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Parents' Guide to

Thunderbirds

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Exciting kid space-action without being too scary.

Movie PG 2004 94 minutes
Thunderbirds Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 3 parent reviews

rinder
rinder Parent of 6, 8 and 11-year-old
September 30, 2019
age 6+

A great action movie for elementary kids

My kids (7, 9 and 11 years old) all loved this movie. For me, I thought it was going to be painfully campy, but it turned out to be not too bad. I enjoyed watching the kids cheer for the good guys. I thought that the content was fine for elementary kids, but there are a few scenes that some parents may want to know about. (1) In one scene, a women is in a bubble bath and the male butler is in the room and clearly uncomfortable. Later the women dresses behind a screen again with the butler in the room. No nudity at all. (2) Later, the same woman removes the underwire from her bra when a wire is needed. Nothing is shown. My kids didn't even know what it was. (3) In another scene, a woman from the villain team tries to force a man who is tied up to kiss her. (4) The mild cartoon violence is explained well by the CSM review. Again, I thought all of this was fine for the kids.

This title has:

Great role models
John B.
John B. Parent of 5 and 9-year-old
March 10, 2018
age 5+

a fun filled and action packed good time

There are some scary bits - but other than that this was non stop excitement with super cool vehicles and gadgets

This title has:

Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this live-action update the 1960s British television show, ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) of International Rescue and his five sons live on a secret island in the South Pacific in a spectacular house filled with gadgets to help monitor the globe and operate their rescue equipment -- submarine, plane, rocket ship, space station, and pod vehicles. Super-geek Brains (Anthony Edwards) keeps all the technology running smoothly. Just as teenage son Alan (Brady Corbett) and his best pal Fermat (Soren Fulton) return from boarding school to the secret hideaway in the South Pacific, his father and brothers are lured away by the evil Hood (Ben Kingsley). Hood plans to use the rescue equipment to rob the world's biggest banks, bring down the global economy, and frame Jeff Tracy as the thief. The Tracy everyone thought was too young to go on missions has to work with his friends to rescue the rescuers.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Corbett makes for an attractive and appealing hero and the kids have a nice natural chemistry together. Kingsley is clearly enjoying himself as Hood, but the highlight of the movie is the delicious Sophia Myles as Lady Penelope, who is always game to trounce the bad guys while tossing off quips and maintaining her exquisite coiffure.

The action sequences in Thunderbirds are exciting without being too scary. Kids will enjoy seeing the bad guys sprayed with Nickelodeon-style green slime and the way that Fermat uses Alan's retainer to save the day at a crucial moment. The equipment is also very cool, especially Lady Penelope's very chic pink car/plane and Alan's hovercraft. The film drags a bit when the kids are chasing the bad guys all over the island while we are impatient for them to just get on the darn plane, but overall, these Thunderbirds are GO!

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how kids can sometimes feel that their parents don't realize that they are ready to grow up and the importance of listening carefully.

  • How does Thunderbirds compare with other space-adventure movies you've seen?

  • Do you like movies with lots of special effects and explosions?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

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