Thunderbirds

Over the past decade or so it has become the norm for Hollywood to make big screen adaptations of old TV shows or even cartoons, and all in all you end up with a fifty-fifty shot that what you end up with is a hit. When information leaked out that Thunderbirds was going to be made into a live action movie, the fans of this 60s British series were overjoyed. Unfortunately the studio decided on the wrong storyline to start this possible franchise off on. The three big named actors that are tied to this film are Bill Paxton, Ben Kingsley, and Anthony Edwards, but not one of them does a good enough job to save this story even with the help of director Jonathan Frakes of Star Trek: Next Generation fame.
When the rescue team the Thunderbirds are trapped on their secret space station by the arch villain The Hood, the youngest son of the team, Alan, must gather all of his courage to rescue his father and brothers before The Hood can destroy their reputations and the world economy. With the use of CGI technology the ships from the original show are given a realism that, as a fan of the series, is wonderful to see. The biggest problem here is with the story itself, the stories from the series were always sophisticated and very in depth, but here it's turned into a childish and fanciful tale targeted at a younger audience.
The biggest thing about the original series that captivated the audience was the ships and how they were used for the rescues, but in this film they're almost used as an after thought and it slows down the movie. This isn't a bad film for the kids to watch, it has some good action and with the young actors that are in it helps keep the story grounded for a younger audience. Yet if you are a fan of the series from the 60s this is a pale comparison and is well worth it to be passed by.