The Railway Children Return

Who is the audience supposed to be? I thought this would be a family movie, and expected a weak version of the original, but the writers have ruined a wonderful original tale and filled the film with unpleasant characters, racism, bigotry and bad mannered children.

Yes, the issues of racism do need to be told and historically remembered, but this is not the film for it. The Railways Children was a lovely, charming and heartfelt story of a family in crisis and how loving children helped their mother and each other. This is not the platform for a socially conscience lesson.

Write a new movie if you want that; don't leach off a gentle story.

Trading on the goodwill generated by the original,this quickly dispels any such feeling. A plot which has little of the warmth and charm of the original. It then tries to copy the climax of the original. The music is overbearing.

Interesting to see Tom Courtney,other than that a total non event.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this film, it is very sweet, quaint and positively intoxicating with its timeless charm of trains in the Yorkshire countryside. But the audience need something more to keep The film from being boring; it is simply not enough to recycle the same locations and the same plot points because from very early on this film just becomes a predictable tribute to the superior 1970s version.

An interesting point to note is how everyone from film critics to members of the public have complained about the secondary theme regarding racial inequality. Nobody was expecting nor wanted this theme in the film and subsequently it is quite jarring and feels out of place according to many people. I for one argue that in order for a period film to be successful nowadays it has to carry social related issues such as racial inequality in order for it to be able to relate to the wider public. After all, we are now so much more aware of racial related issues, ignoring it is hard to do.

In spite of the beautiful shots there was a really terrible continuity errors that were next to unforgivable and the hammy acting. Of the children left much to be desired when it came down to the casting director's choices.

This film will mostly have a fondness towards it, but it's destined to be consigned to TV as a Sunday afternoon filler.

Where to start :

Good points : none

Pointless sequel, yet another example of the talentless chimps beating on keyboards to produce an awful script for a shameless money making grab on the back of a classic

I hope they paid Jenny Agutter a lot of money for her short appearances.

Absolute rubbish, full of 'woke' B. S.

If you have fond memories of the classic original don't waste your money.

Every time I come across films of children being packed off to the countryside during WWII, 2 films invariably come to mind - Narnia, and Hope and Glory. Unfortunately, this neither has the fantastical element of Narnia, nor the magical perspective and childlike thrill of H&G.

For an adult director to recreate the world through the eyes of a child, requires huge amounts of perception and skill, both in direction as well as acting. This falters on both as neither is convincing enough to sustain the interest of the viewer throughout the duration of the film.

There are films where racial injustices are not only integral, but indispensable. But to force racial themes into every film film that could so easily be done without, is not only trivializing the issue but rather making a mockery of it as the audience would easily spot the digression and this is exactly what happens here.

Lastly as an aside, this period piece deals with racial justice in an era were there was little to none, compelling an unlikely amalgamation.