--- title: "They Shall Not Grow Old" year: 2018 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/they-shall-not-grow-old" fi1m_id: "they-shall-not-grow-old" imdb_id: "tt7905466" tmdb_id: 543580 wikidata_id: "Q57414487" fi1m_score: 81 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 22 published: "2026-10-03T00:45:18.774002+00:00" updated: "2026-10-03T00:46:04.512510+00:00" region: "SE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) Directed by Peter Jackson · 1h 39m · Statens medieråd 15 · Documentary, History, War ## Identity They Shall Not Grow Old - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/they-shall-not-grow-old - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** they-shall-not-grow-old - **IMDb ID:** tt7905466 - **TMDB ID:** 543580 - **Wikidata ID:** Q57414487 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/543580, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57414487 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 80 from 22 reviews *In a sentence:* All that restoration, and the old soldiers still hold our attention with a few plain words > Peter Jackson’s First World War documentary is moving and carefully assembled, with veterans’ voices that hold us throughout. Its restored images deserve attention, and some caution: added colour and sound cannot tell us exactly how it was. ## Synopsis British servicemen recall life on the Western Front during the First World War. Their recorded accounts accompany archival footage that Peter Jackson restores, colours and reshapes with sound. Among the voices are Thomas Adlam of the Bedfordshire Regiment, William Argent of the Royal Naval Air Service and John Ashby of The Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment). The men describe everyday military life, companionship and the horror of fighting. The film combines their separate memories into a shared account of service, with the men providing both the detail and the commentary. ## Review Peter Jackson’s *They Shall Not Grow Old* is a moving war documentary that earns its concentration on ordinary servicemen. It uses restored First World War footage and recorded recollections to bring us close to people who can get overlooked in accounts of campaigns and casualties. The Western Front supplies the setting, and the larger political history receives little attention. That limitation is worth knowing about, but it rarely diminishes the force of listening to the men. The restored footage gives faces a clarity that makes it harder to treat the men as an anonymous crowd. Colour, reframing and added sound all encourage us to stay with the image, rather than dismiss it as something seen before. We found ourselves moved more than we expected by those faces. The effect comes from being able to study an individual man while listening to accounts of everyday military life, with enough detail in the image to keep our attention on him. The recorded voices are at least as important as the restoration. The veterans describe everyday life and wartime horror without straining to make their experiences sound extraordinary, and that restraint lets us listen without feeling pressed towards a response. Their humour matters too, because it gives us a sense of personalities that a solemn tribute could easily leave out. The accounts of companionship help explain how life continues amid conditions that sound intolerable, without turning the soldiers into examples of courage for us to admire. Editors Jabez Olssen and Reginald Harber Jr. shape the recorded accounts into a shared story, keeping it comprehensible without asking one speaker to carry everything. The succession of voices holds our attention, and 99 minutes is enough time to become absorbed without feeling that every recollection is being asked to prove the same point. There is a cost to that fluency: it can be difficult to keep the men separate as the memories accumulate. We wanted more room to consider where one man’s experience might differ from the next. Our reservation about the images is more persistent. Colour and sound make this material easier to approach, but they also involve choices about things the surviving footage cannot establish on its own. Jackson’s treatment can feel so immediate that we have to remind ourselves how much work has gone into producing that impression. We would have welcomed more encouragement to distinguish what was recorded from what has been added. That does not undo the effect of the faces, though it makes the word restoration seem insufficient for everything happening here. There is no need to settle the argument about colourisation before watching this. Those who distrust the process may still find themselves absorbed by what the veterans have to say, and we would not want sensible reservations to keep anyone from hearing them. Give it a quiet evening and listen closely to the men. *Fi1m score 81, published 3 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to They Shall Not Grow Old, with praise centred on the restoration and colourisation of archival footage. The reviews repeatedly describe soldiers’ faces becoming recognisable as individuals, making their experiences feel immediate rather than remote. Veterans’ recorded voices draw similar approval: their humour, understatement and accounts of ordinary life give the technical work its emotional force, and even the more reserved critics find passages moving. The spread runs from strong enthusiasm to mixed assessments, with no wholly negative verdicts. Reservations concern the limited historical and political context, and whether digital intervention helps viewers understand the past. Little White Lies questions whether the enhancements turn suffering into spectacle, while Eye for Film regards the result as artistic reinterpretation rather than restoration. Sight and Sound takes the opposing view, defending the colour, reframing and sound as effective ways of bringing viewers closer to the soldiers. ## Straight answers **Is They Shall Not Grow Old worth watching?** *They Shall Not Grow Old* is worth watching for its absorbing veterans’ testimony and moving attention to ordinary servicemen; we score it 81. We recommend it particularly for those interested in lived experience on the Western Front, with one reservation: the added colour and sound can make the footage seem more historically certain than it is. **How long is They Shall Not Grow Old, and what is it rated?** *They Shall Not Grow Old* runs 1h 39m and is rated 15 by the Statens medieråd in Sweden. It is a documentary and history film. **Where can I watch They Shall Not Grow Old in Sweden?** *They Shall Not Grow Old* is available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video from kr 39.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is They Shall Not Grow Old, and is it suitable for children?** *They Shall Not Grow Old* carries a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for younger children, with veterans describing the horror of First World War fighting. We would approach it cautiously with sensitive older teenagers: the plainspoken accounts and restored faces make the suffering feel close, though our review does not establish how graphic the images are. **How does They Shall Not Grow Old compare to The World at War?** *They Shall Not Grow Old* is the better choice for a concentrated account of servicemen’s lives, while [*The World at War*](https://film.one/tv/the-world-at-war) offers broader Second World War history and gives testimony more time to accumulate. We recommend both: Jackson’s documentary holds our attention within 99 minutes, while the television programme asks for a longer commitment and rewards it with absorbing, distressing eyewitness accounts. **What should I watch after They Shall Not Grow Old?** After *They Shall Not Grow Old*, try [*The World at War*](https://film.one/tv/the-world-at-war) (1973, Fi1m 90): A broader account of another war, with testimony given time to accumulate. Then [*Waltz with Bashir*](https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir) (2008, Fi1m 83): Animation gives another unsettling form to veterans’ memories and their uncertainties; and [*The Act of Killing*](https://film.one/film/the-act-of-killing) (2012, Fi1m 88): A disturbing examination of how men remember, rehearse and justify their violence. ### Reviews we read (22) - **Empire**, Jonathan Pile (90/100, inferred): Pile praises the documentary as a technical and emotional triumph that brings audiences closer to the realities of the Great War. He singles out the painstaking restoration and colourisation for making the soldiers feel like real people. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shall-grow-old-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan calls the documentary an exceptional, gorgeous tribute that makes World War I soldiers feel alive to modern viewers. He particularly praises the meticulous restoration and colorization, which transform the archival footage into a vivid human portrait. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-they-shall-not-grow-old-review-20181215-story.html) - **Radio Times**, Andrew Collins (90/100, inferred): The critic presents the documentary as a powerful, resonant memorial. They single out its restored footage and collage of commentary for creating an immersive picture of a nation at war. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-a-memorial-that-resonates-like-no-other-documentary/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film outstanding and its effect electrifying, despite its limited focus on the Western Front. He especially praises the restored, colourised footage for bringing the soldiers’ faces and experiences vividly back to life. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/16/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-first-world-war-peter-jackson) - **Variety**, Guy Lodge (90/100, inferred): Lodge finds the documentary a dazzling, humane achievement that makes familiar history feel newly immediate. He especially praises the restored faces, which turn blurred archival figures into empathetic individuals. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-peter-jackson-1202981266/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Dalton (85/100, inferred): Dalton finds the documentary haunting, moving and consistently engaging. He particularly praises its vivid technical restoration of archival footage and its ability to humanize soldiers’ experiences. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/they-not-grow-old-review-1152679/) - **The i Paper**, Jeff Robson (85/100, inferred): Robson calls the film a fitting tribute and says its true triumph is giving ordinary soldiers a voice. He praises the soldiers’ understated accounts of both everyday life and wartime horrors. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-bbc2-remembrance-day-2018-peter-jackson-219883) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (4/5): O’Sullivan finds the documentary humane and immersive, though its treatment of French sex workers feels cartoonish and its closing song is old-fashioned. She praises the restored, colourised footage for bringing the soldiers’ personalities and experiences vividly to life. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-an-immersive-war-documentary-with-21st-century-zing-a3985766.html) - **Sight and Sound**, Ian Christie (80/100, inferred): Christie argues that Jackson’s film succeeds as an imaginative visit to the First World War past. He praises how its colour, reframing and sound make the archival footage feel immediate, while rejecting technical objections to those choices. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-peter-jackson-brings-controversial-colour-wwi-footage) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (80/100, inferred): The review views the documentary as a powerful achievement. It singles out the transformed archival footage for making the soldiers’ experiences feel immediate. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/movies/they-shall-not-grow-old-review.html) - **IndieWire**, Mike McCahill (B): McCahill finds the documentary a jolting, powerful way to make the war’s archival images newly immediate, though it offers little political context. He praises the colorized footage for bringing the soldiers’ experiences vividly to modern audiences. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/they-shall-not-grow-old-review-peter-jackson-world-war-one-colorized-1202012440/) - **Screen Daily**, Fionnuala Halligan (76/100, inferred): The visible text suggests an appreciative view of Jackson’s film. It singles out his act of remembrance, but the full review is unavailable. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/they-shall-not-grow-old-london-review/5133679.article) - **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (66/100, inferred): The accessible text does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It identifies the film’s controversial colorization and other effects as central to Jackson’s attempt to revive World War I voices. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/film-week-shall-not-grow-old/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (65/100, inferred): Brody finds the film absorbing and deeply moving despite criticizing its visual approach and composite storytelling. He especially praises the veterans’ archival voices, whose testimony gives the film its emotional and dramatic force. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/they-shall-not-grow-old-reviewed-the-indelible-voices-in-peter-jacksons-first-world-war-documentary) - **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (4/3/3): Woodward finds the film technically impressive and engaging, but ultimately flawed as an exercise in historic preservation. He praises the soldiers’ humility and humour while questioning whether colourisation and digital enhancement bring the past closer or turn tragedy into spectacle. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/they-shall-not-grow-old) - **Collider**, Dave Trumbore (A): Trumbore calls the documentary a necessary, deeply moving work despite its difficult viewing. He praises how restored, colorized archival footage brings the soldiers’ experiences vividly to life. [Read](https://collider.com/they-shall-not-grow-old-review/) - **The Wrap** (95/100, inferred): The critic calls the documentary an essential, brilliantly realized connection to the experience of World War I soldiers. They single out Jackson’s immersive use of restored footage and veterans’ oral histories for bringing those soldiers vividly to life. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/they-shall-not-grow-old-film-review-peter-jackson-wwi-documentary/) - **/Film**, Hoai-Tran Bui (8.5/10): Bui finds the documentary both technologically dazzling and deeply human. She especially praises how the restored footage and soldiers’ faces make the people behind the war feel vividly present. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/563063/they-shall-not-grow-old-review/) - **Polygon**, Andy Crump (85/100, inferred): Crump gives the documentary a strongly positive verdict, calling it an assertion of Jackson’s vitality as an artist. He particularly praises the restored, colorized footage and the film’s use of veterans’ own voices to convey both camaraderie and the brutality of war. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/1/18206812/peter-jackson-documentary-wwi-they-shall-not-grow-old-review/) - **Paste**, Kenneth Lowe (75/100, inferred): Lowe calls the film an unforgettable achievement in restoration, while noting that its account tells only one side of a complicated conflict. He especially praises how the restored footage makes the war’s human cost feel immediate. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/they-shall-not-grow-old/they-shall-not-grow-old-is-one-side-of-a-story-unf) - **The Playlist** (65/100, inferred): The URL identifies this as a review of Peter Jackson’s film, but the page content is blocked. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/peter-jackson-shall-not-grow-old-review-20181016/) - **Eye for Film**, Owen Van Spall (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film compelling and moving at times, but considers it a well-intentioned artistic reinterpretation rather than a restoration. They praise the veterans’ candid testimony while faulting the visual and sound effects for occasional heavy-handedness. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/they-shall-not-grow-old-2018-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) ## Details - **Director:** Peter Jackson - **Director:** Peter Jackson - **Writer:** Peter Jackson - **Editor:** Jabez Olssen, Reginald Harber Jr. - **Producer:** Clare Olssen, Peter Jackson - **Cast:** Thomas Adlam as Self - Bedfordshire Regiment (voice); William Argent as Self - Royal Naval Air Service (voice); John Ashby as Self - The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) (voice); Attwood as Self - British Army (voice); Walter Aust as Self - East Yorkshire Regiment (voice); Donald Bain as Self - Seaford Highlanders (voice); Thomas Baker as Self - Chatham Battalion, Royal Naval Division (voice); George Banton as Self - 50th Division Headquarters (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 39m - **Certificate (Statens medieråd):** 15 - **Release (Sweden):** 8 March 2019 - **Genres:** Documentary, History, War - **Box office:** $21 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrabKK9Bhds ## Where to watch in Sweden - Apple TV: rent kr 39.00, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent kr 39.00, hd - Apple TV: buy kr 99.00, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy kr 99.00, hd *Checked 2026-10-03.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PT, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - IFFR audience award 2019: IFFR audience award (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Battle of the Somme* (1916): Wartime footage invites a useful comparison with the choices behind modern restoration. - *The Unknown Soldier* (1955): A Finnish view of soldiers whose humour survives alongside exhaustion and fear. - *The World at War* (1973), Fi1m 90: A broader account of another war, with testimony given time to accumulate. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-world-at-war.md) - *Waltz with Bashir* (2008), Fi1m 83: Animation gives another unsettling form to veterans’ memories and their uncertainties. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir.md) - *The Act of Killing* (2012), Fi1m 88: A disturbing examination of how men remember, rehearse and justify their violence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-act-of-killing.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/they-shall-not-grow-old