Downton Abbey Made a Great, if Predicable, Feature Film

Long-suffering Edith is welcomed back to Highclere castle in time for a visit from the King and Queen.

Cinemark in the early Afternoon

It was a funny time to go to the movies, but it was Sunday, and we knew we would not fall asleep at a 1:15 pm show.  And who could resist a full-length feature film based on our favorite television show of all time, Downton Abbey, with ALL OF THE PLAYERS coming back to be in the movie?

We liked the show so much that we dressed up like royals and like commoners to go to a ball dedicated to the TV show a few years ago.

Violet gets some of the funniest lines, played by the marvelous Dame Maggie Smith.

Julian Fellowes has done it again. From the opening scene that shows the sweeping view of the magnificent Highclere Castle in Yorkshire to the fairy-tale sweet ending, the movie gave Downton fans like us another chance to settle into the upstairs/downstairs world we all loved so much on the small screen.

Roger Ebert.com gave it a thumbs-up, and so did we.  The audience applauded after the movie, it made Mary and I feel good and that’s a nice feeling after watching a movie.

With the ending, seeing Tom dancing on the patio with his new love, we were able to forecast a bright future for this likable character.

The best thing about the Downton Abbey movie was the contrast between it and the popular movies of 2019… “Avengers: Endgame,” “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker,” “Toy Story 4,” “Joker,” “Fast and the Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.”  These movies are heavy on special effects, fantasy and a lot of fighting….which Downton didn’t include.  Acting, characters, intrigue and subtle humor were served up instead.

Sure, the plot twists and the hijinks were a bit over the top, but we had no time for anything but joy that our servants were rising up against the King’s staff, and that Edith would finally have luck go her way. Ditto for the long-suffering daughter Mary, who it gets her just rewards too.