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THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO – Premiere Sneak Peek Now On Amazon

Apr 15, 2016 Posted by in Preview, Reviews | Comments

Today Amazon is giving everyone a sneak peek at the 1-hour premiere of its latest animated Amazon Prime series Thunderbirds Are Go, which is a reboot of Gerry Anderson’s classic 1965 sci-fi series Thunderbirds, except there are no puppets this time around. The show is set in 2060 where and follows the adventures of the Tracy brothers who run the life-saving International Rescue organization from their hidden headquarters on Tracy Island in the Pacific Ocean.

It seems like someone is constantly in need of their help, and the Tracy’s have a collection of high-tech “Thunderbird” vehicles at their disposal to aid in their rescue efforts. Thunderbird 1 is a first response rocket plane piloted by leader Scott Tracy; Thunderbird 2, piloted by Virgil Tracy, is a supersonic carrier aircraft with detachable pods to carry people or equipment; Thunderbird 3 is a space rescue rocket piloted by astronaut Alan Tracy and covert ops specialist/head of security Kayo; Thunderbird 4 is an underwater search and rescue mini-submarine piloted by aquanaut Gordon Tracy; and Thunderbird 5 is a space satellite manned by space monitor John Tracy. Helping the Tracy’s out on their missions are the boys’ grandmother, engineer Brains and his robot pal MAX, and London socialite/secret agent Lady Penelope (Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl) and her chauffeur Parker, who drives a pink limo called FAB 1 that has been suped-up with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos.

I’ve seen very little of the original 1960s series, but I was always amazed and intrigued at how the show was able to successfully use marionettes but still be a serious action show. While this new series is animated, it does pay homage its predecessor by mixing CGI animation with live-action model sets (built by the world-famous Weta Workshop), which gives the series a fun, unique look. While Amazon says the series is aimed at children aged 6 through 11, I think people of all ages can enjoy this action-packed show. Today Amazon is giving viewers a sneak peek of the 1-hour premiere, “Ring of Fire Parts 1 & 2”, and next Friday, April 22, they will release all 13 episodes of what Amazon is calling the first season. (Abroad the series has already aired one season of 26 episodes, is in production on a second, plus a third season has already been greenlit. Amazon will be airing at least the first 2 26-episode seasons, likely released in 4 batches of 13-episodes.)

“Ring of Fire Parts 1 & 2” has the tough duty of setting up this entire world, and introducing all of the characters as well as the show’s big villain. While the episode moves very quickly, I found it quite enjoyable to watch. The mixed-format animation looks really cool, and there are some great action sequences. The show also has some fun humorous moments, like a running joke in the premiere about how youngest Alan feels like he’s being babysat by Kaya and is only in space to fix the TV antenna for his brothers. The premiere also sets up a bit of mystery and suspense for future episodes.

These first half of the premiere mainly set up the premise and characters while the second gives the brothers one small mission. I’m looking forward to seeing what adventures and catastrophes the group must deal with in future episodes, and based on the trailer, it looks like this is going to be one exciting series! However, viewers will need to subscribe to Amazon Prime to be FAB to see the Tracys’ future adventures.