The International Rescue team of Tracey Island are back on TV with the highly anticipated Thunderbirds Are Go! from ITV and it looks like it’s going to be an instant hit once again. Combining the right amount of nostalgia with modern day cool, it’s shaping up to be a winner with old school fans, as well as a whole new generation of kids, making it a pretty fitting tribute to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the creators of the original 1960s classic.
The first episode aired on Saturday the 4th April 2015 at 5pm and it didn’t waste a second before breaking into the action as youngest Tracey brother Alan takes to space for a chaperoned early mission with Tanusha “Kayo” Kyrano to fix a satellite that’s been knocked off course. While the mission goes off without a hitch, with some very impressive space sequences, there’s a much bigger plot at the heart of the opening show as you’re treated to a plot that also introduces the Thunderbirds’ biggest nemesis, The Hood.
It made for a high impact first outing for the show and sets things up well for a great series ahead on ITV, which could have seen it pick up a similar kind of viewership as Doctor Who on BBC. However, Thunderbirds Are Go! will go on to air at 8am on Saturdays from the second week’s episode onwards, which will undoubtedly see it miss out on becoming a family hit, so there’s a lot of pressure on it in terms of the new generation showing an interest as part of their Saturday morning tell routine. For us it’s a bit of a mistake on the part of ITV, but that aside the show is shaping up well.
While the cast did a pretty good job in the double-header opening episode, it’s the look and feel of the new series that stands out the most. The lack of supermarionation was announced early on in the development of the children’s TV show, and there was probably a lot of old school fans of the original who may have lowered their expectations as a result, but the finished product is such a good combination of old meets new that it should keep everyone happy.
The characters may well be rendered with computer imagery by the team at Weta Workshop (The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, Mad Max: Fury Road), but they still look a little puppet like. It’s a deft delivery for the creators of the show, who have crafted a style that retains some of the doll-like gloss of the original, while also making them look like a modern day action team. They don’t quite move like their supermarionette equivalents, with more range of actions than ever before, but there’s this vague trace of deliberate movement that hints at the origins of the new show.
It’s a feature that continues on with the sets and vehicles with Tracey Island looking very cool, while still retaining an element of post-modern 1960s style. However, when you skim over the swimming pool, which slides under the house to reveal the launchpad for Thunderbirds 1, you’re instantly hooked on the futuristic genius of the show. Underwater adventure, outer space missions, sonic flight and a very high tech Tracey Island all add up to a whole lot for kids to become swept up in once again.
When we finally took time away from marvelling at the CGI animation and style for the series to actually listen to the voice cast to review how well they’ve taken up the mantel we realised that the fact that we hadn’t noticed anything earlier means that they’ve been able to slip easily in their roles without any significantly jarring annoyances. Nobody stands out all that much, but they all carry off their parts well enough, leaving you to focus on the stories and future tech brilliance that makes Thunderbirds Are Go!, so watchable.
Rosamund Pike (A Long Way Down) makes a good Lady Penelope, playing off David Graham pretty well as he returns to the role of Parker with trademark poise. Rasmus Hardiker, David Menkin and Thomas Brodie-Sangster work well as the Tracey boys and Kayvan Novak (Cuban Fury) pulls off the role of Brains with ease, updating the role well without losing the tech genius’ geek appeal.
Angel Coulby is probably the strongest cast member based on the first episode from series 1, Ring Of Fire, coming across as seemingly unstoppable in the role Kayo. However, there’s a lot of potential in Andres Williams’ role as The Hood, looking and sounding every bit the international criminal mastermind that he’s supposed to be.
The show’s writer, Rob Hoegee, has managed to pull off the very difficult feat of injecting new life into it, along with the help of directors David Scott and Theo Baynton. They’re efforts, along with the CGI shimmer of Weta Workshop and a solid performance from the cast has resulted in an action packed first outing for Thunderbirds Are Go!, which makes it easy to see why ITV has already picked up on series 2 for 2016/17. We’re already looking forward to episode 2; it’s just a shame we’ll have to get up at 8am on Saturday morning to catch it.
Thunderbirds Are Go! review: 4/5
