A follow-up movie to the extremely popular British TV series Downton Abbey that ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015, Downton Abbey does an excellent job of recreating the elements that made the show such a success by portraying the daily lives of the family members and staff of the Downton Abbey estate and, of course, with bits of scandal. The film is set in 1927 England, a year after the events of the concluding episode, and the plot revolves around a royal visit to Downton Abbey and all the preparations that must take place in order to properly host King George and Queen Mary. The movie will mean a lot more for fans and viewers of the original series and is very nostalgic with the appearance of almost all of the characters that fans have come to love and hate over the years. The quite entertaining conflicts between the staff members downstairs and the witty banter between the Grantham family, especially Maggie Smith’s magnificent Dowager Countess character. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of the royal staff who are trying to take over almost all of roles of the household staff, which, to put it lightly, does not go over well. Knowing that it is such a great honor to serve the king and queen, the household staff try their best to take back control of their beloved Downton Abbey and the family they have so dutifully served over the years. As is the case towards the end of the series, Lord Grantham, played by Hugh Bonneville, and his daughter Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, along with the rest of the family grapple with what will happen with Downton Abbey in light of the changing times in which large estates are shuttering. Overall, I found it to be a wonderful continuation of the internationally-acclaimed television series that thoughtfully tried hard to recapture the same feel of such an endearing TV show. It will definitely delight long-time fans of Downton Abbey and quite honestly will probably mean much more to those who have watched the entire series than regular moviegoers who have not been exposed to the characters and storylines of the television program.
KEITH on Reels 