Pull the cord on live-action 'Thunderbirds'

By Randy Cordova
The Arizona Republic

THUNDERBIRDS (PG) One and One-Half Stars (Poor-to-Fair) Kiddie action flick based on the British puppet show from the '60s. Set in the year 2010, it's about a family of do-gooders imprisoned in outer space by a villain. It's up to the clan's youngest member (Brady Corbet) to save them. Director Jonathan Frakes keeps everything at the most childish level. Universal Pictures, 94 minutes.

Paxton has never been much of an actor, but he at least had the good fortune to wind up in hits like "Titanic" and "Twister." But with atrocious turns here and in "Broken Lizard's Club Dread," even his knack for coasting along in winners seems to have vanished.

"Thunderbirds" is not a winner, no matter how much slack you want to give the flick. It's a charmless, leaden tale that never gets off the ground, even when its characters soar through the air.

Set in the year 2010, the movie follows the exploits of the Tracy family, led by patriarch Jeff (Paxton). The former astronaut and his four eldest sons are adventurers who buzz around in jet-propelled vehicles called Thunderbirds to rescue those in need.

However, it's the rather insufferable do-gooders who need to be saved after a bad guy named The Hood shows up and imprisons the clan in outer space.

Oscar winner Ben Kingsley plays "The Hood," offering enough mascara and campy theatrics that he could easily be mistaken for Bette Midler if it wasn't for his bald pate.

The Hood plans to use the nifty Thunderbird vehicles to rob banks around the world and pin it on the Tracys. The only one who can keep the family name clean is adolescent Alan (Brady Corbet), the youngest member of the Tracy clan and the only one who isn't part of the family business.

With some imaginative special effects and candy-colored comic-book action, "Thunderbirds" may keep the youngest ones entertained. But actor-turned-director Jonathan Frakes ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") never aims for much more than that, keeping everything at the most childish level, with dull performances and zero attempts at characterization. There is none of the heart or sly wit found in the "Spy Kids" pictures; instead, this plays like a dumb Saturday-morning cartoon blown up into a lavish, live-action dud.

Mildly redeeming factors include the clever set design and a rather saucy turn by Sophia Myles as a pink-clad spy named Lady Penelope. But for the most part, this is pretty threadbare stuff — even with no strings attached. In other words, get the puppets back.

Rated PG for intense action sequences and language.