The Railway Children Return

This whole film is a quite weak. The story is really unbelievable, the acting isn't great and it all gets ludicrous.

It's hard to know who this film is aimed at, who will see it and even why it was made.

Having seen the original Railway Children numerous times since it was first released in 1970, I had high hopes for this film, on the basis that Jenny Agutter had agreed to appear in it. However, I was sorely disappointed, as historical inaccuracies and retrospective applied politically correct ideas totally ruined the film for me. To give just a few examples:

The film is based on children being evacuated from Manchester in 1944 in response to a renewed German bombing offensive. While such an offensive did occur (and was known as the Baby Blitz) it was largely concentrated on London and the south east of England.

Bobbie's grandson, Thomas, had a far too broad Yorkshire accent for someone from a middle-class family.

Lily would not have been detained for a prolonged period by the American MPs, but would have been handed over to the British police at the earliest opportunity.

The British policemen would have been wearing helmets and not flat caps.

Lily seeking to hide Abe's army uniform by giving him civilian clothes is completely ludicrous, as he would have been immediately identifiable by his skin colour (or perhaps color).

A young man with Down's syndrome would not have been employed as a telegraph boy at that time.

The American general at the end of the film would not have been black.

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.

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.

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.