[SPOILERS] A bit of a weird storyline with this one. The whole movie is about a crew making the first manned mission to Mars. The first attempt has to be postponed though due to something going wrong with The Hood on board the Zero-X spacecraft taking photos who gets his foot caught in the craft's hydraulics. After a two-year investigation, the conclusion is that it was sabotage so International Rescue offer their services to help make sure all goes well with the second attempt. The Hood is again up to his old tricks as he attempts to impersonate one of the astronauts, but is caught by Scott pre-launch. After a chase, The Hood is then seemingly killed after Parker shoots his chopper down! Yep, the most famous villain of the series is killed about halfway through the movie without anything being made of it. So, nothing comes of his two attempts at sabotaging the launch, stealing the secrets of the Zero-X except for delaying the mission for two years.... See what I mean when I say it's an odd storyline? Then they get to Mars, spend about two minutes there after having to come back to Earth after these dragon-like creatures try to kill them and International Rescue save the day again with the reentry. And in amongst it all, is a bit of a sub-plot about Alan, the youngest Tracy brother, wanting to spread his wings and be with Lady Penelope.
There were some great engaging episodes of the fantastic Thunderbirds series, but there were also a number that were quite slowly paced, and this is more like the latter. The amazing explosions at the conclusion are some of the best moments of the movie. I never remember noticing this in the series, but the way Lady Penelope speaks, particularly to Parker, sounds patronising as anything. If you have fond memories of the franchise, like I do, it's worth a watch, but like I said, the plot is weak.
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