By Ken Parker
A bit of a background. I am a fan of
Thunderbirds but only got into it initially because I grew up
with Space: 1999 and UFO. I did not watch Thunderbirds
until I was in my 20's, in the 80's. Thunderbirds was probably
my favorite of the Supermarionation series and always felt that a
remake would be prime material for a successful new venture.
Obviously the new remake would have to handled properly and while I
think the 2004 movie version missed the mark, the new Thunderbirds
Are Go series was near perfect in its execution.
The series premiered in the UK on April
4 and it is obvious to every fan that the production involved has a
love for the original series. WETA workshop poured their hearts into
this production that keeps most of the original series soul intact.
From the vehicle design to character look to the music and sets, the
new series seems to have captured the original essence of the 1965
puppet series.
Fan reaction is mixed and while most
love it, some are ready to condemn it forever. The series does have
some problems that I felt keep it from being perfect but there is so
much done well that it is easy to ignore the missteps. Still, I must
point them out.
First off, the inclusion of the famous
countdown of the Thunderbirds launch is included in the opening and
that is a massively perfect decision but the repeating of the
countdown during each and every Thunderbird launch throughout the
first two episodes is out of place and hopefully will not continue.
The opening episode is an incredible
fast pace epileptic editor's nightmare as we are introduced to each
and every character and vehicle in neck whipping fashion. This speed
introduction is way too fast and anyone would have trouble following
the set up. I know they are trying to fit lots of script in a half
hour but knowing this was a two part opening, I wished they could
have slowed it down just a bit. Pushing Grandma back to the end of
the two parter alone might have helped greatly.
The only other thing that I can comment
on right now is the lack of tension. The original series had a fair
amount of tension and build up and it is possible the new series will
not be able to mimic that due to its half hour format.
Going to the positive side of the
review, I like the combination of the CG and miniature sets. The
producers have decided to recreate the series format of mixing
mediums. CG and miniatures replace puppets and miniatures. The
blend of them is better than I thought and creates an almost toy like
look that I would argue the original series had as one of its primary
appeals.
The animation is very good, with the
hero craft being the highlight. The character animation is also well
done but perhaps I am still spoiled by the 'realistic' animated
movement from The New Captain Scarlet. Their goal is not to
create realistic and to a degree, the Thunderbirds animation
resembles the puppets more than real people.
The music is okay but is nowhere up to
original series composer Barry Gray. I have to hear more but the
constant droning of music has yet to grow on me. The sound effects
and miniature sets are fine. I love the detail of the miniatures,
especially of the pool chairs blown across the floor during
Thunderbird One's launch.
I feel each character is well executed
with John, Scott, Gordon and Kayo coming up on top. I am not
accepting of Lady Penelope as of yet as it will either take me a long
time to accept someone that is not Sylvia Anderson as the voice or
that there needs to be a little more time to see her character
develop.
The story is frantic for sure and I
felt that several elements could have been excised to make it more
focused. For the most part, though, I think the story does a pretty
good job introducing the premise. I have no problem with what the
script did apart from how much it did. I really like how elements
from the original series are placed into the story, namely the
original story “Lord Parker's O'liday” with the solar array aimed
toward the town.
Like most series these days, the show
has set up several ongoing plots including the Hood, his plans and
his relationship with Kayo as well as what the fate of the missing
Jeff Tracy is all about. Lots of plot for a “kids' program” but
certainly enough to keep us interested.
I feel that Thunderbirds Are Go
is a great start to the series and is as close to the original as it
could be. With some pacing tweaks the series would be incredible and
time will tell how that goes. I have to feel a little sad for the
2005 Gerry Anderson series The New Captain Scarlet, which I
think had just about the same level of quality as this new series and
yet it was completely ignored by the networks and fans alike. This
new Thunderbirds TV series, in my opinion, has a ways to go to
reach The New Captain Scarlet level of quality and enjoyment
but it is certainly on its way. Thunderbirds Are Go has
already been renewed and is already a hit. The fact that it will now
air on Saturday mornings from now on is not something any fan wants
to hear. We feel the series could hold it own closer to prime time
but the show will no doubt be merchandised and promoted to death. I
look forward to more of this series for sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment