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THUNDERBIRDS (VOLUMES 1 & 2)
Review by Michael Jacobson
Creator: Gerry
Anderson
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Standard 1.33:1
Studio: A&E
Features: Photo Galleries,
Behind-the-Scenes short
Length: Approx. 156 Minutes per
disc
Release Date: February 27, 2001
Film ***1/2
“5…4…3…2…1…Thunderbirds are GO!”
In the mid 60’s a puppet show was all the rage on British
television, but not just any puppet show…Gerry Anderson’s cult classic Thunderbirds
coined the phrase “supermarionation”, which took traditional
marionettes, made them more lifelike and gave them electronically controlled
eyes that moved and blinked and mouths that could operate in sync with
voiceovers. He then populated their
futuristic world with some of the coolest crafts ever conceived.
I always thought Anderson had the world’s best toy collection at his
disposal, and one of the best playtime imaginations ever.
Set in the year 2065, former astronaut Jeff Tracy begins a
well-financed and secretive philanthropic organization with his sons:
International Rescue. Equipped
with the most advanced technology and gear for any conceivable emergency, their
so-named “Thunderbird” crafts had the ability to reach space, fly several
times the speed of sound, go underwater, or haul specific rescue equipment
(giant drills, carriers, radio gear, etc.) and could get in and out of
practically anywhere. Over the
course of these episodes, you’ll see adventures in space, on and under water,
on the ground and in the air. The
Thunderbirds never give up, and they always come through in the clutch.
Assisting the Tracy family are Brains, a Jimmy
Stewart-style stammering genius who designed and created the working of the
entire International Rescue operation (whatever they’re paying him, it’s not
enough!), Tin Tin, a loyal Asian service girl who monitors the situations from
base, but will take off with the boys at a moment’s notice if needed, and Lady
Penelope, the debonair British undercover agent with a modernistic pink Rolls
Royce loaded to the gills with equipment and weaponry (as a note, Lady
Penelope’s car was the only fictional car approved and endorsed by the Rolls
Royce corporation!).
Each disc in the two double disc sets packs three hour-long
adventures per DVD, making for a collection you can enjoy over several nights
(or all at once if you want to have a Thunderbirds marathon party!).
But you definitely want to start with the first set, which begins with
the pilot episode “Trapped in the Sky”, and serves as either an introduction
or a refresher as to who the team members are and how they operate (it’s also
a longtime personal favorite of mine). The
only thing you won’t learn is just where the heck Jeff Tracy got all of
his money to start and keep International Rescue going.
When asked that question by a fan, Gerry Anderson responded, “I don’t
know…Jeff never told me that.”
The show, though off the air for nearly 4 decades now,
continues to grow in popularity thanks to reruns on the BBC, video circulations,
and rumors of an eventual new Thunderbirds movie (possibly live action), which
Anderson has said he would be all too happy to realize!
Anderson’s famous work has even found its way into other areas of our
culture, most notably the Dire Straits video for “Calling Elvis” a few years
ago.
Fans of the original show will appreciate these discs, but
for those who’ve never had a chance to experience this classic show, I’d
urge you to give them a try. You
might think that a marionette and model sci-fi show would be camp, but then
again, you might just be surprised at how well-crafted and suspenseful some of
these episodes could be. With over
200 miniatures at his disposal and using simple film special effects like
slowing down the speed to make small fires look much bigger, it doesn’t really
take long to forget about the puppets and strings and concentrate on the
stories, which were as good or better than any other action drama seen on TV in
the 60’s or 70’s.
Anderson would go on to create another sci-fi classic for
television, Space: 1999 (also
available on DVD from A&E), but it’s Thunderbirds that has kept him
a known name amongst young and old science fiction fans alike.
His innovation and imagination built a fun, technically impressive family
show into a lingering cult phenomenon that should garner even more life with
this DVD offering.
BONUS TRIVIA: A
question fans of the show have pondered for years is “what does F.A.B., the
team members' standard radio acknowledgement, stand for?”
The answer from Gerry Anderson: nothing.
‘Fabulous’ or ‘fab’ happened to be a popular catch word at the
time Thunderbirds originally aired, so he simply gave his characters the
fake acronym to be more hip.
Video ***
For starters, these discs are definitely an improvement
over earlier VHS versions (at least, the ones I’ve seen). Thunderbirds was a very colorful show, and that’s
what A&E has brought to life with their DVD release. The colors are bright and natural looking, with no bleeding
and no noticeable fading from age. Images
range from sharp to slightly soft (usually in lower light settings), though the
print does suffer from occasional tell-tale signs of wear in the form of light
scratches, dirt, and occasional spots (though overall, not distracting or nearly
as much as you might expect for episodes of a 36 year old television program).
Overall, a good transfer effort given the limitations of the source
material.
Audio ***1/2
I wasn’t expecting much when I saw that these old shows
had been remastered for 5.1 surround sound, but I was surprised at the
results—A&E did a terrific job! The
audio is very dynamic, and actually makes more use of the rear state and .1
channel than you might believe. With
explosions, fires, and jet vehicles taking off and landing, Thunderbirds puts
you in the middle of the action like never before. There are even subtle touches, like voices coming over
loudspeakers sounding off from the front stage but with the reverb in the rear.
There are, as you might expect, occasional and minor touches of noise
here and there during quieter scenes, but these are hardly a distraction and
certainly acceptable. Fans of the
show will definitely find this new listening experience a treat.
Features **
On the first disc of both sets, there is a 3-4 minute short
film that takes you behind the scenes of both Thunderbirds and Stingray,
letting you have a closer look at the puppeteering and sets.
The second disc of both sets contains a photo gallery.
All discs feature animated menus with sound. I’d also like to point out
that all of the cover boxes are neatly packaged with photos, quotes, and bits of
trivia…a nice touch.
Summary:
Thunderbirds on DVD are definitely a go…this nice looking and incredible sounding pair of double disc sets are just the treat fans of the original show have been waiting for. F.A.B. A&E!
