User reviews

My wife and I took our 3 year old to see this film and we all enjoyed it. In the age of lots of shoot 'em up and Pokemon "crap" Thomas was refreshing and light. For all those who have slammed this film as being the worst of 2000 I can only imagine that they have no sense of wonder and either don't have kids or don't read to their kids. Take your little ones, leave your synicism at the door and be a kid again. Its o.k. to enjoy a kids film!! :)

It is stunning that in this day and age of movie tie-ins, that the creators (or better said owners) of the Thomas the Tank Engine franchise couldn't find a better major movie outlet for their goldmine. Face it, if they would have put 2 seconds of thought into this clunker it would have been huge. Basing it on the Shining Time Station theme was the first mistake. Why not have a nice little movie about the Island of Sodor and its engines? Why insult the audience by creating human characters that are DREADFULLY acted? Again, a simple little movie would have made a mint.

It has been 6-7 years since this movie came out and I wonder why another attempt at a Thomas movie hasn't been made. This is the most popular character for children ages 2-6. Parents (like myself) would kill for a decent big screen adaptation to take children to. Seems like somebody is missing the boat here.

As for this movie, it has all been said within the previous comments. The acting by Peter Fonda is downright embarrassing, and the storyline is confusing. More focus should have been put on the engines and less on wooden human characters. It gets a 3 from me because despite all its flaws, my 3 year old loves it, therefore giving daddy a much needed rest from time to time.

Time for another try at a Thomas movie. Anybody up for it?

My son loves this movie. We rented the DVD and then he saved his own money to buy it. He still loves it 2 years later. Although It is a little bland for adults. Kids eat it up. That is really all I have to say. but they require that this comment be 10 lines long. My point is that all of the comments I read were really negative about the movie. When in fact it served it's primary objective. And the at was to entertain children. I don't think that anyone made the film wanting to get nominated for any awards. They just wanted to entertain children and make some dough in the process. The end. I have met the 10 line minimum. I give it 3 out of 10 stars.

With evil engine Diesel back on the track and looking to get rid of the old steam engines. Mr Conductor is put in charge of using his gold dust to jump around the area and keep an eye on Diesel - but his supply runs out and he finds himself stuck. Meanwhile Diesel is looking for the steam engine that got away from him in the past - the same engine that was repaired and hidden by Grandpa Burnett many years ago.

Being a reasonable fan of Thomas in my youth I decided to watch this film to see what it was like. The first problem of the film is that it doesn't resemble the UK version, with characters and sentiments added for the American audience. This isn't a major problem - only that it affects what I remember from the original series. The plot is very fragmented and is far too hard for very young children to follow; the basic is good but the addition of various characters and such just complicates things. The issue I had with the story was the fact that it is almost totally lacking in any sense of fun or wonder; I don't mean it should have been hilarious but it should have been at least enjoyable. Instead, there is no sense of fun here - it is very plodding and makes it nigh on impossible to stay with.

The animation is basic but is more or less true to the original series; downside of that is that the trains all look rubbish - with the eyes being the only bits that move (constantly). However the film straw is the fact that the cast are pretty poor. The voice work on the trains is very simplistic and it just made all of them sound the same. Peter Fonda is awful and can't even muster the energy to deliver the most basic of lines (when his granddaughter returns he says `Oh Lily. I'm so glad you're back' with all the emotion of a man reading out his shopping list). It's like he got drunk and woke up to find himself contractually obliged to do this film and decided to not even put in a little bit of effort. Baldwin tries hard and is actually OK because he is at least putting in effort; more than that, considering his tough guy image, this was a strange role for him to play and he does do it pretty well although I would have liked his character to insert more of the wonder and fun that he hints at rather than delivers.

Overall this is a pretty poor film that never really goes anywhere. The plot is weak - too complex for tots and too convoluted for adults to bother with. The acting is roundly poor and the film manages to be totally missing any sense of fun. It's easy to tire of kids films that are full of knowing humour but this is one film that was crying out for a bit of silliness or tongue in cheek humour.

Oh, My, God! What is this? This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen! The main problem with this movie, is that Thomas is barely in it! The movie is poorly written with unintresting characters! The movie is pretty dark for a G rated movie! Pretty much the main character is Mr. Conductor! And do you want to know who is missing in this movie? It's Edward! Edward never makes an appearance in this movie! He isn't even mentioned! If you want to watch a movie made for kids 3 and under, watch Elmo in Grouchland! It's way better than this awful Thomas movie! However, if you like this Thomas movie, your opinion is respected.

Where is the English charm? Why are all of the Engines now American? I watched this movie as I thought it would be a good tribute to Rev.W.Awdrey's life long work. It's not at all. The engines just sound annoying and the plot doesn't work at all. Has Britt Alcroft decided to go behind his back completely. Surely if Awdrey were alive today he would not be impressed at all. I am not a child but I still think that children should be shown a sense of consistency from the TV series. It's a bad film. The Island of Sodor makes no sense. Thomas is a British masterpiece and this film has ruined it. The producers should be ashamed. That's all I have to say.

My brother used to love Thomas when he was younger, and he is 3 years younger than me. This movie came out when he was 5, and I saw it for the first time in years, and I wish I never did. It was a totally embarrassing experience. The first problem was that it was too americanised. Mara Wilson? Peter Fonda? Alec Baldwin? These are three really good actors, and they were completely wasted in this movie. Remember, Thomas is British, so the casting was clumsy. The script was terrible, full of too many clichés, and awful one-liners. There was an attempt to liven it up, but it was no use. The damage had already been done. The only other movie I can think of, that has a truly bad script, is "Addams Family Reunion". After seeing this, I have changed my mind about which deserves a Razzie for Worst Screenplay. This one bites the dust. Although there weren't many songs, the songs I heard were just ghastly. Just pop wannabes improvising a tune that didn't suit the film at all. Lastly, the story was totally uninspired, and almost all of it was about humans. Only a segment was about trains. This movie was a huge embarrassment for me. Avoid! 2/10. Bethany Cox

Okay, I understand that this is a kid's movie, and that it's intended to simply be fun. However, that's no excuse for the wreck of a screenplay provided by Britt Allcroft. Some day I may be compelled out of sheer obsession to document the many problems with this movie, but the most fundamental flaw is the continued use of the "Shining Time" additions to the Awdry stories. Didi Conn is the only thing shining in Shining Time, created for US TV audiences to stitch together the excellent model railroad Thomas stories. The only thing is, they didn't need to be stitched together, as they stand up just fine on their own in book and video. Worse, the Shining Time portions on TV are excruciating to watch...and now the whole premise is brought to a movie.

Now it seems there's some kind of magic railroad connecting a mythical British island railroad to Shining Time, clearly in the USA. In fact, it must be in Lancaster, PA, USA, because the Strasburg Railroad locomotive #475 makes a few appearances in the movie (in Strasburg and Harrisburg, PA) and I doubt it's ever been across the Atlantic.

Anyway, to make a long and painful story short, there's almost no motivation for any of the characters in this story to do anything at all. Somehow Mr. Conductor (not an Awdry creation) is running out of gold dust, which will somehow make his "universe" fall apart. There's no mention as to why supplies would dwindle to nothing when it's the only thing holding Sodor together - Mr. Conductor is pretty irresponsible if you ask me. He summons his idiot brother who is no help at all, and together they and the rest of the characters stumble on the answer and save the day in a completely underwhelming conclusion.

The gold dust emergency happens to coincide with the apparent return of a diesel engine intent on destroying steam engines. The whole evil-diesel and his predictable sidekick-duo are completely unnecessary and just scare the little kids (like my two-year-old). I assume that the marketing folks needed a few more new characters to work into the merchandising mix because there's no excuse for the plot damage caused by the diesel.

Your kids may enjoy the railroad scenes, but don't watch this movie unless you want your brains to leak out of your head and turn to mush. The models are great, but the acting and writing are ridiculous. Avoid at all costs!!!

Thomas The Tank Engine has been known for being the most popular TV show made for children of all ages and it goes on for generations ever since, and for some reason, it was based on the Shining Time Station TV show (the only show that I've haven't watched).

The story focuses on Mr. Conductor as his magic gold dust is running low. Desperate to find it in order to get back to Shining Time, he embarks on a journey to Sodor to find the magic gold dust there. Meanwhile, Thomas the tank engine tries to find off the attacks of the evil Diesel 10 before he finds the lost steam engine and destroys it. Getting all the help from his cousin, his new friend Lily, and her grandfather, Mr. Conductor helps find the engine that has been hidden for years in order to find all of the magic gold dust that has also been hidden.

What's so bad about this movie? The storyline was inconsistent, in my opinion. It had a lot of flaws and plot holes I don't even know how many they were. The storytelling was very poor, and even the script was so bland.

What's so good about this movie? The cinematography was creative, the acting wasn't half bad, the pacing moves along very nicely, the visuals were great the music score was very good, and most of all, it had the potential of the TV show despite the fact that the critics said it got americanized. Just a reminder as well, this is a kids movie and those kids can ignore the problems that I've already stated.

Overall, I used to like this movie as a child when it was first released and despite it's flaws, it's still a good film that everyone should enjoy. Thomas and the Magic Railroad isn't a great film, but it doesn't have to be since it did what it had set out to do. It might be worth-watching if you give it a chance.

I watched this film approximately 18 years ago. I am now 22 and I have a recurring nightmare every couple years about Diesel chasing me. I'm not sure if other 3-4 year olds have watched this and woken up in cold sweats for the next 2 decades due to being haunted by an antagonist anthropomorphic train. If so, maybe go for another fun Thomas film!

Go ahead and give it a 4 for "bad writing" but this film was there for me when my parents were not

I was quite surprised to see such negative reviews...it was by no means a cinematic master piece but it never suppose to be. It was only ever meant to be a fun movie for little kids about their favourite engine, which is what it is. When it came out in 2000, my sister was 3 and I was 5, we loved it, we even had it on VHS.

Yeah it has some minor plot holes, it was still a nice fun story...as previously stated, it's for kids, so definitely wouldn't want to complicate the plot too much.

DON'T believe in the title of this movie. Thomas is BARELY in this. Go watch this Thomas Movie The Adventure Begins (2015) instead. It's WAY better this.

I also agree that this is a wonderful movie for very young children. My 2 year old daughter has just recently been bit by the Thomas bug. I wasn't sure if a feature film would keep her attention. However, my fears were unfounded. From the moment she heard Alec Baldwin's voice she didn't move. There is a nice balance of live action with the trains, and the music is wonderful. This movie is a 10 in my books.

Both my 8 year-old daughter and 2 year-old son, esp. the latter, absolutely love this movie. I enjoy the TV shows, but I really thought this movie was very poorly done. The acting by the kid who plays Patch, and by Peter Fonda, is particularly poor. I know Fonda's character was supposed to be depressed, but his subdued monotone delivery was just horrible. And I agree with the comment that someone posted on the message board that the continuity between scenes is just terrible. It seems as though the movie had the scenes made individually, then cut them up and pasted them almost in random order. This movie has the worst flow to it of any that I can remember. Much of the dialogue and sequencing of the action simply makes no sense. A pitifully bad movie.

Fortunately, the plot and acting don't seem nearly as important to kids. They just like that there are tank engines in it, and they like the colorful set pieces and the music. So despite its many flaws, I still must reluctantly recommend it for younger children, who clearly love it - just be forewarned that as an adult you may have a very difficult time sitting through it over and over again, even if you are a kid at heart like myself.

I took my two girls to see this yesterday, and I was very disappointed. The trains have little to do with the (confused and disjointed) plot of the film, they give what can best be described as extended cameo appearances, which presumably are meant to prop up the wooded acting performances (of all but Didi Conn). The film seems to have been edited at random, several plot lines just suddenly disappear. The children just about enjoyed it, but not as much as they usually enjoy a childrens' film.

My top 10 Problems with this movie...

1 Peter Fonda looked like he was on 'ludes the whole movie... especially when his missing granddaughter turns up and he blurts "lily. i'm so happy to see you". I've never seen a actor emote less.

2 Alec Baldwin. Not that he is bad in this. He seems to be about the only actual actor trying to act. But all I could think of was GlenGary Glen Ross. I was dying for him to scream "YOU THOUGHTLESS LITTLE PIG" to the Lily character. I wonder how far they got into shooting before Alec realized what a major piece of crap he was involved in.

3 Was the Native American driving the train supposed to be some sort of lame joke? You know.. an injun driving an engine. What was he even doing in this movie?

4 The Yahoo Serious brother or cousin or whatever. Simply annoying. Although the "Shell Phone" joke was good.

5 What exactly are the rules about who shrinks and who doesn't when they travel thru the magic railroad. They're definitely not consistent.

6 How exactly did Patch get all that coal to the cave?

7 The engines are barely in this movie at all. And when they are, some speak with a brit accent and others don't. WTF? Plus the engine with the most lines (Diesel 10) isn't even one of the main Thomas and Friends characters.

8 What was Diesel 10 doing there in the first place if he was such a pain in the a..?

9 The opening sequence at Shining Time with the James Taylor-ish music and the juggler was simply lame. At least it was big waving red flag at the beginning of the film alerting me to keep my expectations low.

10 What was with Lily climbing on things? Was it foreshadowing some event that never happened?

11 The whole Gold Dust concept confused the hell out of me. What it's for, where it comes from, all of it... was frustratingly unclear.

Well I could go on and on. I'm not going to cheap out at this point and say "but my kid liked it" like everyone else. Yeah, he'll sit and watch it. But he'd sit and watch just about anything that had Thomas in it and it is a shame that they totally squandered an opportunity to make a decent feature movie with some beloved characters. Too bad.

I took my three year old to see Thomas and the magic railroad, he is a big fan of the videos ( narrator George Carlin ), But he got very frustrated with the humans in the movie. When the little trains with silly looking faces on them are more interesting than the people you've got a big problem.

This movie should have went straight to video. Sorry Thomas!

To be completely honest I personally don't think the final cut of Thomas and the Magic Railroad is bad as most people say it is. Plus I grew up with this movie. And I like it as much as I loved the TV series, Yes I did notice some of it's flaws. But despite that I still think the final cut of this film is good for it is, and believe me I would love to see the directors cut.

In my household we consider ourselves great Thomas fans, with visits to steam railways (on Thomas days), videos are rarely out of the VCR for long and the Rev Awdry's books are read nightly to my 3 year old, at his request I might add.

However this film has not got one grain of the magic of Rev Awdry's stories, the plot is drivel. The acting is as wooden as the trains themselves. Peter Fonda could have been replaced by a cardboard cut out for all he contributed to the film. Only Michael E Rodgers (Mr C Jnr) and Didi Conn (Stacey) gave performances which seemed appropriate for the film.

The new characters were too scary for younger children and the plot too convoluted for older ones. My children (3,6) did sit attentively through the whole thing, but have not mentioned the film since. Unlike Toy Story 2 or Chicken Run which they talked about a lot after seeing them.

Also the UK audiences have never seen Shining Time Station in any other context (we should be eternally grateful, it appears!) so the whole think has been botched.

"The gold is in the books,

the Thin Clergyman's tale

But Lady has her hooks

and Thomas' friends wail."

Jim Jackson

Thomas the Tank Engine is a precious memory that many young adults and older parents hold dear to their youthful days. Either if it was narrated by Beatles' drummer, Ringo Starr in the U.K. version, or by comedian, George Carlin in the American version, the show was, and still continues to be a wide success among aging toddlers. So it is of no surprise that at the beginning of the 21rst century that the cheeky steam engine was given a theatrically released film. Sadly, Not many people have found it appealing; however, I am one of those few people who actually did.

Shocking to me, I don't understand why so many people hate this movie. Yes there are a couple of areas that were not perfect before the filming began, but don't all great projects have their setbacks. And really, there are only a couple issues. But I'm going to forgive it because this film should not be trashed for such small errors. The movie is also partially narrated Mr. Conductor, Alec Baldwin, the third most recognized conductor to tell of Thomas' adventures from the TV show.

The problem is that Mr. Conductor starts losing the magic in his gold dust and he must find it quickly. The gold dust is what keeps him from traveling between his world and the Island of Sodor (Thomas' world). And the only people who can help him uncover this secret is a girl and her grandfather. The little girl, Lily is played by the no more in showbizz actress Mara Wilson. Her grandfather, Burnett is played by veteran actor Peter Fonda. And let's not forget that Mr. Conductor has a relative, Jr. (Michael E. Rogers), who joins the crew as well. Even Didi Conn from the original Shining Time Station (1989) TV show, which aired the Thomas and Friends adventures, reprised her role for this movie.

There are other actors like Russell Means who doesn't have a big role but do add to the nostalgia of the film. What ticks people off about this film is the acting and characterization. And that's just the human part of the film. I didn't find it out of place at all. Baldwin is considered to be at his worst but I found him fairly entertaining. Fonda is bashed for being to down in the dumps, but I found his performance quite emotional because some people become depressed when losing a family member; it happens. I sympathized with him.

Lily and Jr. were thought to be of no importance to the story at hand either. But to me, I found Lily a character that children could connect to. And Jr. may not have been the most convincing character but he did have a number of funny moments. The other thing viewers and professional critics alike did not enjoy were the trains themselves. Apparently audience wanted to see moving mouths. But why do that? The TV show wasn't like that. Why would you want to change something that's classic to bad? Ever hear of "If it ain't broke don't fix it"? It's good that they kept it that way, otherwise it probably would have done worse. Of course, NOW the new series of Thomas and Friends have moving mouths so I hope all of you mopes are happy.

The reason why the mouths did not move was that Britt Allcroft, who also happened to be the director of the popular TV show, also directed this movie. I mean, what more could a fan ask for? I give credit to Allcroft, I believe she put in the most effort into making this film as good as it was. She even provided a voice to one of the trains. Speaking of which, this is the last thing people were not happy with; one of the Thomas' friends does not show in this film because his physical train model was not available and the trains all have different voices instead being narrated by Mr. Conductor. Guess what? Not everything's perfect.

Actually, the voice actors do a swell job being the trains. Edward Glen as Thomas was a good match. His voice didn't sound too old or too young. Neil Crone as Diesel 10 was a good match too. In fact, Crone's voice made Diesel a very comical villain. Kudos to them! And the film score by composer Hummie Mann was done brilliantly. Mann is able to combine all the right tones with each scene and it even includes The Shining Time theme song in his tracks as a reoccurring theme. It helps the movie a lot.

As the only theatrically released film of Thomas the Tank Engine, it should be respected for its good performances and storyline. The characters a very likable and the music excels it to the max.

Who wrote this thing? It is a dreary joke. I have seen the TV program with my son and can't figure out how this relates to it. It's deadly dull, the plot is difficult to follow and the characters are boring. Long pauses in between conversation makes it feel like you are watching underwater.

Not only is it dull, it is mean-spirited. The TV series is gentle, with easy to understand, moral lessons for children. This movie is scary, with a vindictive diesel engine, bent on destroying a mythical engine.

My poor two year old was so excited about watching a Thomas movie and he saw no more than ten minutes because it didn't keep his attention. Peter Fonda and Alec Baldwin must have had some hefty bills to pay in order to accept this drivel. The young actors should sue their parents for putting them in this film.

The best thing about this film is I had a gift card and didn't have to pay for the drivel. I gave it a 2 because the video and sound were okay.