Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

I don't think fans of the series will mind, but watching Downton Abbey: A New Era it's hard not to feel a bit overwhelmed. There are so many characters all with so much to do, the film takes a relentless approach to get through all its plot threads. Characters walk into scenes to just state what plot point they are advancing, and then walk out, and we move on quickly to the next scene. It's all just bang, bang, bang to make sure that we wrap it all up by the end of 125 minutes. But despite that, the film manages to provide sentimental satisfaction for fans and remains a rather entertaining film if you can just keep up with the stories. 

There are two main plot threads going on; a film is being shot at Downton (how meta!) and the mystery of why the Dowager has inherited a vila in the south of France. Both offer comic and melodramatic moments which give you all the feels you want from this sort of thing but they also set up some mini side plots like Barrow finding love (sort of) and the films' rather tearjerking ending. I think the film manages the second better than the first. The film isn't even brave enough to give us a gay kiss scene let alone a love scene. But it sure delivers on the ending which I won't spoil. 

So the film is a bit of push and pull when it comes to how chaotically it runs through its plot points yet mostly delivers on giving us a rousing good time. The film avoids the sketchy politics the last film flirted with and honestly with all the stuff going on never has enough time to truly develop anything more than surface character arcs. But it still manages to feel satisfying. You get what you want out of it for sure. 

I will mention that I feel Maggie Smith does deserve some props here. I know she's always been a scene stealer in this series but here I think she does some really outstanding work. Her character is given a lot to do on multiple dimensions and I was glad to see her getting the chance to do great work at this stage in her career. 

I do think a third Downton movie would benefit from pairing down the cast and focusing on a more concentrated storyline that it can really explore instead of just giving everyone a few scenes. Maybe that's the direction the series is going in since it's now written out a number of characters. 

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Maggie Smith, Hugh Dancy, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Tuppence Middleton, Jim Carter, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Penelope Wilson, Jonathan Coy, Michael Fox, Nathalie Baye, Samantha Bond

Director: Simon Curtis

Writer: Julian Fellowes