Thunderbirds is a 2004 science fiction-adventure film based upon the Thunderbirds television series of the 1960s, directed by Jonathan Frakes. The movie, written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, was released on July 24, 2004 in the UK, with later dates for others. The film uses live-action actors playing the Tracy brothers rather than the Supermarionation marionettes used in the television series. The film did fairly poorly at the box-office and critical response was mainly negative. The film's soundtrack features songs by British band Busted, including the single "Thunderbirds" which reached number one in the UK charts. The movie was filmed on North Island in the Seychelles in summer 2003.

Each year, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds amaze millions of spectators around the world with their remarkable display of precision flying. But how do the men and women who make up this famous team learn to fly the way they do? With unprecedented access to the team, we will follow new team members as they learn their roles and adjust to the rigorous training regimen and eventual life on the road. Written by Anonymous

t. Mike Braggart: [in a letter to his wife] You know those trick diets you used to go on, Lou? They used to say, reducing is murder. Baby, our orders was to reduce enemy installations. That kind of reducing *is* murder.

. John McCreery: In case anyone asks you, Sherman was right.

Having narrowly averted a major disaster on an oil rig, the Thunderbirds have just returned home to their secret base when TB5, their space based station, is critically damaged in a suspected meteor strike. Unbeknown to them, the attack on TB5 is a deliberate ploy by international master criminal Aristotle Spode to get them off the island. He takes over the island and forces Brains into submission, using the power of his mind. But Spode has overlooked one key factor: Alan, Fermat and Tin Tin are still on the island. Written by Brian Sloan

In the 21st century, Jeff Tracy, a former astronaut, amasses a colossal fortune and decides that he must use it to benefit others. His answer to this desire is to create International Rescue, a unique private emergency response service equipped with customed designed vehicles and equipment that enable the organization to react to any crisis whether it be in sea, air, land, or space. Jeff's five sons volunteer to operate as the pilots and field agents, as well "Brains" (alias Hiram B. Hackenbaker) as the team engineer. In addition, Jeff's friend, Kyrano and his daughter Tin Tin agree to be the support staff. In addition to the field team, IR also maintains an intelligence network with Lady Penelope and her ex-con chauffer, Parker as the chief agents in this arm. The series depicts this team as they answer various calls for help around and beyond the world while they prevent enemies like the Hood from learning and exploiting their secrets Written by Kenneth Chisholm

International Rescue is a secret organization in the latter 21st century, utilizing revolutionary high-technology machinery tailored to rescue people trapped in extraordinarily dangerous situations. Its founder is Jeff Tracy, a billionaire former astronaut whose investments in aviation and technology have seeded him with the necessary means to create his rescue organization, based on a mountainous island in the South Pacific. Widowed, Jeff leads his five sons - Scott, the eldest and field commander for rescues; John, second eldest who usually mans IR's early warning satellite; Virgil, a musician and artist who is the team's workhorse; Gordon, jocular and an expert aquanaut; Alan, the youngest and most impetuous. The Tracy family is aided by Jeff's manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin, and IR has a grid of agents around the world, usually led by wealthy Briton Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her manservant Aloysios Parker, a Cockney ex-con who has gone straight, but whose skills and knowledge of criminal elements allow IR to infiltrate potentially dangerous situations. IR jealously guards its secret base, as its technology can be used to destroy life if it falls into the wrong hands - and determined to acquire their secrets and sell their technology to the highest bidder is a Malaysian criminal known only as The Hood, a master of disguise who is brother to Kyrano and who possesses mysterious and powerful hypnotic ability. Written by Michael Daly