The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMovie reviews

The Railway Children Return

The Railway Children Return | Movie review
11 July 2022
Umar Ali
Avatar
Umar Ali
11 July 2022

Movie and show review

Umar Ali

The Railway Children Return

★★★★★

Release date

15th July 2022

Certificate

UPG121518 title=

A sequel to the 1970 film The Railway Children (itself an adaptation of the 1906 novel of the same name), The Railway Children Return follows Lily (Beau Gadson), Pattie (Eden Hamilton) and Ted (Zac Cudby), three siblings from Manchester, who are sent to a village in Yorkshire during the Second World War. They’re taken in by Bobbie (Jenny Agutter, who reprises her role as one of the original Railway Children), her daughter Annie (Sheridan Smith) and Annie’s son, Thomas (Austin Hayes), who becomes fast friends with the trio as they settle into their new life in the countryside. However, they can’t escape the horrors of war, even in this idyllic landscape, and, when the children discover injured American soldier Abe (KJ Aikens) hiding in the local rail yard, relationships old and new are put to the test.

Owing to its young target audience and mission statement of educating that audience about the evacuee experience, The Railway Children Return is a straightforward movie, but it manages to work with that simplicity to tell a heartwarming and surprisingly compelling story. This story is primarily told through a series of small slice-of-life vignettes, which help to break it up for younger audience members and paint a picture of life in World War II that’s at once comprehensive and comprehensible. 

The film’s writing hits a delicate balance of providing solid character work that satisfies young minds without overwhelming them, sprinkling in some social commentary about problems like racism and sexism in ways that make them simple to understand but provoke wider questions about the world. 

There’s something here for everyone: children on the younger end of the film’s target demographic will enjoy the fun of the countryside, with a solid mix of comedy and action, while older children will be able to sink their teeth into the movie’s more educational parts, as well as the solid and engaging character arcs. The Railway Children Return is very aware of the anxieties that kids of all ages face, and engages with its audience without either patronising or alienating them.

Overall, this a lot of fun for all the family, with a charming story that teaches children important lessons about the world we live in while also delivering a solidly entertaining cinematic experience.

★★★★★

Umar Ali

The Railway Children Return is released nationwide on 15th July 2022.

Watch the trailer for The Railway Children Return here:

Related Itemsclassic filmJenny Aguttermorgan matthewsreviewsequel

More in Movie reviews

Nope

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

Eiffel

★★★★★
Diletta Lobuono
Read More

Fadia’s Tree

Marissa Khaos
Read More

Prey

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

What Josiah Saw

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Luck

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More

Maisie

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Bullet Train

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Thirteen Lives

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Umar Ali

The Railway Children Return

★★★★★

Release date

15th July 2022

Certificate

UPG121518 title=

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • The Sandman
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • What Josiah Saw
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • South Facing Festival: Richard Ashcroft and his band were on impressive form from start to finish
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • South Facing Festival: Richard Ashcroft and his band were on impressive form from start to finish
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Eiffel
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Five Days at Memorial
    ★★★★★
    apple
  • “Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • South Facing Festival: Richard Ashcroft and his band were on impressive form from start to finish
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Five Days at Memorial
    ★★★★★
    apple
  • Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • Prey
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Kula Shaker at Alexandra Palace Theatre | Live review
The Good Boss | Movie review