Thunderbird (2001) User Reviews

A Film of Poignant Beauty

[johnstonjames · 8/10 · 16 August 2010]

i only gave this film an eight. why? well as good as it was, it was a little too nice and congenial for my taste. this is an awfully sweet little film though, and anyone who likes sweetness with a light touch will appreciate it.

all the mushy cuteness aside, the film has great photography, especially the shots of the airplane flying. the acting is very good and funny, if not a little too cute at times.

i always enjoy films about Native Americans. Native Americans have given this country such a rich heritage and we should pay tribute to it.

all in all this was a really good family film and families should check it out.

High End

[GillDRay · 10/10 · 16 September 2002]

An astonishing directorial debut - as monatodras suggests, THUNDERBIRD displays a greater flair for the medium than many studio films, and is certainly better edited. Having edited several studio films myself, I can state this with authority.

How short film directors manage to shoot professional quality biplane sequences is anyone's guess, but if you happen to be at a festival where THUNDERBIRD is showing, go see it. I look forward to Mr. Swann's feature debut.

The Best Short Film I've Seen This Year

[monatodras · 10/10 · 13 November 2001]

As a teacher and occasional critic, I probably watch three hundred shorts a year. THUNDERBIRD is a knockout-- a fully imagined, beautifully realized fable. Visually the movie is far better than many feature-length Hollywood blockbusters. I don't know how the director managed to grant his low-budget work such impressive production value, but the cinematography, editing, and set design are all first-rate. Each shot was slaved over, and the resulting composition pays tribute to all that time and effort.

Gary Castillo delivers a charming performance, leavening despair with humor.

Eschewing the current fad for music video-style frantic editing, the creators of THUNDERBIRD favor a quiet, stately pace, an elegant cadence. Though shorter than fifteen minutes, the movie has the feel of an epic, and I look forward to watching whatever these boys put together next. You just know they're aiming big.

Excellent work

[dbweiss23 · 20 September 2002]

This short has been making the rounds on the festival circuit for a while - I strongly suggest checking it out if it comes to a festival near you. Ward Swan has created a powerful fable about the strength of belief and the ability to overcome obstacles of our own devising. What's more, he has done it on an extremely high cinematic level, one rarely if ever seen in short films. He is one to watch out for; his lens is destined to land upon something epic.