Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

O2D For a very long time I have been trying to watch the tv series and could never finish an episode. I don't know why I thought this would be any better. I guess 60 years ago this was visually stimulating and that would make up for the complete lack of action or anything interesting happening. I was zoning out before the opening credits finished. If you can watch this entire movie you can watch anything.

studioAT This was the first big screen outing for Gerry Anderson's puppet characters, and sadly was a film that never lived up to the hype.I think the fact that the plot was sort of a strung out version of one we'd seen on the TV show may not have helped, and also at this time it may have felt odd for people to pay to see something they could get at home on the TV for free.It has its moments, but for all the moments of high action, there are also some slow moments, that feel like we're being force fed a lot of information rather than being entertained.I think when people think of 'Thunderbirds' they remember the TV version rather than this or the other film that was made.

ShadeGrenade 'Thunderbirds' is one of those rare television programmes that, rather like 'Star Trek' and 'Dr.Who', seems so ingrained in the public consciousness that it is possible to have never watched a single episode, and yet, have a clear idea what it is about, identify its characters, and recite its catchphrases ( in this case, 'F.A.B.!' and, of course, 'Thunderbirds are GO!". The adventures of 'Jeff Tracy' and his family ( and Lady Penelope and Parker ) enthralled young and old audiences alike for two years on I.T.V. in 1965-66. So popular was it that a feature film was made despite the show not having reached America ( Lew Grade foolishly kept jacking up the asking price to the point where the U.S. networks finally gave up ). The head of United Artists was confidant that it would be a hit, and possibly bigger than the same company's 'James Bond' franchise! The story was certainly grand enough - a manned expedition to Mars gets underway, but crashes as the result of sabotage ( its our old friend 'The Hood' up to its tricks again ). Once the saboteurs are dealt with, the expedition is re-staged twenty-four months later, and the crew of Zero X encounter hideous monsters - rock 'snakes' that spit balls of fire! The journey back to Earth goes wrong, and International Rescue are called upon to save the day...It is an entertaining picture on the whole, though not as good as it could be - there's no 'Thunderbird 4', for example, 'Brains' is hardly featured, and 'Kyrano' and 'Grandma' nowhere to be seen. The Tracys take an awfully long time to enter the plot ( for the first fifteen minutes it looks as if we're watching 'Zero X - The Movie'. International Rescue doesn't have much to do. Perhaps it would have been better to have opened the picture with an unrelated prologue featuring I.R. in action before moving onto the main story.But the good points outweigh the bad - the special effects are marvellous ( several of the crew went on to work on the 'Superman' and 007 movies ), and there's a delightful sequence where Alan Tracy dreams he is having a night out at the 'Swinging Star' club with Lady Penelope, and the cabaret turns out to be none other than - wait for it - Cliff Richard Junior! ( The Shadows also appear in puppet form ). Gerry Anderson later recounted that, at the premiere, a girl in the audience shrieked with excitement when the Cliff puppet appeared on screen! Lady Penelope's Rolls - 'F.A.B.-1' - preempts James Bond's Lotus Esprit in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' by a decade by converting into an amphibious vehicle, the M.E.V.'s journey across the Martian landscape is genuinely eerie, and the rock snakes are indeed nightmarish. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's script ingeniously combines elements of spy thrillers, science fiction, and disaster movies. Among the voice artists is a familiar name - Bob Monkhouse! Barry Gray's music is awesome - the theme that accompanies the assembling of the Zero X at the start of the movie is worthy of Elmer Bernstein.So, with all these things going for it, why wasn't it a hit on its initial release? Anderson thinks it was because not enough was done to promote the fact that it was an original story, and not a compilation of television episodes ( like the 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' pictures ). Perhaps the Thunderbirds phenomenon had peaked, and interest was on the wane when it opened. Whatever the reason, it is a shame as it deserved greater success ( the crew of the 'Zero X' went on to feature regularly in the pages of 'T.V. Century 21' comic ). Nevertheless, a sequel - 'Thunderbird 6' - appeared two years later, to be met with a equally lukewarm response. More recently, in 2004, there was the ill-fated live-action movie starring Bill Paxton and directed by Jonathan Frakes ( of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' fame ). It was not all bad ( Sophia Myles was a terrific 'Lady Penelope' ) but Anderson's lack of involvement doomed the project from the start.Things To Look Out For - it is 2066, and yet Jeff can be seen reading 'The News Of The World', a tabloid rag that folded last year ( not before time either! ). Perhaps Rupert Murdoch Junior is in charge of News Intergalactic?And where else would you see a pink Rolls Royce orbiting Mars? F.A.B.!

sjmsurveyors When considering the standard of the film making quality its important to remember the age group at which the film is aimed at. Similarly the technology around at the time.It beggars belief to see that there are individuals that are today criticizing the standards of what is fast approaching animation that is an entire working lifetime ago.Having been a childhood fan of Fireball XL5, I watched the 'ZERO X' (Thunderbirds are go)film at the ABC Cinema in Birkenhead when it first came out. I remember the basic storey line and still appreciate the quality of a film from my childhood. Whilst Equally noting its standards by those of todays it still remains good for young children today.Long may these films remain available in accessible archive records for all to access.Steven