Undoubtedly, the scenery in this film is gorgeous, and the aerial shots of the train do make for an impressive backdrop. But really, aren’t they just being copycats? They even thought that it would be a good touch to have Thomas running onto the train line and collapsing, just like Bobbie did in The Railway Children. And the end scene, when the children are trying to stop the train where Lily and Abe are being kept prisoner, is a terribly forced reenactment of the original film. I do want to point out that Austin Haynes’ acting is wonderful the character of Thomas was my favourite, (aside from Bobbie), and he was the only child that I rooted for.Ī post shared by StudiocanalUK onto the storyline, what is going on there? I do not profess to be any kind of expert on the treatment of deserters during World War Two, and of course, the racism towards black soldiers that was presented in this film was horribly realistic, but I just found the whole escape plan very hard to follow. Whilst the eldest child, Lily, improves in endurability slightly as the film progresses, the middle child, Pattie, really wound me up the character is exaggeration personified, unbelievably rude, and was just a real thorn in my side throughout the movie. Whilst the latter’s cheekiness and mischief was very endearing, the children in this film are nothing less than obstinate, petulant and downright annoying. The three main children sadly lack any of the likeability that Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis displayed in the first film. The scenes of the children running across the meadow are also very sweet mainly because they have their mouths shut I also admire the way in which she never loses her charisma and emotional depth, despite the fact that she is having to work with actors whose character portrayals are about as interesting as watching paint dry.

It is just such a shame that they are so few and far between. You can certainly see the continuation of the character from the first movie, and my favourite scenes in the film featured her. Now, despite my intense disappointment with the film overall, I must take a moment to highly commend Jenny Agutter, for reprising her incredibly likeable, funny, fiery and layered version of Bobbie. Add to that the fact that Jenny Agutter is one of my favourite actresses, and you can imagine my excitement for the arrival of The Railway Children Return. I fell in love with the story and the characters instantly. I watched the original film of The Railway Children not long ago, having enjoyed the book when I was a child. The film follows their adventures, and their encounter with a black American war deserter. They are welcomed into the home of Roberta (also known as Bobbie, from the original story), and her daughter and grandson. Set during World War Two, the story follows three children, Lily, Pattie, and Ted (real name Adolf), who arrive as evacuees to the Yorkshire village featured in the first film. On 15 th July 2022, cinemas saw the arrival of a sequel movie, The Railway Children Return. Just over 50 years ago, The Railway Children (based on the 1906 book by Edith Nesbit), graced our television screens with its heartwarming beauty and endearing simplicity.

The railway magazine