Directed By Simon Curtis

Starring – Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery

The Plot – Follow-up to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley family and Downton staff received a royal visit from the King and Queen of Great Britain.

Rated PG for some suggestive references, adult language and thematic elements

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA – Official Trailer [HD] – Only in Theaters May 20 – YouTube

POSITIVES

As expected, the vibrancy of the Victorian era production designs are the very strings that hold this established world together, offering transformational escapism that is seamlessly established in every frame that adorns the immersive occasion. It starts with the individual set designs, which not only breed with them upper class elegance in decor, but also a rich history of traditionalism that metaphorically represents the family’s dominating idealism. From there, the authenticity of the various threads of costume design transcribes a three-dimensional emphasis that ravishes the appearance of its various cast, especially in the case of the lady members, who impose their screen dominance with a wide variety of lavishing gowns that feel particular to the character they support. The technical elements are equally entrancing, with the lighting emitting a glowing radiance that perfectly enhances the beauty and warmth in Curtis’ ambient direction, all the while the decorated musical score from John Lunn casts an irreplaceable influence in the many sweeping selections that inspire wonder and timelessness during some of the castle’s breathtaking establishing shots. The script is also a solid improvement over the 2019 film, in that it incorporates a complimentary dominance over the tonal consistency, which breeds more humor than I’m typically used to from the Downton Abbey universe. This helps to endear more of the characters to us in ways that enables them to elude the upper-class snobbery, and in the case of a film inside of the film that is being shot at the castle, transcribed more than a few revealing commentaries about cinematic productions that completely obliterate the fourth wall of the fictional obscurity. Beyond this, I also loved the film as a final chapter in the lifespan of the franchise, not only for bittersweet moments of surprise that it supplanted to the film’s closing moments, but also in the expansion of the characterization, which supplants a few instances of permanence and direction to their various designs that makes this installment anything other than forgettable. Finally, the performances themselves elicit the kind of energy and charm that eludes the notion that any of this decorated ensemble would sleep through another opportunity to take up their respective characters, especially in the case of Dockery and Maggie Smith, who once more permeate captivity with a duo of palpable personalities that makes every scene spent with them a blossoming delight. This is especially the case of Smith, who as the family’s nagging wet blanket is a national treasure with scene-stealing lines and blunt facial resonation that makes her an unavoidably infectious tool of uproarious release for the audience like me seeking honesty in the various madness in and around the mansion that she always gets the better of. Hugh Dancy is also a welcome addition as the fictional director who overtakes operations at the Abbey and shares a nourishing chemistry with Dockery, romantic and non, that makes him a suitable replacement for the absentee Matthew Goode without feeling intentionally confrontational.

NEGATIVES

“Downton Abbey” continues to be one of those franchises that eludes itself from picking up new fans of the show, and instead focuses on the hardcore enthusiasts that have been with it since the beginning. I say this because I am one of the former, and no matter how invested I am with the benefits of everything aforementioned, I can’t ever feel like I’m invested by the property in ways that great drama’s often do for me. Part of the problem is definitely the convoluted essence of the script’s structure, which finds something beneficial for every character to do, but elicits little freedom of development in a straining two hour run time that is more than generous for this kind of storytelling. The script itself decides which subplots are important by donating more time to them, and the ones that are less fortunate are subjugated to a set up and resolution that not only undercuts the natural progression of their narratives, but also with it forgets to resolve certain key issues of mystery that were established early on and never fully followed through with. As you can imagine, this strains the pacing to meandering levels that keep it from ever attaining growing momentum, leaving this as dry and disconnecting of an experience as I attained in the few episodes of the show that I have been fortunate enough to see to this point. In addition to this, even despite the air of permanence that stems from some pretty unique directions of characterization, I found the stakes to feel virtually non-existent in their long-term storytelling. This is authentic to the way “Downton Abbey” has always been as a gentle, light-hearted watch, but for cinematic rendering I could’ve used more emphasis and uncertainty in the duo of films that have otherwise been a two-hour extension of the series to this point, and one that rarely ever tests the characters in ways that transcends their cushion of wealth from saving them.

OVERALL

“Downton Abbey: A New Era” promises something diversely evolving in the syntax of its supporting title but does very little to lure new fans with its lack of compelling drama to override some of the script’s densely meandering moments. The comfort for longtime enthusiasts will reside purely in the out-of-this-world technical aspects and charms from a decorated ensemble that do more than enough to warrant a seat at the table, even if all the kitchen is serving is reheated leftovers.

My Grade: 7/10 or B