Thunderbirds International Rescue Edition 2-Pack Gift Set (Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6)

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Thunderbirds Are Go followed the remarkable success of the Thunderbirds television series, bringing the three-dimensional puppet animation adventures of International Rescue to the big screen. Set in the 21st century, there is no attempt to explain the background story: as in the TV show International Rescue is a private family organization who uses high-tech craft to rescue anyone in peril. Here it's the first manned flight to Mars that's in danger, as International Rescue foils a sabotage attempt at the launch, then race to avert disaster when the spaceship returns to earth. What could have made a 50-minute TV episode is expanded to feature length with Martian "rock monsters" and a surreal dream-sequence involving Alan Tracy, Lady Penelope, and "Cliff Richard Jnr" & the Shadows, with a new song performed by the real Cliff and the Shadows. In the theaters, Thunderbirds Are Go was competing against another British children's TV sci-fi spin-off, the equally colorful Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150AD, and would be followed by Thunderbird 6 (1968). Yet apart from more complex model work, a bigger orchestra, and even bigger explosions, on TV this plays like a widescreen double-length episode.

Thunderbird 6 revolved around a new addition to the lineup of International Rescue's five emergency craft. The plot sees Lady Penelope, Alan, Tin-Tin, and Parker as the only passengers on the maiden, round-the-world flight of a futuristic airship, which is hijacked in a bid to capture Thunderbirds 1 and 2. From the moment Alan arrives on a Bond-style jetpack, the film veers away from the TV show into espionage adventure territory, and while the only people International Rescue rescues are their own members, they kill a fair number of bad guys. The global tour means there are more locations than ever, and though the story takes a long time developing, the Die Hard-on-an-airship finale delivers the most explosive set piece of Gerry Anderson's career. As for Thunderbird 6, opinion remains divided as to whether it's an ingenious twist or a disappointing gimmick, but the movie's blend of model and live-action footage results in two superbly staged stunt sequences. The Andersons would make one further feature film, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969). --Gary S. Dalkin

Description

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!
Blast off into interplanetary adventure with the first feature-length film starring the International Rescue team: millionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, his five stalwart sons, the fabulous secret agent Lady Penelope and, of course, their incredibly futuristic fleet of Thunderbird rescue ships! When the mighty spaceship Zero X is sabotaged on its first takeoff for Mars, International Rescue is summoned to provide security for the second launch attempt. But after the ship successfully reaches its destination, it is attacked by rampaging alien life forms! Once again, the brave and resourceful International Rescue team is called into action. Can the team help the damaged ship re-enter Earth's atmosphere and prevent a crash-landing with devastating consequences?

THUNDERBIRD 6
The Tracy team are back in action in another riveting adventure! This time it will take all of their combined effort - and the cunning wit of their colleague Lady Penelope - to defeat an international ring of terrorists who've targeted International Rescue for destruction! While on the maiden voyage of the fabulous new passenger vessel "Skyship One," Lady Penelope is shocked to discover that the original crew has been killed and replaced with a ruthless gang of hijackers who want to use her to obtain classified information about the International Rescue team! As the hijacked super-plane circles the globe on a collision course with catastrophe, Penelope must outwit her captors and send an urgent SOS to get help from her fearless cohorts…before it's too late!

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely F.A.B.!!!.......2006-02-18

Like many Thunderbirds fans around the world, I've watched these exciting TV shows as a child. Unlike the ubiquitous unoriginal and uninspired children's shows nowadays, the Thunderbirds shows provided plenty of imaginative, captivating, and exciting adventures! This gift set contains two VERY entertaining, widescreen, full-length movies in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and features many extras such as commentaries by Silvia Anderson (producer) and David Lane (director), theatrical trailers, photo galleries, quizzes, and many featurettes, etc.....Lots of FUN stuff. These digital re-mastered movies are just amazing: the pictures are sharp, colors vivid, clear sounds/music, and most artifacts like marionette lines removed. I especially enjoyed the H.M. Royal Marine's performance of the Thunderbirds theme during the closing credits: THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!!!

MY SON LEARN ENGLISH WITH THUNDERBIRDS & FUN.......2004-10-17

I AM A MOTHER AND A KINDERGARDEN TEACHER TOO, AND I FOUND WITH MY "THUNDERBIRDS" COLLECTION AN EASY WAY TO TEACH ENGLISH TO MY KIDS, AND THEY REALLY ENJOY THIS TWO CHAPTERS BECAUSE THE SUBTITLES AND THE MAGIC FORMULA OF SUPERMARIONATION MAKE THEM FELL INSIDE THE MOVIE... IN "THUNDERBIRD 6" WE CAN FIND THE WHOLE TEAM IN A RESCUE ADVENTURE...AND IN THE "THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO" THE VISUAL AN SOUD EFFECTS ARE GREAT....

The Fabulous Thunderbirds!.......2004-08-10

The works of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson have diminished little since their salad days in the 1960s.
The release of 'Thunderbirds are Go' and 'Thunderbird 6'to DVD to coincide with the theatrical release of the live action movie in theaters soon,is a delight to see once more.
I hadn't seen these movies since their intial release in 1966 and 1968 respectively but my memory told me the second one was a little better,and I was right.'Thunderbirds are Go' gets a little long in spots and is at times a bit disjointed in plot while 'Thunderbird 6' generally moves along very well.
While working with marionettes and miniature sets was nothing
new,the Andersons took the two where no man or woman had gone before and made it almost an artform in itself.The Andersons' imaginations on the Thunderbirds series and the many others they had running and working at the same time like 'Stingray' and 'Fireball XL-5'(my fave)showed the unbelievable talent and skill they possesed.And to see how well these films still stand up today is a fine testament to that.
Sure you can still see the wires from time to time but the main thing was the tapestry they wove with their myriad of plot devices coupled with the working and integrating of the marionettes with live sequences/actors.In fact in 'Thunderbird 6' try to differentiate between the miniature Tiger Moth biplane and the real thing(...or was it?).And was that the marionettes hand or an actors?
Furthermore the Andersons took the entire thing beyond just this and made each individual marionette into a genuine character with all the foibles and emotions one sees with live actors.With just the right dialogue and nuance they pulled you into that world and you "believed".This hadn't been done before nor has it since.
The only other work that comes close and achevied similar results in another related but different medium was Jim Henson and the Muppets.
Much of the Andersons work inspired many pros in the motion picture field for years and does to this day,especially those that work with miniature sets so important in countless pictures involving SFX.
So here's a tip of the hat to you Sylvia and Gerry Anderson.
You did GOOD!!!

Heavy-duty futuristic hardware, explosions, and...puppets.......2004-08-10

I was so surprised that I liked these movies a lot more than I thought I would. These films were obviously a labor of love for Sylvia and Gerry Anderson, and their extra efforts show in every frame. Derek Meddings' designs are just incredible; it's easy to see how he was hired to do the futuristic model effects for the James Bond movies. And the dream sequence in "Thunderbirds Are Go!", in which Cliff ("Devil Woman", "Little in Love") Richard and the seminal group The Shadows are modeled by perfect marionette replicas (in what could quite possibly be the first MTV-type music video ever) is alone, in my opinion, worth the price of both DVDs.

The only quibble I would have with both movies would be in the pacing. There are quite a few slow points in these films (e.g., the launches of the Thunderbirds, the rollout of the Mars vehicle in "Thunderbirds Are Go!" which goes on for a full 10 minutes!). The finely detailed work in the sets and the marionettes well deserve this extra ogling time, though, and I believe kids will particularly be impressed by the "hardware" displayed and won't mind the plodding of these scenes.

The extras are fun, too. Sylvia Anderson and David Lane discuss all the trials and tribulations of pulling off high-tech science-fiction adventure with a cast of 18"-tall puppets.

Not to bad.......2004-07-28

I have only seen "Thuderbirds are Go", and I will write a reveiw for when I see "Thunderbird 6". I was excited when I heard about this set because, when looking on the web for these 2 movies, I found that they were only available in Region 2. When I heard about this, I thought it was a best episodes DVD. I was glad when I saw that it contained the movies. I saw the first film and was a little dissapointed. It was entertaining but there almost totally useless sequences, but my biggest gripe is that the first Zero X takeoff was way to long, especially since I got this set to see the main characters, and they didn't appear for 10 minutes (maybe longer, I didn't time it). Aside from those complaints. I enjoyed the film and I intend to watch the second one. The punch out ships are pain, but I love the magnets, and the behind the scenes featuretees. But, I recommend that, if you never seen Thunderbirds, start with renting a series disc (I never saw an episode, but I heard they were better) If you want a complete set, get this and the series box set. The first movie was entertaing, just a few slow spots. I think Tin-Tin is cute.

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