Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 are both fun flicks though probably younger kids and those who grew up during that timeframe might get more enjoyment out of it.
Thunderbirds Are Go/Thunderbird 6
(1966/1968)
Genre(s): Comedy, Adventure
Twilight Time | NR/G – 93 min. / 89 min. – $29.95 | May 13, 2014
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MOVIE INFO (Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6): Directed by: David Lane Writer(s): Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson (written by) Voice Cast: Peter Dyneley, Sylvia Anderson, Shane Rimmer, Jeremy WilkinDISC INFO: Features: 3 Commentaries, Featurettes, Test Footage, Theatrical Trailers, Isolated Score Number of Discs: 1Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 1.0) Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35 Subtitles: English SDH Disc Size: NA Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Region(s): A, B, C |
PLOT SUMMARY
Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 are the cinematic evolution of Gerry Anderson’s hugely popular British TV series, “Thunderbirds” which ran from 1965-1966, a mix of puppetry (via the patented Supermarionation process, which allowed synchronization of dialogue with marionette movement), sci-fi futurism, action-adventure, and undeniably fabulous Sixties-era design. Both films weave tales of the adventures of the Tracy Family, a father and five sons who, with the assistance of the glamorous British agent Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, run International Rescue, an elite team who roam the globe—and beyond—in a humanitarian effort to help their fellow men.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5
This comes with a 6-page essay/picture booklet.
THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO
Audio Commentaries – This movie comes with two tracks: 1) Film Historians Jeff Bond (from Geek Magazine) and Nick Redman and 2) Producer Sylvia Anderson and Director David Lane. Each one provides a different perspective with the first track providing a more historian perspective and the second giving a behind-the-scenes viewpoint.
Excitement is Go: Making Thunderbirds (22:29; HD) is an extensive making-of featurette with new interviews by Gerry Anderson and his son as they recollect how the series got started and to the big screen. Also included are some BTS photographs.
Cliff Richard & the Shadows Unseen Test Footage (17:02; SD) – Recovered in 2013, this is thought to be reference material for the puppeteers.
Also included are some archival featurettes:
History and Appeal (10:26; SD) looking at how the film has hold up over time; Factory of Dolls and Rockets (8:40; SD) is a set of interviews discussing how the puppets and sets were created; Epics in Miniature (7:49; SD) has those involved talk about how the movies were shot to give it a cinematic look; a Photo Montage; Come with Me to the Rushes (0:28; SD) has writer/producer Sylvia Anderson telling a story about the film rushes; What Does F.A.B. Mean? (0:30; SD) explains, well, what that means (just a shortened version of “fabulous”); and lastly we get the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:26; HD).
THUNDBIRD 6
Audio Commentary – Anderson and Lane once again return for a track covering the sequel and providing tid-bits on how it was made and other behind-the-scenes stories.
This movie only includes archival featurettes: Lady Penelope (9:05; SD) explores the expansion of the Penelope character; Building Better Puppets (8:09; SD) looks at the advancement and creating more detailed puppets for the sequel; Tiger Moth (6:20; SD) is a featurette on the bi-plane featured in the movie; Photo Montage; A Call from Stanley Kubrick (0:56; SD) has Sylvia Anderson recalls her conversation with the legendary filmmaker who apparently wanted inquire about their work on one of his films; A Television Tribute (0:29; SD) is Sylvia Anderson again, in an interview, recalling the tribute by Dudley Moore; and finally the Theatrical Trailer (1:59; HD) is available.
VIDEO – 3.75/5
Both Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 arrives on Blu-ray on a single disc presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer and both shown with a 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture, especially for films 45+ years old, actually look pretty darn good with fine detail levels throughout, colors are fairly bright and although there are some dust marks on occasion, it’s a good transfer for both movies, though Thunderbirds Are Go is a bit better.
AUDIO – 4.25/5
Both films come with a 5.1 and 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks which are more than serviceable providing some nice depth for the action oriented scenes as well as some of the more talky ones. The bulk of the action seems to take place through the center channel but the front and rear speakers do get some use especially for the score.
Also includes Isolated Score Tracks for both films in DTS-HD MA 2.0.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 are both fun flicks though probably younger kids and those who grew up during that timeframe might get more enjoyment out of it. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers quite a bit of bonus material to peruse while the audio/video transfers are both good.
Published: 05/18/2014