This is essential TV viewing for all fans of Gerry Anderson; especially for fans of STINGRAY, in which case this show is unmissable. Unlike episodes of THUNDERBIRDS and some of Mr. Anderson's other works STINGRAY is very rarely repeated on terrestrial UK TV, so to see this recently constructed offering was an absolute delight. It contains clips from previous episodes that are being watched by the male STINGRAY team as they wait for the girls to get ready for a party, so we get to revisit some of the show's popular villains and how Troy first met Marina. I utterly LOVE and adore STINGRAY - it massively influenced my creative development as a child and I was glued to the TV set for every episode growing up, so it was wonderful to see this special 'Reunion Party' one-off. The characters, their relationships, and their interactions, together with the fantastic voice acting talents are simply amazing on STINGRAY, and we get a second look in this stand-alone production to remind us of how good they were. The memories come flooding back watching this of the quality that was STINGRAY. It would be fantastic if STINGRAY could be made into a live action film that genuinely did it justice - unlike the travesty of the 'Thunderbirds' film that bore scant resemblance to Mr. Anderson's creation. Of course the highlight to all STINGRAY episodes was the music, plus opening and closing themes, and the awesome 'tribal' drumming alarm signal as the HQ is lowered into the ground to protect it from attack - we get all this again the 'The Reunion Party' - and THANKFULLY for one very rare occasion on UK TV the inter-programme announcer didn't speak all over the end credits, nor were they shrunk into a tiny box or a strip for the purpose of showing us what was up next in the schedule - HALLELUIAH - this meant we had the full treat of listening to STINGRAY'S famous beautiful closing song, and seeing the wonderful closing images that always accompanied it. I love STINGRAY. Please watch this one-off special when it's repeated again on UK TV as you won't be disappointed - as long as you get to see/hear the full closing credits.
2 Reviews
Solid compilation for fans but the casual viewer is better just dipping into the series proper instead
bob the moo13 April 2008
While waiting for Atlanta and Marina to finish getting ready for the Stingray reunion party, Troy, Bones and the others gather round to watch some of the old projector tape records of their more exciting missions. While I'm not a rapid fan of this stuff or anything like it, I do have fond memories associated with Stingray, Thunderbirds etc because they used to be on BBC2 on a Friday evening when I was younger (along with things like Man from Uncle, which I also have a soft spot for). So this compilation was a draw for me more out of nostalgia than anything else for sure I could not tell you what was the "unseen" footage and what was the footage I had seen countless times before.
As such then, the party will have limited appeal because outside of the "unseen footage" aspect of it this film is of less value than the actual episodes. This is because the compilation aspect of any show only works when it is a collection of best bits, which this is not really. It does still bare a viewing though because it is entertaining to look back on Stingray but as a "new" episode it is not that great. Of course to fans it will be a joy to see their favourite characters "back" and the offer of unseen footage will only increase this. Personally I would have liked the "watching the film" scenes to have been a bit post-ironic or at least tongue-in-cheek but perhaps this would have annoyed real fans who are the target audience at the end of the day.
Overall then, a so-so episode of Stingray to the point where it is not worth starting here if you have never seen it. However as a "reunion" it is worth a look for the chance to see the old characters brought back in footage some of which has not been seen before.
As such then, the party will have limited appeal because outside of the "unseen footage" aspect of it this film is of less value than the actual episodes. This is because the compilation aspect of any show only works when it is a collection of best bits, which this is not really. It does still bare a viewing though because it is entertaining to look back on Stingray but as a "new" episode it is not that great. Of course to fans it will be a joy to see their favourite characters "back" and the offer of unseen footage will only increase this. Personally I would have liked the "watching the film" scenes to have been a bit post-ironic or at least tongue-in-cheek but perhaps this would have annoyed real fans who are the target audience at the end of the day.
Overall then, a so-so episode of Stingray to the point where it is not worth starting here if you have never seen it. However as a "reunion" it is worth a look for the chance to see the old characters brought back in footage some of which has not been seen before.
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