Jonathan Frakes

(In French, On TV, December 2022) I understand but can’t quite justify the decision to make Thunderbirds live-action rather than with puppets. Yes, of course, the state of the art has moved on to actors and CGI, while puppetry is now more associated with comedy than action thrillers. Still, even today, the original Thunderbirds TV show remains so well-known because of Supermarionation: remove that and what’s left? If you’re wondering, the 2004 live-action remake will tell you. Director Jonathan Frakes does what he can with what he’s got, which is a medium budget, some interesting actors (Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton, Vanessa Hudgens, Sophia Myles) and decent production design. Alas, what he doesn’t have is a good script—While you can forgive this Thunderbird for aiming low at the family market, it doesn’t get the screenwriters off the hook for a juvenile, dull and charmless result. Despite some fun vehicles and a utopian concept with potential, the film fails to engage and can’t justify its existence. It’ll do in a pinch as family viewing if, somehow, all other options are exhausted. But that in itself is a disappointment.