Thunderbirds

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Thunderbirds's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Thunderbirds completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 20 September 2004.

Overall comments and recommendations

Thunderbirds is a children’s action adventure film in the style of Spy Kids. Many children will love this film, the colourful flashy Thunderbird rockets, Lady Penelope’s pink flying wonder car, the gadgets and the fact that the film centres on the heroic exploits of three children.

From an adult’s point of view Thunderbirds is not quality viewing, has little to offer visually or intellectually, with a thin story line and poor acting. Fans of the original TV series will probably be disappointed. While the film features all of the original Thunderbird crafts in an updated format, including the hover bikes, the film is not about international rescue and nail biting rescue missions, but rather children running around with access to Thunderbird machines.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Thunderbirds contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

‘The Thunderbirds’ consist of ex-astronaut and billionaire Jeff Tracy, his five sons and five space age rocket powered machines which are also referred to as Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds live on Tracy Island at a secret location somewhere in the South Pacific.

Thunderbirds, the movie, describes the exploits of the three children, Alan, Fermat and Tintin. The Thunderbirds have an evil nemesis, The Hood, who has red glowing eyes and telekinetic powers. The Hood manages to track the Thunderbirds to their secret island and disables Thunderbird 5, an orbiting space station manned by John Tracy. The remaining Thunderbirds rush to assist, leaving Alan, Fermat and Tintin behind on Tracy Island. The Hood then takes control of Tracy Island, and begins to use the remaining Thunderbird vehicles to rob London’s banks.

Alan, Fermat and Tintin manage to elude The Hood, and lead his henchmen astray over Tracy Island. In the meantime, Lady Penelope and Parker arrive to take matters into hand. Unfortunately, Lady Penelope and Parker are overcome by The Hood’s telekinetic powers and imprisoned in a freezer. After leading The Hood’s henchmen on a merry chase, Alan and company are captured and forced to join Lady Penelope in the freezer. The Hood then commandeers Thunderbird 2 and sets off for England and its banks.

Alan, Fermat, Tintin and Lady Penelope manage to escape and pursue The Hood to London where they confront him robbing the Bank of London.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is quite a lot of violence in this film. Most of the violence is presented in a comical, cartoon, slapstick manner with added sound effects making the violence reminiscent of a Loony Tunes cartoon. Other violence is more overtly threatening, and at other times in an even darker style.

Some examples of violence are:

• the three children slide through a series of ducted pipes, which The Hood flushes with pressurised fire (the pipes resembling the inside of a jet engine) with the intention of incinerating the three children
• The Hood used his telekinetic abilities to inflict severe pain on Parker and Lady Penelope.

At other times the use of violence was inferred or suggested. For example, while attempting to apprehend the children, The Hood says “make sure you get the guidance processor before you lose your temper” inferring that the henchman was free to harm the children after he obtained what The Hood wanted and not before.

The violence performed by the good heroes was always stylish, if not always successful, with Lady Penelope performing amazing feats of martial arts without putting a hair out of place. The villains on the other hand appeared slow and clumsy with the exception of The Hood whose violent acts appeared covert, evil and sinister.

Other than a single cut to the top of John Tracy’s head there were no real life consequences resulting from acts of violence. People were punched in the face, kicked in the groin, tortured and blown up, yet no one received any injury greater than ruffled hair, with the exception of Lady Penelope, who did not even suffer this!

Material that may scare children

Under eight
Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

There are several scenes that could scare children under the age of eight:

• the appearance and mannerism of The Hood is quite terrifying.
• when employing his telekinetic abilities, The Hood’s eyes glow red and change to a reptilian appearance.
• the appearance and mannerisms of The Hood’s Number one henchman was also very scary, threatening and intimidating. He is clad in black leather with leather armour covering his chest and appears to have super human strength (able to crash through a steel plated door). The man’s manner is highly aggressive towards adults and children and at times sexually threatening and intimidating towards women.
• a number of scenes throughout the film involve Alan, Fermat and Tintin being chased by the bad guys
• a scorpion crawls over Alan’s shoulder
• a nest of wasps is flung into a henchman’s face
• there are loud explosions; an oil rig explodes into flames with men trapped on platforms.
• a mono rail car crashes with adults and children trapped inside
• Alan and The Hood hang by their fingers while suspended above large mining machine with fast spinning cutting blades

Aged eight to thirteen
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

The main concern for children with in this age range is the images and actions of The Hood and his number one henchman. The younger the child is within this age range, the more likely it is that they will be disturbed by these images and actions.

Over the age of thirteen
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children over the age of thirteen should have the ability to cope with the violent images and characters presented in Thunderbirds, and distinguish the fantasy from reality.

Sexual references

There are a number of implicit covert sexual inferences made throughout the film. Two examples are:

• Lady Penelope is tied to a pole and The Hood’s number one henchman gloats over her body conveying his evil sexual desires through his facial expressions; a very nasty man.
• the film’s bad girl Transom has desires of her own towards another character referred to as Brains. While Brains is tied to a chair, Transom straddles herself across his waist, making suggestive comments. However, Brains is saved by an alarm going off to which Transom replies ‘that’s not fair, just when things were starting to sizzle’
• Lady Penelope is presented as very stylish and sexy

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no actual nudity or sexual activity but the following scenes with Lady Penelope are suggestive:
• walks into a crowded hall of adolescent boys immediately grabbing the attention of every boy in the room all of who stare with mouths open.
• lies in a bath completely covered with bubbles with only the top of her shoulders visible.
• removes the underwire from her bra to enable Parker to pick a lock.

Use of substances

The film contains no reference to or use of substances.

Coarse language

The film contains no coarse language, but there is some name-calling between schoolboys “thunder turd”, “diaper boy”.

The movie's message

The film’s main underlying theme relates to a young adolescent boy coming of age physically, mentally and sexually. The film is also about parents allowing their children to be independent and make the right choices and decisions.

Throughout the film the three children and the Thunderbirds team repeatedly display values of friendship, trust, loyalty, teamwork and responsibility. Parents may wish to discuss and promote these values during post film discussion.