Thunderbirds

(Herald rating: * *)

History lesson: Thunderbirds was a British puppet series that ran on our one channel of black-and-white TV in the mid-60s. This means that the only people who can possibly remember it are the grandparents of the kids who were, presumably, intended to queue at the St Lukes multiplex to see a movie version with real actors playing the parts of wooden puppets.

Is it just me, or is there what the marketing department likes to call "a disconnect" happening here?

Well, it looks great. The effects are truly special. The Tracy family, who run a spectacular sci-fi tow-truck business called International Rescue, have what my 7-year-old grandson calls some really cool vehicles, especially the posh spy Lady Penelope's pink Roller.

The plot is the same as anything you'd find in James Bond, Austin Powers or Spy Kids. Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton), the dad, is a billionaire who has secret headquarters for his International Rescue team on a South Pacific island. His kids (and you have to recall the times to know that they're all named after US astronauts: Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan) each have their own space vehicle with specific rescue abilities.

The villain is The Hood (Ben Kingsley), who seeks world domination by robbing the Bank of London, but will have to distract the Tracy family by disabling their space station to do it.

Five behind-the-scenes features headline the DVD. In Creating The Action director Jonathan Frakes compares early storyboards and test shots with a final, climactic scene.

Tracy Island Revealed shows how the crew blended technology and (wow!) the real Seychelles to create the International Rescue base.

FAB1 talks about Lady Penelope's car. Lady Penelope's Pink World looks into her wardrobe and gadgets.

Fun & Stunts follows actors Sophia Myles (Lady Penelope) and Ron Cook (Parker, her chauffeur) into fight training.

Frakes takes the audio commentary, and interactive features include a game, Hood Vs Thunderbirds, and a Busted music video.

DVD, video rental out now