Thunderbirds Complete Series Digistack--9-Disc Box Set [DVD]

Thunderbirds was always something I had fond memories of watching as a child and when I saw that Amazon.co.uk had dropped the price of the complete series DVD box set I hesitated buying it because I was wrestling with the notion that as an adult things often do not seem as good as they were as a child.

After going through the "Should I, shouldn't I" phase, I finally relented and purchased it. Upon receiving the box set I promptly began watching ....

Wow! amazing! all my concerns about whether this would be watchable again as an adult melted away. From the classic "5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ....1!" opening sequence which gives the viewer an instant teaser trailer of what the episode will feature accompanied by the thrilling, fast paced theme tune, I was hooked! Gerry Anderson uses the preview teasers during the opening sequences of several of his TV series to great effect and Thunderbirds is one of the best at doing this.

Toward the end of the first episode while the Fire Flash airliner was attempting it's emergency landing with he fantastic camera shots of the aircraft from above trying to line up for a landing on the elevator cars I actually began to perspire with the adrenaline. Anderson knows exactly how to portray the excitement and danger of a rescue situation not only visually, but with excellent high-octane music perfectly composed and used to underscore the scene. The effects are wonderful with large objects actually behaving like they're heavy and have real mass, often belie their 40+ year old age.

Anderson's attention to detail (watch the hot steam rise from the hydraulic ram used to raise the massive Thunderbird 2 just prior to its launch or the sweat on the face of Virgil during the elevator car sequences) and the array of clever and incredible machines he created still stands out today. Sure, as a product of the mid 60's you can see the influence of that decade in many of the aspects of the show, but this only adds to the charm of the series in my view.

Picture and sound are very good with vibrant colour and sounds which I think have been digitally enhanced to give explosions and jet thrust blast offs a bigger kick which is a nice touch.

All this action would be fine, but add to that strong and well defined characters meant that I found that I actually liked the Tracey family and cared about what happened to them. My personal favourite is Scott who is cool under pressure and also has the perfect voice that really adds to the "coolness" of the show. Surprising too, was how adult many of the themes seemed to be. Things like politics, ambition, anger and greed play a part in many plot lines which as a child probably went unnoticed, but as an adult viewer you can see how clever and often sophisticated the stories were and how this show was created in a different era where we didn't "dumb-down".

There's also a great positive moral tale here too, that someone would spend the time and huge sums of money to put such an organization together to save human life at the risk of his own son's lives and seek no publicity nor financial reward for doing so. This selfless and noble aspect also adds to the "feel good" factor of a successful rescue against the odds.

After watching all 32 episodes now I can honestly say that I felt a tinge of sadness that it was all over and left me wanting more. The extra disc is very informative and well worth inclusion in this box set.

I could go on more, but I think I've made my views clear in this review. I personally can thoroughly recommend the purchase of this box set and wondered why I waited so long to get hold of it. If, like me, you watch this show and smile again and think "Wow! they just don't make them like that anymore" then you'll know what I mean.

This series was great during it's first screenings in the 1960's - though most of us saw it in boring old black and white back then. Then with the widespread use of colour televisions during the early 1970's its true "VIDECOLOR" glory was revealed. Thunderbird 2 captured the imagination of everyone, while the Mole was the vehicle to watch out for. Now the children of the 21st century can watch digitally re-mastered editions of the show in DVD. Whatever your age, you will surely appreciate that good entertainment lasts forever...

What can you say that hasn't already been said about this fantastic sci-fi series? The special effects still hold their own even today, forget about the strings; the stories, the vehicles and the characters are all excellent. I only hope the movie to be released soon can reach the heights that Thunderbirds the series did. Now on DVD the picture has been cleaned up and the sound is excellent. At this price it is an absolute must for fans of the series.