Thunderbirds Are Go

Director: David Lane
Year Released: 1968
Rating: 1.0

The first "feature film" derived from the cult TV show Thunderbirds is about a secret organization of James Bond-type agents who operate out of their home and thwart terrorism, sabotage and other nastiness. I sort-of admire the craft of the filmmakers - the characters are all puppets with distinctive, barely flexible faces and slightly twitching mouths, but the result is quite effective - but felt the film dawdled on forever; the creators care less about plotting or character and waste most of the picture drooling over spaceships being assembled or large plastic toys flying or the Thunderbirds getting loaded into the rocket modules that blast off out of their house. Most of it is action-free, and I couldn't keep track of who was exactly who.