It's always a big risk tinkering with a much-loved classic - particularly something that was a big part of people's childhoods - but the creative forces behind Thunderbirds Are Go! have promised that this 2015 revamp of the '60s Supermarionation series retains all that made the original so great.
Indeed, die-hard fans will be happy to hear that a good deal remains unchanged - from the off, Peter Dyneley's stirring countdown-to-launch and the subsequent swell of that classic theme tune deliver a rush of glorious nostalgia.
But it's also more than a mere nostalgia trip, with enough changes put into place to ensure that the show works as colourful, engaging fodder for the 6-11 year-olds of today.
As befits a modern series, and one intended primarily for children, the pace is utterly relentless throughout - a lack of incident is certainly not a problem that Thunderbirds Are Go! suffers from.
But most pronounced is the shift from 'Supermarionation' - puppetry to the uninitiated - to a seamless blend of computer animation and exemplary model work. More nostalgia for the grown-ups here, as Tracy Island's palm trees peel back to reveal a runway - just as you remember.
Early publicity shots of the shiny CGI Tracy brothers drew a decidedly mixed reaction earlier this year, but the animation is in fact mostly successful, bar the odd piece of slightly shoddy lip-syncing.
Not all of the changes that Thunderbirds Are Go! implements are wholly successful - one way in which this latest reboot echoes the 2004 movie misfire is in positioning Alan Tracy as the audience surrogate, but with his hyperactive demeanour and space surfboard, the character's in serious danger of encroaching into Scrappy Doo territory.
Then there's the 2015 take on Lady Penelope - Rosamund Pike's natural tones would be a perfect fit for the character, so it's a pity the Gone Girl star opts for a more cartoonish, high-pitched, breathy vocal here (though original series veteran David Graham is as perfect a Parker as he ever was).
But with that said, other of the changes are not only a success but - whisper it - actually improve upon the original. Tin-Tin's successor is Kayo, a capable and interesting heroine brought to life with a great deal of zest by Merlin's Angel Coulby.
Kayo carries much of the climax to the series premiere solo - a denouement which sees her come face-to-face with her tyrannical uncle The Hood. Likewise revamped, he's no longer a dubious racial stereotype 'sorcerer', but a more urbane Bond villain type.
'Ring of Fire' reveals that this version of The Hood played a part in the demise of Jeff Tracy and it's the removal of the Tracy family patriarch - a pivotal character in the original series and the instigator of the entire International Rescue venture - that will doubtless prove the most controversial change enacted here.
Head writer Rob Hoegee has stated that Jeff was taken out of the picture to allow the Tracy boys to shine, and while the wisdom of killing off the character long-term remains to be seen, it has to be said that, in the short term, it works.
The character of John Tracy (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) in particular benefits - one of the unintentionally humorous aspects of the original Thunderbirds was John's long periods spent alone in space, seemingly cast aside as the black sheep Tracy brother.
With Jeff absent, Thunderbirds Are Go! is free to recast John as the plucky de-facto leader of the team, orchestrating their missions from up on high - a smart reinvention.
"A smart reinvention" is a fair term to describe Thunderbirds Are Go! as a whole. A few quibbles aside, this is a fine piece of work, very much of a piece with the '60s show that inspired it - because for all the cosmetic changes, one more thing that remains intact from the original is the show's spirit of adventure and optimism. Of that, I suspect Gerry Anderson would be proud.
Did you enjoy the Thunderbirds Are Go! reboot?
