I'm rating all of these a 90 because I see the experiment as valuable. These are normal people, for the most part, and some are interesting, some are not. Some of them have very bad problems, some don't. The prejudice of the film-maker is obvious, but what captivated me was whether or not we come to know these children, and later adults? I think we do, better than we ever will know Tom Cruise or Lindsay Lohan, no matter how many films they make. For that, for the depth of information, it's a 90.

Now that everyone's life has been more-or-less cleaned up, it does kind of make the show a tad less interesting, but they can at least still contemplate their past experiences. There's also an excellent clip at the end of this one that breaks the fourth wall by having these participants talk about this program itself, it's successes and it's hypothesis on class systems.

"Two subjects acknowledge their conjoined lifeline, become best friends, and as a result a life is forever changed." - Ed Gonzalez

So damn happy for Bruce in this one.

Intriguing to no end. Some real opinions are presented now. "The Up Series" concept is a thought provoking look at the social structure.

Relieved that Neil pulled himself out of his rut and that Bruce found someone.

More interesting than 35 Up, as some of the "Uppers" have had some surprising changes since they were 35. It's also a far more hopeful and optimistic part of the documentary series, and although 50% of each documentary is of old clips now the editing is getting better. This is also seen when the same questions are being asked to different people, it feels less like a routine or statistical analysis.

Maybe it's because the participants are closest to my own age, but I found this the most interesting of the series. Many of the subjects are in some state of transition or are eloquent enough to reflect on their lives with insightful introspection. The most compelling one, Neil, has taken a turn for the better, though still struggling. The commentary on class was more thoughtful than previous attempts to address the subject. I still think the series is better as an idea than in execution.

Excellent.

Making the same class based argument for six films in a row has become a bit tedious. Furthermore, at 42 I'm not sure that we're getting much introspection or insight anymore. The subjects were asked a bit about regrets and if they would change anything, but there wasn't enough new there. I'm not entirely sure if I'll bother with 49 Up, but I know I'll probably become interested again once they come into their 60s, and have a bit more perspective on life.

I'm not sure why, but I found this one more interesting than 35 and 28. Maybe because now that they're in their 40s, you see what they've made of their lives moreso than in the previous films. There are definitely some surprises in this one.

Cf., my review of "49 Up."

A great series, although not as engaging as the earlier ones, better with the directors comentary.

A very honest Up where the subjects are old enough to reflect on how life doesn't work the way fiction does. I also think this is the last truly innocent one before the explosion of Reality TV in the 2000s (and now self-documenting through Web 2.0) altered everyone's perspective. A project like this can never again really be done.

Watching all these in a short time span maybe wasn't a great idea. It's interesting and there some moments that generate genuine reflection. Very much worthwhile, as is the rest of the series. The editing does get a little tiring, though, with all the use of old footage that I've already seen. It also feels a bit more voyeuristic than the previous films, which isn't a good thing.