Entertaining
Summary
A beautifully mounted movie, which has maybe one too many subplots, but enough of that Downton charm to feel like a worthy entry.
Plot: A movie production shoots at Downton Abbey, while Robert gets a disquieting doubt about his heritage after a puzzling bequest to his family.
Review: Continuing from the excellent first movie entry in the series released in 2019, Downton Abbey: A New Era continues the tradition of excellent storytelling begun from the television series. I was extremely interested when I heard that this entry would dramatize a movie production being filmed at Downton – that sort of meta storytelling would be engrossing in the hands of a terrific writer like Julian Fellowes. To state the obvious, it doesn’t disappoint.
While I feel that this movie goes into too many subplots that go nowhere (Cora’s illness, the tension in everyday habits between Mr. Mason, Daisy, and Andrew), this is another well-plotted, engaging story from Mr. Fellowes. The storyline regarding the film production, the painful and abrupt switch to a talky film, the mysterious question about Robert’s parentage, and the emotional passing of Violet Crawley are all top-notch. Where this movie aims to hit, it does. Despite my minor gripe about the movie’s determination to pair up every unmarried character, which seems unnecessary, the main parts of this movie are terrific.
The characters continue to shine. Joining are Hugh Dancy as a film director, and Dominic West and Laura Haddock as film stars. All the new additions are excellent, and even Haddock’s character, who is not likable at first, shows dimension. This film features both West and Imelda Staunton in roles where their characters are not complete villains, which, to me, is rare. I could happily have watched the entire movie about just the film production (and, of course, Maggie Smith throwing witty jabs as Violet), but the other main subplot is told just as well. Plus, Mr. Molesley’s proposal to Miss Baxter was hilarious – I love how in the films, they keep giving Kevin Doyle’s character the most absurd moments. It keeps highlighting what a tremendous supporting character he’s been through his run.
With the move from television to movies for the Downton characters, I feel like the change has substantially increased what the production can do. The huge tracking shots at the beginning of the film show the expansive nature of the Downton estate, and the framing, moving back to show more of the set, does an outstanding service to excellent production design. Going across to the South of France as well, displaying the elegant French villa and shores, it’s just things that they wouldn’t have been able to do in the television show. While I was skeptical that the world of Downton needed a movie series to wrap up its storylines, I was wrong – the movies impressively demonstrate how dedicated the production team is to capturing the era of Downton and doing its characters justice.
If you watched Downton Abbey and shied away from watching the movies because you were satisfied with how the show ended, that’s fine. But missing the first and the second movies also means you miss out on just how wonderful the Downton Abbey world can be realized with a higher budget. This second film does credit to the legacy of Downton Abbey and its characters, and if you were a fan of the series, you’ll find this entry just as enjoyable as the preceding stories.