7 Plus Seven

Continuing the stories, more interesting as the the children are in their early teens. The little shitty rich kids are the worst.

This includes most of 'Seven Up' - the most important parts, anyway - so you might as well begin here. The keyword is juxtaposition. It's fascinating to compare the subjects, with each other and with themselves 7 years previously.

Oh Suzy, you racist.

I'm still not terribly impressed, but still hopeful for the later films. There's not a whole lot of progression from the first movie. One of the prissy prep boys is turning into a huge git, it's interesting to hear the three girls compare and contrast their different schools, one kid moved to Australia. But things are pretty much the same. There aren't many surprises here. I suspect that events become more compelling in the next film, as the kids start making more decisions for themselves.

An improvement over the first entry. The subjects are now in their Teenage years and have more to say and relate to. It’s interesting comparing what they said as kids to see if their opinion or situation changes or is the same. Some having uncertain futures and whether their dreams and ambitions are possible, and friends come and go with new schools and family situations. It’s good seeing it all in colour, so now their adult lives will be coming.

An enormous downgrade over the first edition: The interview questions are hamfisted, the filmmaking itself is poor, and worst, the film doesn't address what it means to be 14, choosing instead to demonstrate how its subjects "show the man" of who they were at 7.

Entertaining catch-up feels more like a middling current affairs segment than a film in of itself, and suffers from too much repetition of SEVEN UP's footage; still these are sparky, charismatic kids and the peek this film provides into 60s styles, society and attitudes is quite interesting and revealing.

Narrator: "Are you happier now than you were then?"

x2

No one has anything interesting or even mildly entertaining to say when they're 14.