Thunderbirds (2004) The Movie | A 20th Anniversary Retrospective

Everything you never wanted to know about the 2004 movie of Thunderbirds in one impossible-to-digest video. We’ll work on the tagline, but hey, it’s finally here!

Earlier this year, Andrew Clements came to me with the idea of commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Thunderbirds movie. Andrew wrote an enormous review of the movie for this very blog back in 2017 and it’s proven to be the single most popular post on Security Hazard ever since. Yes folks, on Jack Knoll’s blog about Gerry Anderson productions, the most widely read article was written by Andrew Clements about a production which Gerry Anderson had next to nothing to do with. That’s the internet for you.

Anyway, when Andrew initially suggested a modest celebration of the movie’s birthday, but I fancied doing something a little bit bigger. I could see an opportunity to dig deep into why this movie is so polarising, and why it reportedly put director, Jonathan Frakes, into Hollywood’s infamous movie jail. Ever since Andrew’s initial 2017 review was published, I’ve noticed a shift come along in online discourse surrounding the movie, becoming more balanced and nuanced over the years.

By and large, the initial reaction to the movie from passionate Thunderbirds fans was one of disappointment, anger, and absolute vitriol. And frankly, when a movie costs $57 million to make and only claws back around $28 million at the box office, there has to be some basis for that reaction. It’s pretty clear that the 2004 movie didn’t achieve Hollywood’s ultimate ambition – turning a profit. But what about the kids who saw the movie back in 2004 and in the years since? Did anyone ask them for their opinions? Well no, because they were children with no money… and because honestly not a lot of children got to see the movie back in 2004 because of bigger names like Shrek and Spider-Man dominating the big screen at that time. Arguably, it wasn’t until the VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, TV repeats and streaming came along that Thunderbirds (2004) was able to find an audience of children with nothing better to do. Now, a lot of those kids have grown up… pretty much all of them actually. I’m one of them, although I’ll never claim to have grown up. I saw the movie at the age of 9 and was totally accepting of it at the time. I used my pocket money to buy up the toys, watched the DVD on repeat, and even entered a competition to attend the premiere (I didn’t win – story of my life). Then, as a teenager, I was introduced to online fandom and the general argument that the movie wasn’t much good. Because I was 13 and desperately trying to fit in with any group of people, I just convinced myself that this consensus was what I had to think if I was ever going to achieve my ultimate destiny of becoming a Thunderbird…

Later, when Andrew Clements had cemented himself in my life as someone I’d never be able to shake off, I witnessed the sheer joy that that the 2004 movie brought to him. Every time he discovered a new piece of behind the scenes trivia or purchased a new addition to his collection of original props from the movie, I was usually on the receiving end of his excitement. It rubbed off on me. Andrew taught me a lot of the backstory behind the movie’s production and development. I invited him to share those insights with Security Hazard readers and I was blown away by just how much he had to say about the movie.

So, this year, 20 years since its release, I agreed that the 2004 Thunderbirds movie was ready for a fresh retrospective. I wanted to explore what had upset fans so much and why many children who grew up with the movie still loved it. I was also particularly eager to debunk the myth that Jonathan Frakes was entirely to blame for the film’s box office failings because, long story short, that simply isn’t how a movie like this is made. I didn’t expect to produce a 6-hour-long video interviewing the movie’s cast, crew, and fans, but it turns out that’s what it took to get a detailed insight into the Thunderbirds movie.

It started with a single interview. Dominic Colenso, who played Virgil Tracy in the movie, has spoken a great deal about how the Thunderbirds experience shaped his life and career so he seemed like the perfect person to ask for more details about what the atmosphere was actually like on the set of the film. Dominic’s affection for the movie, its director, and its intended audience inspired us to dig deeper. While the studio executives clearly viewed Thunderbirds (2004) as a mid-budget kids movie like any other, the people actually down on the stages at Pinewood were putting a heck of a lot of effort into making it the best mid-budget kids movie that they could within the constraints of the script and target audience.

With great tenacity, Andrew successfully secured us additional interviews so that we could tell the story from as many perspectives as possible, including some of the positive and negative challenges involved with adapting Thunderbirds into a movie for kids at that time. In the end, we were lucky enough to speak with:

John Beard, the movie’s production designer in charge of the overall look. John told us all about the design movements of the new millenium which had inspired his retro-futuristic approach to Thunderbirds. John also talked about the extra lengths he went to in order to ensure consistency across the entire project, including turning down another big Hollywood job to stay attached to the movie through to its completion!

Dominic Lavery, who was one of the many concept artists responsible for redesigning the Thunderbird craft. Dominic also worked on the abandoned 1998 version of the Thunderbirds film, and later worked with Gerry Anderson himself to bring New Captain Scarlet to our screens in 2005, and then to develop Gerry’s own reinterpretation of Thunderbirds which never materialised. Dominic therefore has a unique perspective on what Gerry’s involvement in a Thunderbirds reboot might have looked like. He also shared with us his memory of the day that Gerry Anderson met Jonathan Frakes at Pinewood Studios during the movie’s production…

Sophia Myles, Lady Penelope herself. Sophia’s casting is widely celebrated as one of the most successful aspects of the 2004 movie. With such a pivotal role in the film, Sophia was ideally positioned to tell us about the excitement on-set, the big promotional efforts behind the movie’s release, and why it ultimately landed with some viewers and not others. Sophia also explains the bizarre reality of having one’s face on a Thunderbirds Monopoly board.

Ron Cook, Parker himself. After all, you can’t have Penny without Parker, can you? Coming to Thunderbirds as an experienced actor of the stage and screen, Ron chatted to us all about what made the role of Parker so unique in his career. As an avid viewer of the original series as a youngster, Ron also offered a special insight into the process of adapting David Graham’s voice for the puppet into a live-action, real-world performance.

John Lee, model maker extraordinaire, might be a name familar to Gerry Anderson fans since he began his career working on Terrahawks. John offered us valuable insight into the practical model effects behind some of the movie’s spectacular action set pieces. Yes, that’s right, models – just like the original Thunderbirds series! Let’s debunk that myth too that the film relied solely on CGI (although the CGI that is there also happens to be pretty darn amazing).

In addition to these extensive cast and crew interviews, Andrew and I also wanted to chat with our friends and colleagues in the Anderson community who share a passion for the movie’s strengths and weaknesses. We approached this as if we were planning an in-person event dedicated to the movie, organising discussion panels around key aspects of the production, as well as producing a couple of special filmed pieces to serve as exhibits. So, in addition to a glorious look at Andrew’s collection of original props and pieces of set from the movie, we spoke to the following Thunderbirds boffins on their chosen areas of expertise:

Connor Flanagan is an artist who’s recently worked on a number of Gerry Anderson comic projects including Stingray, Terrahawks, and New Captain Scarlet. Connor first saw the movie while he was in university, and explains why he appreciated the movie at the time despite feeling outside of the target demographic.

James Crethar knows everything there is to know about Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi’s score for the movie. With James’ guidance we dive deep into the under-appreciated soundtrack.

Ben Page is a film-maker and puppeteer and took a journey with us through the archive of earlier drafts of the movie’s script. Ben and I marveled as Andrew explained the film’s development and the versions of Thunderbirds that never were.

Writers Willow Lambden-Smith and Olivia M. Grant joined us to talk about the movie’s characters, considering how the puppet creations we know and love from the original series were adapted for the big screen and for the incredible ensemble cast who played them.

Finally, sci-fi vehicle specialist Chris Thompson helped us unpack the design philosophy behind each new take on the Thunderbird machines seen in the movie. Chris expertly helped us explain why the 2004 variants of International Rescue’s craft look so different from their original counterparts.

The retrospective video is also punctuated by rare material including behind the scenes footage, archive interviews, and promotional bits and pieces which offer their own flavour of nostalgia for the 20-year-old Thunderbirds movie. And don’t worry, there’s even time for fun and games as I travel with Chris, Connor, and Ben to some of the original filming locations for the movie!

So, head over to YouTube and enjoy this indulgent look back at a movie which is loathed by some and cherished by others. It’s been an incredible journey to put this mega-documentary together so Andrew and I really hope you enjoy it.

And if you have a connection with the Thunderbirds movie, maybe as a member of the cast or crew, Andrew and I would still love the opportunity to chat with you. There’s always more to learn and we remain committed to documenting as many experiences of the production as possible. Contact us here with your story!