Thunderbirds are .... No !

Since ITV heavily marketed it as a computer-animated series, I'm not sure why you weren't expecting a "cartoon".

I watched it with two eight year old boys, who loved the original puppet series. They weren't especially impressed with this new version, neither was I. It was oddly undramatic, the main characters were ciphers, Lady P was too young and too booby, Parker looked like Noel Gallagher and the craft looked too blocky.

Three things were missing - Jeff Tracy (big mistake to kill him off before the series start); Barry Gray's thrilling music (the replacement score was rubbish); and any sense of menace from The Hood.

Even the animation wasn't that impressive. Not a total abortion like the film of 10 or so years ago, but the boys and I won't be bothering again.

I'm going to watch it now.  Wonder if the grandkids will be trying to persuade me to make them Tracy Islands?  

Didn't really like it very much.  The original puppet series dates from my teen years and I remember part of the fun was in mimicking the puppets movements.  Almos as much fun as extracting the urine from "Bill and Ben". (I'll let someone else explain that reference to our younger viewers, but just try saying things like flobalook little weeeeeeeed).  

I loved it and so did most reviewers. I found it refreshingly faithful to the original series I watched as a pre-teen, with a few exceptions, and then a few years later with my own son.

If not a cartoon what did you expect?

Well that was rubbish! We lasted 5 mins.

Flat and un-involving, as for Lady P well? TBAG for the 1D generation?

There was a certain something about the puppet shows that this singularly fails to achieve.

Star Wars Rebels is so much better.

Flobba dob.

Did Thunderbird 2 look too wide?  I gave up after about ten minutes.  The remake could never be as good as early memories of the original, seen through young child's eyes at that time. Perhaps the original seemed more lifelike?!!!!

+1 .. Somethings are irreplaceable 

I wondered how long it would take you to comment on this thread Simon!

Watched 10 minutes and switched if off. Graphics, CGI were lamentable. Needed something to cheer me up andfound this. Poor Parker did not deserve this!

Thuderbirds!

What a blast from the past! 

One that few, I suspect, will be around to follow.

Beg to differ, Tony. Here's my real-life Parker:

It screened in NZ last night for the first time.

I'm 47 years old and grew up on the much loved original.

I loved the re-boot!

The live model making was excellent (not to be confused with CGI).

The pace of the action was good. The only oddity was Lady P but I guess she is styled towards appealing to young girls.

Hi James

It's been a while, hope you are well?  

I think NZ'ers are going to have a hard time not liking the reboot due to the fact that it is a Weta Workshop creation.  There were parts of it that I really enjoyed but parts that were less successful to me.  I was particularly put off by how square and boxy Thunderbird 2 (always my favourite growing up) was.  Glad they kept the feel of the original island location though - loved it when I was a kid and still love it now.