Thunderbirds Megaset (Complete 12 Volume Set)
"Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence ofThunderbirdsis itself a master class in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in color and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic:Thunderbirdsis action on the grandest scale, predating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles asArmageddonby 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishizing gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies likeThe Spy Who Loved MeandMoonrakerecho his pioneering model work here.As for the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (license plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered,Thunderbirdsis children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.TheThunderbirds Mega Setcontains 32 complete, uncut, and digitally remastered episodes on 12 DVDs. Bonus features include production stills photo galleries, two original 1965 "The Making ofThunderbirds" featurettes, the History of Thunderbirds, character biographies, and a Gerry Anderson biography/filmography.--Mark Walker