2010, the Tracy family, led by their widowed patriarch Jeff Tracy—a former astronaut—runs International Rescue (IR), a covert organization dedicated to assisting disaster victims using advanced vehicles called Thunderbirds from their base on Tracy Island in the South Pacific. Jeff’s youngest son, Alan Tracy, studies at Wharton Academy in Massachusetts alongside his friend Fermat Hackenbacker, son of IR’s engineer Brains. Alan dreams of becoming a Thunderbird pilot like his elder brothers Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon.

During spring break, IR operative Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her valet Aloysius Parker escort Alan and Fermat to Tracy Island where they reunite with their friend Tin-Tin Kyrano, daughter of the family’s butler Kyrano. Alan faces grounding after attempting to launch Thunderbird 1 without activating its stealth shield. Meanwhile, the psychic villain known as the Hood has secretly attached a tracking device to Thunderbird 1 during a prior rescue mission. Operating from a nearby submarine, he launches a missile at the orbiting Thunderbird 5, severing IR’s communications and putting John in peril. Jeff along with Scott, Virgil, and Gordon deploy Thunderbird 3 to save John; however, the Hood captures control of the island’s command center and disables power to Thunderbird 5, trapping everyone aboard.

The Hood reveals that Jeff had once left him behind in a collapsing illegal diamond mine but saved his half-brother Kyrano instead. Driven by vengeance, he intends to use Thunderbird 2 to rob ten major banks worldwide with the aim of destabilizing global financial markets and tarnishing International Rescue’s reputation. Fermat manages to disable Thunderbird 2’s guidance system chip, delaying this scheme. Alan contacts Jeff through a remote transmitter, determined to confront the Hood himself. Lady Penelope and Parker respond to an emergency signal at Tracy Island in FAB 1 but fall victim to the Hood’s psychic abilities. Under threat to his friends’ safety, Alan surrenders the guidance chip; subsequently, they are confined in a freezer.

Piloting the repaired Thunderbird 2, the Hood travels to London where he deploys the Mole vehicle to sink a monorail into the River Thames and drill into the vaults of the Bank of England. Alan and his companions escape captivity and restore power to Thunderbird 5 before giving chase in Thunderbird 1. In London, Alan and Tin-Tin utilize Thunderbird 4 to rescue the submerged monorail while pursuing the Hood. The rest of the Tracy family arrives aboard Thunderbird 3 and confronts him at the bank. The Hood captures Jeff and Lady Penelope and challenges Alan to fight atop the moving Mole drill. Tin-Tin—his niece who shares similar psychic powers—defeats him. Though provoked to leave him to perish as his father once did, Alan chooses to save the Hood, aware that Jeff had previously attempted unsuccessfully to rescue him. The Hood along with his accomplices are apprehended; Alan, Fermat, and Tin-Tin are officially inducted as members of International Rescue.

Cast

Director Jonathan Frakes makes an uncredited appearance as a police officer during the sequence involving the Hood’s arrest.

Development

Thunderbirds marks the third feature film adaptation based on the series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, following Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968), both of which utilized Supermarionation puppetry.

The project entered development in the mid-1990s after PolyGram Filmed Entertainment secured rights to the full ITC Entertainment catalogue, including the original television series. Initially, director Peter Hewitt and screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick were involved. Hewitt was a longtime admirer of the franchise, while Kirkpatrick studied all 32 episodes thoroughly despite no prior familiarity. Their early script preserved fidelity to the original series but sought to attract contemporary viewers. It featured The Hood attempting to steal the power core of Tracy Island to activate a device capable of shifting Earth's gravity towards the moon. After completing four drafts, concerns from Working Title about its appeal in the US market led to Kirkpatrick's exit. Hewitt also departed due to disagreements over creative direction.

Jonathan Frakes succeeded Hewitt as director; a fan of the original series with experience in family-oriented science fiction such as Clockstoppers.

Concept artist Mike Trim, who contributed to the original show, was brought on board; however, his designs—including an original vehicle named "Telehandler"—were ultimately not incorporated.

Casting

This film represented Brady Corbet's debut in a family-oriented movie, where he took on the lead role of Alan Tracy. Bill Paxton played Jeff Tracy, Alan’s father and a wealthy former astronaut, drawing inspiration from his own childhood experiences with the series. Paxton was drawn to the part because it highlighted themes of principled guidance and 1960s career values, focusing more on meaningful work than financial gain.

Ben Kingsley accepted the role of the Hood partly due to his children’s enthusiasm for the show and his desire to take on a lighter character following House of Sand and Fog. He felt at ease during filming but humorously remarked on missing the original voice actor's performance.

Sophia Myles portrayed Lady Penelope; her lines, along with those of Ron Cook as Parker, were revised by Richard Curtis to inject additional humor. After viewing the movie, Steven Moffat offered Myles a part in Doctor Who Series 2.

Anthony Edwards played Brains, initially anticipating a "silly kids' film," but was impressed by director Jonathan Frakes and production designer John Beard’s dedication to honoring the original series. Although producers had hoped for Gerry Anderson’s involvement, his son Jamie Anderson revealed that Gerry was largely excluded and declined a late promotional invitation.

Filming and post-production

Production commenced on 3 March 2003 at North Island in the Seychelles. What was planned as a seven-day shoot extended to ten days due to rain delays, with Fulton (Fermat) notably avoiding sun exposure to prevent tanning. Corbet openly criticized script issues during filming and later pursued careers in writing and directing. Filming also took place at Pinewood Studios and various locations around London. Paxton fostered camaraderie by inviting co-stars Winchester, Colenso, Torgersen, Corbet, and Shrapnel out for dinner; Shrapnel later described Paxton as an excellent mentor and close friend.

Other notable locations included Wellington College, Berkshire, which stood in for Alan’s school "Wharton Academy," University College London, used as the exterior for the fictional Bank of London, and Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire, serving as Lady Penelope’s residence—where speed bumps were temporarily removed to protect the FAB 1 car.

Several sequences were ultimately removed from the final cut. One alternate opening depicted Alan participating in a motorcycle race, which was featured in trailers. Another scene scripted FAB-1 being targeted by missiles near Tracy Island and deploying a pedalo life raft; this footage was repurposed into a comedic closing segment. Both scenes are included in novelizations and related publications.

Thunderbirds is dedicated to Stephen Lowen, a rigger who tragically died while dismantling a set during production.

Differences from the original

The film introduces multiple alterations compared to the original series. The Thunderbirds vehicles, Tracy Island setting, and International Rescue uniforms have been redesigned; both Tracy Island and the Hood are explicitly named within dialogue. Additionally, International Rescue is publicly referred to as "Thunderbirds."

Alan and Tin-Tin are portrayed as being closer in age to the Tracy brothers than in the original series. New characters Fermat Hackenbacker and Onaha replace Grandma Tracy, who does not appear in this version. The nationalities of Tin-Tin and Kyrano have been changed from Malaysian in the TV series to Indian in the film.

While International Rescue’s members still keep their identities secret, they now allow filming and photography during missions—a notable departure from the original show’s approach.

Setting controversy

Early promotional content dated the founding of International Rescue by Jeff Tracy to 2010, with some sources indicating the film’s storyline takes place during that year, which influenced related merchandise. Conversely, other trailers and promotional materials place the film’s timeline in March 2020; considering that the original series is set in 2026, this timing better matches the ages of the Tracy brothers. Director Jonathan Frakes endorsed this updated chronology to maintain consistency with the original television series.

Box office performance

With a global box office total of $28.3 million against a production budget of $57 million, Thunderbirds was a financial failure. Jonathan Frakes attributed this outcome to strong competition from Shrek 2 and Spider-Man 2, as well as unfavorable critical reviews. Stuart Kemp from The Hollywood Reporter suggested that the film’s limited resonance with older viewers familiar with the original series contributed to its poor commercial results.

Critical reviews

Thunderbirds was met predominantly with negative critiques. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a low 19% approval rating based on 106 reviews, with the general consensus labeling it a "live-action cartoon aimed at children."

Fans loyal to the original series were especially harsh. Sukhdev Sandhu of The Daily Telegraph condemned the movie as "a quite cretinous travesty," pointing to its hurried countdown sequence, weak storyline, and poor dialogue. He criticized the trend of rebooting classic TV shows, arguing that the originals remain readily available on television and DVD. Similarly, Amy Biancolli of the Houston Chronicle described it as a "breathtakingly misconceived" attempt at reviving a vintage program, faulting the lead character, screenplay, and performances, although she noted her children found it more enjoyable. Ian Freer from Empire felt that the film neither captured nostalgia nor entertained young audiences effectively, citing problems with character chemistry and exposition despite commending Sophia Myles’ acting and the vehicle designs. Roger Ebert remarked that Thunderbirds narrowly missed inclusion on his list of worst films for that year. Many critics unfavorably compared it to Spy Kids.

During production, creator Gerry Anderson was invited to serve as a creative consultant but was ultimately sidelined by the studio, which believed its own team was sufficient. Although offered $750,000 to attend the premiere, Anderson refused payment and later expressed deep disappointment after watching the DVD release, branding the movie "disgraceful" and "the biggest load of crap I have ever seen." In contrast, co-creator Sylvia Anderson, who was responsible for character development, praised the adaptation following a private screening and premiere attendance. She described it as a "wonderful Thunderbirds adventure" and a respectful homage to the original creative team.

Coinciding with the film’s debut, both preceding Thunderbirds movies were reissued on DVD featuring additional content such as historical background and production details.

Enduring impact

Despite criticism from longtime fans of the franchise, cast members often emphasize the film’s loyal following, especially among those who were children when it premiered. The movie occasionally undergoes critical reappraisal, with performers reflecting positively on their involvement; Sophia Myles called it "one of the best times of my life." Dominic Colenso, now working in communications, frequently refers to himself as a "Former Thunderbird."

To support promotional efforts for the film, ZenithOptimedia constructed a 60-foot Thunderbird 3 model based on Dominic Lavery’s design. This large-scale replica was exhibited in Trafalgar Square near the time of release and later moved to Blackpool, where it was temporarily adorned with images inspired by Picasso’s Guernica. In early 2008, Eastern Airways acquired the model, which remains on display at Humberside Airport.

Soundtrack

  • The track titled Thunderbirds Are Go, performed by the band Busted

References

Primary sources


Secondary sources


Further reading

External links

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