Thunderbirds is a 2004 science fiction action-adventure film[2] directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, and based on the television series of the same name created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

The film's plot concerns the Hood, who traps International Rescue (IR) leader Jeff Tracy and four of his sons on board the damaged Thunderbird 5 to steal the other Thunderbird vehicles and commit crimes that IR will be blamed for, prompting Jeff's youngest son Alan and his friends Tin-Tin and Fermat to stop him.

IR agent Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her valet, Aloysius Parker, return Alan and Fermat to Tracy Island for spring break, where they are reunited with their friend Tin-Tin - the daughter of the Tracy family butler, Kyrano, but Alan is grounded shortly after arrival for attempting to fly Thunderbird 1.

The Hood and his minions pilot the now-repaired Thunderbird 2 to London and use the Mole to sink a monorail line into the Thames and drill into the Bank of England’s vaults.

The rest of the Tracy family return from space in Thunderbird 3 and confront the Hood at the Bank, where he captures Jeff and Lady Penelope and challenges Alan to defeat him.

[6] Hewitt and Kirkpatrick wrote a draft of the screenplay which was faithful to the series, but which they hoped would not alienate audiences who were unfamiliar with the franchise.

[6] Hewitt was replaced by Jonathan Frakes, a big fan of the original series[7] whose credentials included another family science fiction film, Clockstoppers.

One reason that he was attracted to the role was because it reminded him of 1960s non-profit vocationalism, and people "choosing life professions not for monetary gain but for something that would be good for their souls".

[11][12] Ben Kingsley accepted the part of the Hood because his children were Thunderbirds fans and, having just finished House of Sand and Fog, he was ready for a more lighthearted role.

[18] An initial seven-day schedule became ten days after unexpected rain interfered with the shoot,[19] and Fulton, who played Fermat, had to try to avoid developing a tan.

Upon arriving in London, Paxton, in order to immerse himself in the role, invited Winchester, Colenso, Torgersen, Corbet and Shrapnel for a meal.

[21] Other filming locations included Wellington College, Berkshire for Alan's school ("Wharton Academy"), University College London for the exterior of the fictional Bank of London, and Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire for Lady Penelope's mansion; this latter location had speed bumps removed from the drive to avoid damage to the FAB 1 vehicle.

FAB-1 was also intended to be fired at by missiles when approaching Tracy Island for the second time, upon which a pedalo life raft would deploy; footage of this is utilised for a comedic scene at the end of the film.

[23][24] Thunderbirds is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Lowen, a rigger on the film, who died in a fall whilst dismantling one of the sets.

Although the exact identities of the Thunderbirds remain secret, International Rescue now allows itself to be filmed and photographed on missions,[19] which was forbidden in the original series.

[24] Conversely, other promotional materials, including working trailers suggest that the actual events of the film take place in March 2020; if the setting of the original series is taken as 2026, then the ages of the Tracy brothers indeed line up.

This is an opinion shared by Frakes, who argued that the setting was deliberately chosen "it meant we didn’t mess with the continuity of the original show or the fondness that everyone has for it in terms of the timeline".

Frakes attributed the film's commercial failure to a combination of stiff competition from its contemporaries Shrek 2 and Spider-Man 2 and its poor critical reception.

[29] Stuart Kemp of The Hollywood Reporter suggested that it may have been due to lack of appeal for older audiences who remembered the TV original.

She found the central character Alan "whiny and uninteresting", the script poor, the plot contrived and unsatisfying, and the acting wooden, though she noted that her three children enjoyed it much more than she did.

He also said that the child leads lack spirit and chemistry, and the adult characters suffer from excessive exposition and flat characterization.

He eventually saw the film on DVD and was disappointed, declaring "It was disgraceful that such a huge amount of money was spent with people who had no idea what Thunderbirds was about and what made it tick.

[3] Co-creator Sylvia Anderson, and the one responsible for character development, was given a private screening of the film and attended the London premiere.

You, the fans, will I'm sure, appreciate the sensitive adaptation and I'm personally thrilled that the production team have paid us the great compliment of bringing to life our original concept for the big screen.