First of all, let me just say that - yes, I did used to wear Thunderbird pyjamas to bed.

And I'm no fan of sickly sweet American Spy Kids-but-without-the-George-Clooney-adult-gags style movies.

But of course, like so many of us, I really wanted this movie to relight a childhood flame.

And while it might not please all fans of the original TV puppet show, this is a Thunderbirds for the Spy Kids generation, with teenage heroes, Brady Bunch '60s colours, hi-tech special effects and lots of hardware being blown apart.

A grim-faced, too much eye-shadow panto sty-lee Ben Kingsley plays the evil Hood, who strands Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his three (central casting we don't remember their faces or names) sons on Thunderbird 5 to let him pursue his evil ends.

So that leaves just schoolboy Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) and his friends Tintin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) and the nerdy Fermat (Soren Fulton) to tackle the bad guys and save the day.

His brothers pooh-pooh the notion. But not Bill. 'He's a Tracy,' says Jeff.

Quite right. Although the effects are't really that special (but hang on here, we're talking about a big nod towards Supermarionation, 30 years ago and big headed puppets with strings) the action's full on with serious get-up-and-go.

The gags (for those of us who'll get them) come thick and fast and the film is stolen by Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles) and her chauffeur Parker (Ron Cook) - a comedy double-act as good in live action as they are in wood (tea-pot emergency beacon anyone...?)

And a special mention for Anthony Edwards who breathes comic life into Hyram Hacken... Hackenb... Brains.

The only thing that irked me was the far too obvious Ford ads throughout the film. Otherwise, Frakes and his team have done a good job of breathing life into a childhood favourite (and a potential goldmine franchise that's been stalled for far too long.)

If I had seen this as a kid on a Saturday afternoon it would have blown my socks off... So standby for a marketing Tsunami.

If they can continue to milk the gags, maintain the break-neck pace and keep an eye on the story and a nod to the original, I'll happily sit through another one.

FAB - Thunderbirds Are Go (and see it...)

Mike Taylor