I saw this last week, but couldn't bothered posting until now.
They both have and haven't destroyed everything about my childhood.
Firstly, everything from the start to the end of the first scene is awesome. The music is remixed nicely, and the oil rig encounter is fantasticly done.
There are a lot of subtle in-jokes if you've scene the original that I loved. I also loved the way they had adapted the idea of single man vehicles to multi person vehicles, with the father as a pilot also. And Lady penelope was spot on.
As for what I didn't like - They made it a kids movie!
I mean, all the annoying sound effects and lame humour was bad enough, but they has to focus on the most anoying character of the bunch! Then he gets all the credit for all the work Tin-Tin does. He's immature and irresponsiblem, while she's mature and independant.
On second thought, they've characterised teenagers perfectly.
The worst part, though, was the plot. We have the hood, an evil and menacing villain in the series who has been made camp and pathetic in the film. Moreover though, this group is called "International rescue" (Despite the films insistance to call them the "Thunderbirds" which is just the name of the vehicles, not the people or organisation.) Yet, 90% of the film is spent not actually in a rescue, which is the most interesting part.
In the series, the tension came from figuring out how to utislise their limited equipment to find a rescue solution in a limited timeframe, and then having the skill to actually make that rescue. For example, figuring out to use three cars for a plane to land on, then driving them well enough. Not in the film though.
Also, for a Live action film, how come it looks less real than the supermarionation?
The worst and the best bit of this movie was it had so many hints of greatness.
Still, it only cost four bucks to see.
