Thunderbirds

Based on an odd British puppet show from the 1960s, this trashy kids flick by Jonathan Frakes (aka Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Commander William Riker) is doomed from lift-off. With his traditional robotic delivery, Bill Paxton uses his former Apollo 13 gadget training for his role as the billionaire patriarch who repeatedly leads his sons on supposedly gripping rescue missions. Then, with his ultimate bank robbing dreams and ample eye makeup, Ben Kingsley’s typecast bad-guy character invades the heroic family’s palatial home in the South Pacific. A trio of pre-pubescent underdogs, a scientist with an Elmer Fudd stutter and a pink-clad socialite who would make Elle Woods proud wield predictable save-the-day ideas for a neatly wrapped Hollywood ending—just add the big red bow. Five-year olds might be entranced by the video game-like fighter-pilot stunts and extremely colorful set design. However, the majority of moviegoers should not be fooled by the campy sci-fi mish-mash and steroid-enhanced cinematography that this throw away film really is.