Thunderbirds Are Go! - 5 Things It Got Right (And 5 It Didn't)

3. The Launches

Classic sequences which were born as much out of nessecity as choice, the intricate ways in which the Tracys would board the Thunderbirds were devised for a number of reasons. Not only did extending the episodes to an hour require something to fill out the scripts that had already been written, but as can be seen by watching any Supermarionation show, it really is a case of the less walking that puppets do the better.

The final product was something that became a staple of the classic series, and after the loving tribute from Wallace & Gromit it was something that Thunderbirds Are Go had no choice but to treat with absolute respect. Rather luckily then, it is where the advantages in CGI technology are given a place to shine. Not only are there no more strings to become tangled in the web of complex machinery, but with a virtual world being vastly larger than a warehouse in Slough, the Tracys are able to reach ever deeper into the depths of Tracy Island.

More than this though is the extra detail which has been added. Not only has everything down to the folding trees been maintained, but now there are also the pool loungers that get blown away in Thunderbird 1's wake, to say nothing of how articulated Alan has become on the way to each rescue. His impatience at rocketing towards Haley's Comet perhaps being the one that stands out amongst his different reactions each time.

Aided by a new musical score which also more than holds its own against Barry Gray's high standards, the main addition that the originals were lacking is also one that a group such as International Rescue might consider rather important: a sense of urgency.