Sign In / Sign Up

The Railway Children Return

The Railway Children Return
Release date: 2022-07-15
Rating: 6.5
Votes: 262
Genres: Drama, Family, Adventure
Follow a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during the Second World War, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home.

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Whilst I certainly felt a twinge of nostalgia whilst watching this film, I did wonder just why it was made. The original Lionel Jeffries film (1970) had a charm to it that was as much about a sense of "Britishness" and was simple, thoughtful and engaging. This latter day effort has a darker storyline that though certainly worth telling, doesn't really fit with the overall slightly lethargic timbre of the plot. A family of kids are evacuated from the bombing-prone Manchester to a small village in Yorkshire where they are adopted - after a process that seemed very random and quite risky for the evacuees - by "Bobbie" (Jenny Agutter) who lives with her daughter "Annie" (Sheridan Smith) and her young son "Thomas" (Austin Haynes). For some reason there are a few Amercian soldiers billeted in this rural village far from anywhere - quite why we never know; and the youngsters encounter an injured one hiding in their secret hideaway (a disused railway carriage). Unsure if he is a spy, and suspicious of each other, the story gently develops the growing bond between them whilst touching on the more serious issues of racism within the US army and the difficulties faced by the families of those fighting. It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, this. The narrative tries to stay faithful to the original theme, but somehow it is all just too weak and loosely defined. The children - especially Haynes, KJ Aikens as the young soldier ("Abe") and Beau Gadsdon as the lively, tomboy-ish "Lily" are entertaining and there is some mischief (and a proper flour fight) to be had, but the rest of it just seems a bit lost in 2022. Sir Tom Courtenay appears towards the end as a sort of wise old uncle, but again it is more about seeing him on a screen rather than anything particularly credible he brings to the plot. This is not in any way a bad film, and perhaps it might raise awareness amongst any youngsters who do actually see it that any form of discrimination is wrong, but otherwise this is a nice to watch film for the television at Christmas that bears but a passing resemblance to the first one.

Movie Recommendation

  • Return to Horror Hotel
    Return to Horror Hotel
    2019-06-13
    Return to Horror Hotel is an anthology feature with 4 segments. One is about giant a bedbugs, one is about a magical charm that turns girls beautiful, one is about a WWII sailor who hasn't aged and one is about a terrorizing severed hand.
    More...
  • God of Gamblers' Return
    God of Gamblers' Return
    1994-12-15
    Ko Chun, the God of Gamblers, vows to keep his identity hidden while looking for the gangsters who murdered his pregnant wife.
    More...
  • Bonanza: The Return
    Bonanza: The Return
    1993-11-24
    A man with a grudge against the late Little Joe seeks revenge on the Cartwrights and attempts to take over the Ponderosa.
    More...
  • Darkland: The Return
    Darkland: The Return
    2023-04-13
    Seven years ago, Zaid went to war against the Copenhagen underworld to avenge his dead brother. His identity as a respected doctor of cardiology and life as a family man is but a fading dream, and in prison Zaid suffers the loss of his son Noah, whom he barely knows. When a police agent approaches Zaid and offers him a deal to be released in exchange for infiltrating the Copenhagen underworld, he sees his chance to reclaim the remnants of the family life he left behind. But everything has a price, and Zaid realizes that he has now seriously endangered his son's life. After all, once you become part of the underworld, is there any way out?
    More...
  • The Thundermans Return
    The Thundermans Return
    2024-03-07
    Twins Phoebe and Max are enjoying their superhero lifestyle, but when one 'save' goes awry, the Thundermans are sent back to Hiddenville. While Hank and Barb enjoy their return, and Billy and Nora look forward to a normal high school life, Max and Phoebe are determined to regain their superhero status.
    More...
  • Bunohan: Return to Murder
    Bunohan: Return to Murder
    2012-03-08
    3 brother return to the village of Bunohan with three very different reasons; they will encounter death, deceit and a very grim revelation.
    More...
  • Return Engagement
    Return Engagement
    1990-03-17
    A well-known gangster is released from prison, and decides look for his daughter with the help of a troubled young woman.
    More...
  • We Are The Tide
    We Are The Tide
    2016-11-03
    15 years ago the sea at the coast of Windholm just vanished. Now two young physicists try to find out, why it happened...
    More...
  • Nature Unleashed:  Avalanche
    Nature Unleashed: Avalanche
    2004-08-06
    It begins on a glacier nestled on a frozen peak high in the wild Ural Mountains of Russia, kissed by clouds, the top of the world. A lonely, forbidding place, it's home to THOM CUSSLER and brother, JOCK, a pair of transplanted westerners seeking their fortune in Russia's new capitalist economy. They run a hard-luck snowmobile tour business that takes adventurous winter tourists up the mountains to experience the ultimate extreme winter thrill. During one such excursion, a massive ledge of snow at the top of the ridge suddenly collapses and an avalanche crashes down! Only the quick thinking and expert driving of Thom and Jock saves them. The tiny village of Dubroz, nestled far below, is not so lucky. Avalanche sirens wail, but the panicked villagers barely have time to act as the avalanche crashes down! A wall of snow smashes into one end of the village, blasting-in windows, collapsing and burying buildings... Written by GFT Entertainment
    More...
  • Return to a Better Tomorrow
    Return to a Better Tomorrow
    1994-07-14
    An adventure that delves into the dark caverns of the underworld and tells the tale of three chivalrous gangsters who attempt to escape the powerful clutch of their gang leader.
    More...
  • Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis
    Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis
    2005-10-15
    In an attempt to rescue their friend from an evil corporation, a group of teenagers end up releasing a horde of bloodthirsty zombies.
    More...
  • Krampus: The Return
    Krampus: The Return
    2022-08-25
    After Lisa's brother mysteriously dies, she and her college friends go to her family home for answers. They are shocked to discover that his killer was non-other than the Christmas demon, Krampus.
    More...
  • L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach
    L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach
    1998-01-27
    A stolen computer disk contains the location of a hidden tresaure trove. It's up to the sexy ladies of LETHAL (Legion to Ensure Total Harmony and Law) to find the treasure before the bad guys do.
    More...
  • The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
    The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
    2009-04-19
    Irena Sendler is a Catholic social worker who has sympathized with the Jews since her childhood, when her physician father died of typhus contracted while treating poor Jewish patients. When she initially proposes saving Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, her idea is met with skepticism by fellow workers, her parish priest, and even her own mother Janina.
    More...
  • Return of the Seven
    Return of the Seven
    1966-10-19
    Chico, one of the remaining members of The Magnificent Seven, now lives in the town that they (The Seven) helped. One day someone comes and takes most of the men prisoner. His wife seeks out Chris, the leader of The Seven for help. Chris also meets Vin another member of The Seven. They find four other men and they go to help Chico.
    More...
  • Return to Seoul
    Return to Seoul
    2022-11-18
    After an impulsive travel decision to visit friends, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. Freddie suddenly finds herself embarking on an unexpected journey in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
    More...
  • The Return
    The Return
    2020-09-05
    After the death of his father, a brilliant college student returns to his family home where he learns that the horrors from his childhood aren't as dead and gone as he once thought.
    More...
  • Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
    Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
    1992-03-07
    Cooler has resurrected himself as a robot and is enslaving the people of New Namek. Goku and the gang must help.
    More...
  • Tanu Weds Manu: Returns
    Tanu Weds Manu: Returns
    2015-05-22
    After Tanu and Manu's marriage breaks apart, the latter finds himself smitten by Datto, a lookalike of his ex-wife. But the estranged couple's feelings begin to spark again.
    More...

Similar Movies