Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

SnoopyStyle The guiding principal is the quote "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man." The filmmakers hope to follow these kids to see a glimpse of England in the year 2000. They follow a group of kids from varied background, and ask some probing questions.I think most of the questions are over their head. While it's cute to ask these kids about girlfriends and love, the answers are basically meaningless. There's some interesting takes on fighting, the class system and blacks. We get limited information about their family life. Every once in awhile, they answer a question by giving a glimpse into their real lives. We need better answers by adults rather than answers from 7 year olds.In the end, this is just setting up the rest of the series. The filmmakers get a lot of quotes that will be replay in the films to come. It's a baseline. At this point, we're just having a bit of fun watching cute kids talking without comprehension.This is the first of an incredible series. Looking back, there are a lot of questions that the filmmakers didn't ask. If the film is taken as a stand alone, it is just a high class version of Kids say the Darndest the Things. But it is a good setup and we have to start somewhere. For that I'll give it a 7/10. If I have one minor change, they need to put the kids' names on the screen. It would make it easier to watch.

thebbcamerican The "spoilers" in this review are a couple of quotes from the series (personally, I find just about any quotes to be spoilers, as that's part of experiencing it fresh) but they will be at the end and duly prefaced.Roger Ebert put this series on his list of the ten greatest films ever, and although it might not quite make that echelon for me, I wouldn't fault anyone for putting it there.My favorite lines from the film sum it up very well, and both come from Nick. At first, I was very critical of it not being a "proper" study, which it isn't. But once you get past that hurdle and just allow it to be no more (or less) than just what it is, it has loads to offer beyond the base voyeuristic value in terms of insight and opportunities for soul-searching for the attuned viewer. In essence, the series is less about its practical agenda -- watching how these specific individuals evolve -- and more about us learning how people, or *a* person evolves. In the end, for the viewers lucky enough to be open to it, following these individuals is less about learning about them and more about learning about ourselves.With that, I'll give the quotes of Nick's I was referring to, which essentially sum up my feelings about the series (QUOTE SPOILER ALERT):At age 21: "It's just that the limitations of such things as what the audience require and the time don't allow it to be a real study. I mean if we accept this, then okay I think it's probably good entertainment."At 56, he gets closer to my feelings about its value beyond merely good entertainment: "The idea of looking at a bunch of people over time and how they evolve -- that was a really nifty idea. It isn't a picture, really, of the essence of Nick, or Suzy, it's a picture of everyone. It's how a person, any person, how they change.... It's not an absolute accurate picture of *me*. But it's a picture of somebody. And that's the value of it."

runamokprods The 'Up Series' represents one of the most fascinating and unusual uses of film in cinema history - a documentary life-long chronicle of the lives of 14 people starting at 7 years old, revisiting them every seven years through age 49 (so far). While I could quibble, wishing for a bit more depth here and there (especially with the women, where there's a bit too much emphasis on love and marriage at the expense of all else), it's really an astounding, moving, frightening and uplifting document. There's no way to watch this remarkable series of films without reflecting deeply on one's own life, and how you have changed (and stayed the same) over your own lifetime. While Michael Aped deserves every bit of credit he's received for this amazing piece of cultural anthropology, it's important to note this first film, 7 Up,was actually directed by Paul Almond, and Apted was a that point a researcher for the project.

Fleaberhopper This is a series that should be watched by everybody. It is remarkable to see the kids grow, and deal with life like everyone has to. As far as documentaries go, this series should be awarded a special Academy Award because it is one of the best ever made.