Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray Movie Review

It's a small world.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 12, 2014

Have you seen those fun but silly quizzes that seek to determine what region of the United States you grew up in by how you answer multiple choice questions about what things are called or how words are pronounced? There might be another data point to consider, at least for Baby Boomers, in helping to narrow down what region you hail from—did you watch Thunderbirds growing up? Thunderbirds aired in probably the early seventies on some Seattle station when I was a kid, and I remember watching the show with a combination of fascination (those sets are awesome) and astonishment (those marionettes are really kind of creepy). The brainchild of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Thunderbirds was supposed to be the world beating follow up to several of the Andersons’ previous “Supermarionation” shows like Fireball XL5 and Stingray, but perhaps unexpectedly the Andersons’ mentor and production whiz Lew Grade (he wasn’t quite a “Sir” yet) wasn’t able to secure a network berth for the series on this side of the pond, and it expired after a disappointing 32 episodes (in its original hour length format —some stations recut the shows to a half hour to have 64 episodes). The series followed the exciting adventures of the International Rescue organization, led by the indomitable Tracy clan (an elderly father and his several sons, evidently modeled on the Cartwrights of Bonanza fame). While Thunderbirds never really matriculated fully to the United States, it did show up in various markets in syndication (which is how I saw it in Seattle). Grade had actually greenlit the first of two feature films based on the series before the series ever aired, and despite Thunderbirds are Go’s less than stellar trek at the box office, two years later Thunderbird 6 came out, to a similarly lukewarm response. The two films offer a great chance to enjoy the Andersons’ frankly slightly cheesy but technically formidable miniature special effects work (something that none other than Stanley Kubrick was evidently interested in pilfering for 2001: A Space Odyssey). While there are unavoidably humorous moments in both films as director David Lane struggles to deal with the fact that his cast is—well, puppets, the two films are just as undeniably charming in their own way and will certainly provide a potent dose of nostalgia for those who were in one of those aforementioned markets where the original Thunderbirds series aired.

Click on the reviews below to read full assessments:

Thunderbirds Are Go Blu-ray review

Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray review

Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aside from a very minor difference in aspect ratio (2.34:1 for Thunderbirds Are Go and 2.35:1 for Thunderbird 6), the AVC encoded 1080p transfers on these two films are similar in appearance and quality. Both feature elements in very good condition, with only a very few signs of age. Colors are really richly saturated, with everything from that garish pink of Lady Penelope's custom Rolls Royce to the crisp blues of the Tracy uniforms popping quite nicely. The image is stable and has a natural looking grain field (at times quite heavily so, in fact). There does appear to have been some very minor sharpening done here, as tiny halos occasionally crop up. Otherwise, though, contrast is great, black levels are nicely deep, and the bizarre textureless heads of all the marionettes have never looked better.

Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both of the films offer their original mono mixes courtesy of DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks, but each also has rather well done surround tracks in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. While much of the soundstage still plays out in the front channels, the 5.1 mixes nicely open up a lot of the effects work, whether that be explosions or (more typically) the roar of the Thunderbirds blasting into action. Dialogue is presented very cleanly, and Barry Gray's boisterous music (also nicely splayed through the surrounds) sounds great.

Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Thunderbirds Are Go:

• Excitement is Go! Making Thunderbirds (1080p; 22:29) is a fun featurette that looks at the whole Thunderbirds franchise. There are some nice archival stills here as well as several good interviews.


• Cliff Richard and the Shadows Unseen Test Footage (480p; 17:02) is reference footage shot by Anderson so that the marionettes fashioned after the band could be lifelike (or at least as lifelike as Anderson's marionettes ever were).


• History and Appeal (480i; 10:26) has some good interviews with Sylvia Anderson, who recounts anecdotes about the film's genesis and production.


• Factory of Dolls and Rockets (480i; 8:40) is an interesting tour of just how the sets and marionettes were fabricated and then used in the film.


• Epics in Miniature (480i; 7:49) looks at the Andersons' incredibly facility with miniatures.


• Photo Montage (480i; 3:23)


• Come With Me to the Rushes (480i; 00:28) is a funny anecdote shared by Sylvia Anderson.


• What Does F.A.B. Mean? (480i; 00:30) has Sylvia Anderson deflating rampant conspiracy theories.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:26)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Jeff Bond and Nick Redman provides good background information on the Andersons and the whole Thunderbirds phenomenon, with surprisingly little repeated info from the other commentary.


• Audio Commentary with Producer Sylvia Anderson and Director David Lane. This commentary is at least relatively more raucous, as the two raconteurs trade barbs and jokes while discussing the film and Thunderbirds in general.

Thunderbird 6:

• Lady Penelope (480i; 9:50) takes a look at the development of the character.


• Building Better Puppets (480i; 8:09) focuses on some of the technologies used to both fabricate and bring to life the marionettes.


• Tiger Moth (480i; 6:20) examines the biplane sequence.


• Photo Montage (480i; 2:29)


• A Call From Stanley Kubrick (480i; 00:56) repeats Sylvia Anderson's assertions that she politely told Kubrick that they shouldn't do lunch.


• A Television Tribute (480i; 00:29) has Sylvia Anderson relating an anecdote about Dudley Moore and Peter Cook lampooning the show.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:59)


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary by Producer Sylvia Anderson and Director David Lane offers more fun and frolic as the two skewer each other while simultaneously offering lots of memories about the shoot.

Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This wonderful double feature is going to be a godsend for certain Boomers who thrived on the bizarrely fake yet disturbingly real ambience of the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson oeuvre. Thunderbirds Are Go is probably overall the more enjoyable of the two, but together they offer a really nice overview of the extremely peculiar charm but surprisingly visceral intensity the Andersons brought to their marionette projects. Both films look and sound great, and overall the supplementary package is great as well. Highly recommended.