Movie-goers will enjoy the film regardless of their familiarity with the TV show
“Downton Abbey” is a movie following the events of a fictional estate in northern England during 1927.
The story follows a large number of characters, too many too list individually, but they’re divided into two main groups: the wealthy Crawley family that inhabits the estate and their servants.
The events of this movie pick up a few years after those of an award-winning TV show with the same name. While having seen the TV show is sure to add to the enjoyment, this is still an excellent drama to see for those who have not.
The Plot Summary (No spoilers)
The movie opens to the journey of a letter making its way to the Crawley estate. The letter explains that the king and queen of England will be coming to stay a night in Downton Abbey.
The staff of Downton begin immediate preparations for the royal visit but are soon greeted by the king and queen’s rude personal staff. The Downton staff are quickly pushed out by the royal’s staff and are told not to interfere with the night of the visit.
Around the same time, a strange visitor takes up in the village inn. The visitor, Major Chetwode (Stephen Campbell Moore), approaches one of the Crawley family members, Tom Branson (Allen Leech). The major is particularly interested in Tom’s Irish heritage and asks if he has any negative views towards the royal family.
The letter also mentions a third guest, Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton). Maud is a cousin of the head of the Crawley household, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville). However, Maud has written Robert out of her will which does not sit well with Robert’s mother, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), who is planning a few choice words for Maud’s arrival.
The Review
The first thing to mention before getting into this review, is the “Downton Abbey” TV show.
The movie essentially acts as a continuation of the TV show. However, the writers and producers did a great job of making sure that the movie could be enjoyed by everyone, not just those who have seen the TV show.
This movie was very enjoyable (this is coming from someone who hasn’t seen the TV show). There are plenty of storylines to follow, characters to connect with and great production overall.
There are also some absolutely breathtaking shots.
It’s definitely not a movie for everyone though. If you’re looking for something with action or to take a kid to, this is not your film. However, it’ll be a huge hit for all the drama lovers out there.
Overall, I give this movie a 7/10.