Thunderbirds Blu-ray Review
5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Thunderbirds are go!
Gerry Anderson’s highlight! There was something in the water with regards to tonight’s feature; everything just fell into place for Thunderbirds is a show that everyone can enjoy and continues to enthral and entertain even in this modern age. Whilst later shows would become slightly more adult and contain anatomically correct puppets and even more sophisticated scripts and effects – it is Thunderbirds and its extended episode time that allowed so much character development in amongst some of the best action scenes ever committed to the small screen that means we, as an audience identify with the situations and are compelled to enjoy the show. And who can forget that music!
In what was a very neat idea sprung from the rescue of miners trapped under ground, Anderson secured the backing and proceeded to make a show that is still enjoyed today. A billionaire astronaut, Jeff Tracy, and his five sons, along with a house keeper and brilliant scientist, Brains, set up International Rescue, a secret organisation working out of a Pacific Island, dedicated to saving lives where all hope is lost. Using sophisticated craft and specialist machinery the ‘Thunderbirds’ arrive in the nick of time and always save their man. A simple premise but with wonderful characterisation and tense, edge of your seat action scenes with plenty of overall destruction, the show was a monster hit and continues to be so with every new generation that sees it. F.A.B.
Picture Quality
The discs present a fullscreen, broadcast correct, 1.33:1 1080p transfer using the AVC codec and are Region locked to A.
You don’t know what a joy it is to write those specs as anyone that has been unfortunate enough to view the UK cropped to 1.78:1 version that has hitherto been the only way to view this remarkable series without spending huge amounts of cash, will know how horrible the image was; not just the fact that it was cropped, but that it suffered from a lack of clarity and resolution as if the image had been ‘zoomed’ giving rise to weak colouring, and an odd grain structure – in short it was awful.
Thankfully this has been put right, Network released their Filmed in Supermarionation Box set last year which included a number of episodes in their correct ratio (as well as a number of every series that Anderson had worked on) but this only whetted the appetite, and until such time as the UK territories get a full release this US set will happily fill the gap.
Detail, as you might expect, is terrific, and the attention to detail on the models is so apparent when viewed in 1080p; the ‘dirtying down’ of everything is so well done, the ‘foliage’ and the sand/gravel are pristine. The puppets’ clothing is wonderfully done, there are times when you can’t see the stitching but there is still a definite weave. Background and foreground texture is amazing. This level of detail does, unfortunately, on occasion, lead to its own problems, strings can become slightly more apparent and some of the back drops can look like exactly what they are: paintings. But on the whole the level of detail on display is stunning.
Colours are also excellent with bold reds and greens look lush and blues suitably cool. The yellows and oranges of the many explosions look particularly vivid. The blues of the Thunderbird uniforms are nice and strong, as too are the reds which never wash or bleed.
Contrast and brightness are set to give some very strong blacks which add a nice sense of depth to the image as well as providing the image with some punch. The series seldom goes into pitch black (the nature of the show) but night scenes and those set in murky depths show a good deal of shadow detail and it never crushes; likewise there are no instances of white clip.
Digitally there are no compression problems or any edge enhancement, neither is there any banding or posterization. The original print is in remarkable condition with only the slightest instances of damage and there is a clean grain structure that never interferes, so no digital messing either. A fantastic picture and the one we have been waiting for.
You don’t know what a joy it is to write those specs as anyone that has been unfortunate enough to view the UK cropped to 1.78:1 version that has hitherto been the only way to view this remarkable series without spending huge amounts of cash, will know how horrible the image was; not just the fact that it was cropped, but that it suffered from a lack of clarity and resolution as if the image had been ‘zoomed’ giving rise to weak colouring, and an odd grain structure – in short it was awful.
Thankfully this has been put right, Network released their Filmed in Supermarionation Box set last year which included a number of episodes in their correct ratio (as well as a number of every series that Anderson had worked on) but this only whetted the appetite, and until such time as the UK territories get a full release this US set will happily fill the gap.
A fantastic picture and the one we have been waiting for
Detail, as you might expect, is terrific, and the attention to detail on the models is so apparent when viewed in 1080p; the ‘dirtying down’ of everything is so well done, the ‘foliage’ and the sand/gravel are pristine. The puppets’ clothing is wonderfully done, there are times when you can’t see the stitching but there is still a definite weave. Background and foreground texture is amazing. This level of detail does, unfortunately, on occasion, lead to its own problems, strings can become slightly more apparent and some of the back drops can look like exactly what they are: paintings. But on the whole the level of detail on display is stunning.
Colours are also excellent with bold reds and greens look lush and blues suitably cool. The yellows and oranges of the many explosions look particularly vivid. The blues of the Thunderbird uniforms are nice and strong, as too are the reds which never wash or bleed.
Contrast and brightness are set to give some very strong blacks which add a nice sense of depth to the image as well as providing the image with some punch. The series seldom goes into pitch black (the nature of the show) but night scenes and those set in murky depths show a good deal of shadow detail and it never crushes; likewise there are no instances of white clip.
Digitally there are no compression problems or any edge enhancement, neither is there any banding or posterization. The original print is in remarkable condition with only the slightest instances of damage and there is a clean grain structure that never interferes, so no digital messing either. A fantastic picture and the one we have been waiting for.
Sound Quality
We have two soundtracks to choose from: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono. Let’s start with the mono (original) soundtrack; loud and distorted pretty much sum it up. By that I mean the track plays at a significantly higher level than most, so you may have to turn it down, but (I’m assuming) due to this levelling the track suffers from distortion issues once it gets loud in the mix – i.e. the music cues, dialogue and explosions all suffer from it. Bass is quite strong as well (may be related) giving some nice LFE rumbles especially with collapsing buildings. However, the track itself is well layered in that you never miss any of the action; dialogue takes the centre and sounds a little on the ‘thick’ side, while the effects and music create a good sense of action for the scenes. It's great to have the original mono track, it’s just unfortunate that there are some issues.
On to the 5.1 surround track; by stark contrast this one is quite low in the mix necessitating a notch or two on the volume to get the most out of it. There is a good deal of separation to the audio with the frontal array taking the most of the action, but the surrounds fill out some of the ambience – note there are surround effects that are NOT present in the mono track and are used to give a greater sense of the surround environment. The centre speaker takes most of the mix though and, at times, you could be forgiven for thinking it is the only one producing sound (it’s not; the others are just set far lower). However, effects are well catered for with the various machines getting nice flybys both left/right and front/back. Indeed all the machines sound terrific. Bass, for the most part, is set very well, explosions and jet engines are given a hefty wallop from the sub (the opening thunder crack gets the largest – a bit too high in my opinion) and the Thunderbird craft hovering results in nice rumbles. But the distance between bass and mid-range seems to have a hole; in that most of the mix is set to the middle to high range, thus dialogue (which is clear, precise and sounds very natural) and score (which is well layered and utilised all the speakers) sound a tad light until the bass suddenly comes in to play when it fills out the bottom end as if it’s been pushed too far and doesn’t integrate that well. I may be nit-picking compared to modern day tracks but with a picture this good a little finesse to the sound track would have made all the difference.
So you have to take your pick from two tracks that both have their separate issues – mono that is a bit loud and distorted but is a well-integrated mix, or the 5.1 surround that is a bit quiet, is not layered as well as it could have been but is clean, precise and well separated.
take your pick from two tracks that both have their separate issues
On to the 5.1 surround track; by stark contrast this one is quite low in the mix necessitating a notch or two on the volume to get the most out of it. There is a good deal of separation to the audio with the frontal array taking the most of the action, but the surrounds fill out some of the ambience – note there are surround effects that are NOT present in the mono track and are used to give a greater sense of the surround environment. The centre speaker takes most of the mix though and, at times, you could be forgiven for thinking it is the only one producing sound (it’s not; the others are just set far lower). However, effects are well catered for with the various machines getting nice flybys both left/right and front/back. Indeed all the machines sound terrific. Bass, for the most part, is set very well, explosions and jet engines are given a hefty wallop from the sub (the opening thunder crack gets the largest – a bit too high in my opinion) and the Thunderbird craft hovering results in nice rumbles. But the distance between bass and mid-range seems to have a hole; in that most of the mix is set to the middle to high range, thus dialogue (which is clear, precise and sounds very natural) and score (which is well layered and utilised all the speakers) sound a tad light until the bass suddenly comes in to play when it fills out the bottom end as if it’s been pushed too far and doesn’t integrate that well. I may be nit-picking compared to modern day tracks but with a picture this good a little finesse to the sound track would have made all the difference.
So you have to take your pick from two tracks that both have their separate issues – mono that is a bit loud and distorted but is a well-integrated mix, or the 5.1 surround that is a bit quiet, is not layered as well as it could have been but is clean, precise and well separated.
Thunderbirds Blu-ray Extras
Launching Thunderbirds Documentary – Forty five minute feature on the making of the series from those involved with its creation, excellent viewing, though it’s been around for ages now.
Printable Thunderbirds Publicity Brochure – PDF on disc 6.
Printable Thunderbirds Publicity Brochure – PDF on disc 6.
Is Thunderbirds Blu-ray Worth Buying
The endearing quality of a mid-sixties TV show aimed at the children’s market is quite difficult to define; especially when it is so loved by so many; Thunderbirds has become so much more than ‘just another kids show’ it has transcended popular demand and even outshines every attempt to remake/reimage it. The simple idea spawned from the rescue attempts of trapped miners was transformed into a worldwide organisation whose sole purpose is saving those people where normal methods will fail but where the genius came in was in the characters of the show. Being seen as a terrific show by prolific TV producer Lew Grade, he made call to extend the 30 minute runtime to an hour, thus making selling to the USA easier; that one executive order necessitated re-writes, extensions and added scenes and enabled a lean show to explore the people that made the rescues happen. Thus, in amongst all the death defying action, all the explosions and mayhem, with all the fantastic air and space craft there was a normal family dealing with life, secrecy and rescue.
The dynamic was electric and the show an instant hit. Indeed whenever it is rerun it entices a whole new generation into its spectacular grasp – remember the shopping brawls over the must have ‘Tracy Island toy’ in the 90’s? Despite never making to the big screen in its original guise, nor in the ill attempts at remakes, the original show has that special x-factor that keeps kids, adults, boys and girls coming back for more. A combination of terrific storytelling, script pacing, characterisation, effects and above all music, meant that the show was destined for number 1. Whilst Anderson’s later shows would have a slightly more adult tone and have even more sophisticated puppetry and effects, none would ever capture the hearts and imagination that Thunderbirds would.
As a Blu-ray set this package from Shout! Factory has an awful lot going for it, but one or two issues – first and foremost the HD picture is presented for the first time in the correct aspect ratio 1.33:1, meaning the show can be viewed how it was meant to be seen and we can banish that horrific 1.78:1 cropped UK release for good. The picture itself is stunning; it’s clear, detailed, well coloured and looks spectacular. The sound, on the other hand, has some issues, there are two tracks - 2.0 mono and 5.1 surround; the mono suffers from distortion but is well layered, the surround is poorly layered but clear and well separated. The extras package too is rather limited. However, the show, in its original format and at an affordable price, makes this set a winner.
You can buy Thunderbirds on Blu-ray here
The dynamic was electric and the show an instant hit. Indeed whenever it is rerun it entices a whole new generation into its spectacular grasp – remember the shopping brawls over the must have ‘Tracy Island toy’ in the 90’s? Despite never making to the big screen in its original guise, nor in the ill attempts at remakes, the original show has that special x-factor that keeps kids, adults, boys and girls coming back for more. A combination of terrific storytelling, script pacing, characterisation, effects and above all music, meant that the show was destined for number 1. Whilst Anderson’s later shows would have a slightly more adult tone and have even more sophisticated puppetry and effects, none would ever capture the hearts and imagination that Thunderbirds would.
The show, in its original format and at an affordable price, makes this set a winner
As a Blu-ray set this package from Shout! Factory has an awful lot going for it, but one or two issues – first and foremost the HD picture is presented for the first time in the correct aspect ratio 1.33:1, meaning the show can be viewed how it was meant to be seen and we can banish that horrific 1.78:1 cropped UK release for good. The picture itself is stunning; it’s clear, detailed, well coloured and looks spectacular. The sound, on the other hand, has some issues, there are two tracks - 2.0 mono and 5.1 surround; the mono suffers from distortion but is well layered, the surround is poorly layered but clear and well separated. The extras package too is rather limited. However, the show, in its original format and at an affordable price, makes this set a winner.
You can buy Thunderbirds on Blu-ray here
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