Thunderbirds
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 30, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
12
Negative:
12
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
When all is said and done, the movie's a steaming plate of corn -- and, indeed, that's part of the pleasure. Myles, though, delivers a fine comic performance with no strings attached. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
A fun afternoon for preteen moviegoers that has just enough charm, humor and game- for-anything actors to keep parents halfway interested as well. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
Smartly written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, Thunderbirds expertly targets kids. Yet parents won't be entirely bored. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
This special-effects-crammed action blockbuster is not rocket science. It's more like rocket fun. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
It's a pretty entertaining, extremely good-looking cinematic blip--not important, not outstanding, but better than a lot of PG stuff that attempts to reach both parents and their 8-year-old kids. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A standard, gadget-crazed exercise in whiz-bang adventure with its tongue lodged deep inside its cheek. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
Without fail its upbeat cheesy wholesomeness is always good for a smile. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Director Jonathan Frakes keeps the tone just this side of tongue-in-cheek. Read full review
50
VarietyDavid Rooney
The story rarely gets fired up to "maximum thrust," to use the rocket-speed parlance of its heroes. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
Kids are most likely to be entertained by this live-action offering, although baby-boomer fans of the series will appreciate how closely it hews to the show's foundation. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
It's clean and cheerful entertainment, blithely piggybacking on a beloved classic. No wonder Anderson washed his hands of this project - the filmmakers tampered with and trampled on his magic formula. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Fun at times and tedious at others, it's an action-adventure fantasy aimed particularly at gadget-loving boys. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The production design is phenomenal, reproducing the series' swinging '60s decor and techno-geek flourishes, from the launch pad under the swimming pool to Lady Penelope's pink roadster, which turns into a mini-plane. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunStaff (Not credited)
Making a live-action version of Thunderbirds is like rounding out the edges on a Picasso painting to render it more realistic. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The trouble is, the kids seem to be in one earnest "After School Special"-type of movie, while the adults occupy a retro-futuristic world more like the original TV show. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Thunderbirds is devoted to the principle that character and story are but rude interruptions to the real order of business, an endless display of profound vehicle fetish. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
Aside from a couple of rescue set pieces that bookend it, the film is strictly low-wattage in terms of action. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Watching a misfire like Thunderbirds illustrates how impressive the "Spy Kids" movies are. Read full review
38
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Beautiful Brit actress Sophia Myles ("From Hell") is so arch, canny and amusing as the posh, pink-obsessed spy Lady Penelope, it's as if she is acting in the movie this should have been. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A movie like this is harmless, I suppose, except for the celluloid that was killed in the process of its manufacture, but as an entertainment, it will send the kids tiptoeing through the multiplex to sneak into "Spider-Man 2." Read full review
30
Village VoiceBen Kenigsberg
As the dapper Lady Penelope, Sophia Myles tries to infuse the enterprise with some "Charlie's Angels" verve, but she's only one life vest, and the movie is a downed plane. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderStaff (Not credited)
This live-action feature actually has less of a pulse than the puppet version. Read full review
30
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Kids of all sizes and genders are going to be disappointed. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Dreary, joyless. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The action is snappy and quick, but why does this youth-targeted adventure pit white male heroes against a trio of villains comprising a black man, an Asian man, and an ugly woman? Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Not only achingly dull, it has no respect for its origins. Read full review
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Abomination of a movie. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
With its eye-popping color palette and surreal sense of ever-heightening melodrama, Thunderbirds comes across as "Spy Kids'" poorer British cousin. Read full review
0
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Alan Niester
Simply put, this is a bad, bad film, this summer's answer to last summer's "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman." A dog for the dog days of summer. Read full review
More From This Movie

36 Critic Reviews

7.3 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL