Set in 1929, the film explores an intrigue around the Dowager Duchess after she inherits a villa in the South of France, and how a film crew disrupts the smooth running of the famous Abbey house itself.
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The pace of the film is you might say lightning-fast and rarely seems to take a break from a fairly relentless series of events. There are some deliciously funny moments, some mysterious plot twists, and definitely some sadness.
But this is not a film that will challenge you nor are there any thought-provoking scenarios. It is exactly what you have come to expect from Downton Abbey. It won’t change the world, rather it’s like spending the evening with old friends.
Curiously, everyone seems very tanned despite the inclement English weather, and this incarnation is even more woke than the TV show – while there are some ill-tempered characters, there is no one as nasty or devious as Miss O’Brien. Even Thomas has been so rehabilitated that you actually root for him in this film.
The film shoot within a film seems to borrow quite heavily from the classic movie Singing in the Rain, but it’s all good fun and definitely cheeky.
Overall, this film continues the light-hearted soap opera, and if like me you are a Downton Abbey fan then this will be a joyful reunion with the Crawley family and their servants.
So how did I score it?
Acting 8/10
Story/Script 7/10
Cinematography 8/10
Set/Costumes 8 /10
Entertainment 8 /10
That gives Downton Abbey – A New Era an average of
Average 7.8 / 10
DOWNTON ABBEY – A NEW ERA
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan and others
Directed by: Simon Curtis
Duration: 125 minutes
Opens in Australia and New Zealand – 28th April 2022