Thunderbirds 2004

In 2010, the Tracy family, led by Jeff Tracy, operates International Rescue (IR), a secret organization that comes to the aid of those in need during disasters using its fleet of technologically advanced machines called Thunderbirds, all housed on the sun-soaked shores of Tracy Island in the South Pacific. The youngest member, Alan, attends Wharton Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts, where he dreams of soaring through the skies as a Thunderbird pilot just like his older brothers—Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon. Alan’s best friend is Fermat Hackenbacker, the son of the team’s resident engineer, Brains, and together they imagine a future spent in the cockpit of a Thunderbird.

During spring break, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her loyal chauffeur Aloysius Parker bring Alan and Fermat back to Tracy Island, where they reunite with Tin-Tin—the daughter of Kyrano, the family’s loyal butler. But Alan’s ambition lands him in trouble when he tries to launch Thunderbird 1 without first activating its anti-detection shield, earning a grounding that will have consequences beyond a simple punishment. Unseen by the island’s inhabitants, the Hood, a psychic criminal mastermind, has planted a tracking beacon on Thunderbird 1 during a recent rescue on an oil rig, guiding him to the heart of International Rescue. From offshore, the Hood launches a spacebound missile at Thunderbird 5, severing IR’s communications and leaving space monitor John in peril.

The trio—Jeff, along with Scott, Virgil, and Gordon—set out in a mission to rescue John aboard Thunderbird 3, but the Hood and his accomplices seize control of the island’s command center and cut power to Thunderbird 5, trapping everyone inside the darkened base. In a chilling reveal, the Hood recounts a old grudge: during one of IR’s earliest operations, Jeff abandoned him in a collapsing illegal diamond mine while saving his half-brother Kyrano. Now, the Hood vows to topple the international monetary system by using Thunderbird 2 to rob ten major banks, blaming IR for the ensuing disgrace.

Fermat acts quickly, removing Thunderbird 2’s guidance chip to buy time, while Alan uses a remote transmitter to reach his father and insist on directly confronting the threat. The signal finds Lady Penelope and Parker back on the case, who race to Tracy Island in FAB 1 and square off against the Hood’s minions. The Hood, however, counters with his psychic powers, overloading the island’s defenses and taking control of the situation. He captures Alan’s friends and coerces him into surrendering the guidance chip, leaving the group trapped in the compound’s walk-in freezer.

With the Hood now steering Thunderbird 2 toward London, the plan unfolds: the Mole is deployed to sink a monorail into the Thames and drill into the Bank of England’s vaults. Alan and his companions manage to break free, reestablish power to Thunderbird 5, and give chase in Thunderbird 1. In London, Alan and Tin-Tin dive into action, rescuing the submerged monorail car with Thunderbird 4 before continuing the pursuit. The rest of the Tracy family returns from space aboard Thunderbird 3, confronting the Hood at the Bank where he has captured Jeff and Lady Penelope and dares Alan to defeat him.

The climactic battle takes place on a catwalk above the moving drill of the Mole. Alan faces the Hood, while Tin-Tin taps into the Hood’s own power and uses it against him, thanks to her unique connection as his niece. The Hood’s taunts about letting him die—echoing a ghost of his father’s fate—do not deter Alan, who makes a decisive rescue and denies the Hood the satisfaction of victory. In the end, the Hood and his followers are arrested, and IR returns to its island sanctuary. Alan, Fermat, and Tin-Tin are welcomed as official members of International Rescue, ready to carry forward the legacy of the Thunderbirds.