What Next?

Presumably it was the plot of this Children's Film Foundation adventure that led one American critic to call it the teenies' Chinatown: blustering right-wing property developer of eminent respectability (Cossins) is uncovered by three kids as the man behind the Great Plane Robbery. Rather, we're back in the world of the Dandy and Beano, where a hit on the head means a sudden acquisition of prophetic powers, where kids become super-sleuths moving through a world of half-disguised names (Pentonmarsh Prison, Whittlewoods Pools) and get their picture on the front page of the local paper. What's more, the kids actually look as though they were thought up by a DC Thompson artist. The film develops a refreshingly conspiratorial attitude to grown-ups, and a healthy irreverence towards figures of authority. Just the right amount of laughs and a scary sequence in the Ghost Train for kids. Excellent use of London locations, natural performances, and enough wit for attendant adults.