★★★★✩
Cert: PG

Jenny Agutter (An American Werewolf in London, Logan’s Run) reprises her iconic 1970 role in the follow up to one of the most loved British family films of all time.

Directed by acclaimed documentary maker Morgan Matthews— making his feature debut here — the sequel also stars West End darling Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay (45 Years) and a brilliantly versatile and dynamic young cast lead by Beau Gadsdon ( who plays the young Princess Margaret in The Crown).

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Sheridan Smith and Jenny Agutter

Set in 1944, as the war in Europe intensifies, more and more families have chosen to send their children to the safety of the countryside. Sent by their mother to a small village in the Yorkshire Dales, three young evacuees are taken in by Annie (Smith) and her mother Bobby (Agutter), herself an evacuee from London some decades earlier.

As they settle into their lives in the village, Lily (Gadson), Pattie (Eden Hamilton) and Ted (Zac Cudby) form a lasting friendship with Annie’s son Thomas. The four find themselves in a tight-spot when they encounter Abe (Kenneth Aikens), an injured, young, black American soldier who begs for their help.

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A scene from The Railway Children Return

Meanwhile, John Bradley (Sam in Game of Thrones) is the amiable rail guard who reluctantly agrees to help the foursome out of their predicament.

Matthews and screenwriters Jemma Rodgers and Daniel Brocklehurst deliver an unapologetically earnest, saccharine narrative in a film which often relies on nostalgia to appeal.

With obvious nods to the first film throughout and a commendable socially aware plot line which seeks to update the story to modern audiences, The Railway Children Return does exactly what is expected from it.

Granted, this has more than just a whiff of Sunday night BBC drama a la Call The Midwife about it, but one has to marvel at the simplicity and innocence of such an endeavour in a world of franchise superhero films and big summer blockbusters.

And while there’s no denying that the whole thing could have benefited from a tighter and more adventurous script, there is still a lot to love here.