I have never seen a single episode of Downton Abbey, the Emmy-winning British TV series that aired its last show three years ago. It’s not that I have intentionally avoided it; there are just some TV shows I never get around to watching. I haven’t seen Good Omens, either.
So, walking into Downton Abbey the movie, I knew next to nothing. I knew it was set in the early 20th century, I knew it was British, and I knew the awesome Maggie Smith was in it. I also knew Dan Stevens was probably not in it due to situations his character encountered during the run of the show, TV events that made the news.
This movie is a mess, although it’s the sort of mess a true fan might be willing to tolerate. Director Michael Engler seems to be working with enough subplots in this movie to fuel an entire season of the former TV show, and it’s painfully apparent by the pacing (especially in its first half) that the big screen is not serving the cast well.
The big plot twist here is that King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) are coming to Downton Abbey, a big estate with a reasonably sized staff, for a quick visit during one of their tours. So the staff, taken a bit by surprise, must prepare for a visit from the royal family.
Much of this movie is staff running around trying to prepare for this visit. In fact, the first half of this movie is almost entirely about preparing for the visit. They go to the store for eggs, they try to fix the boiler so the Queen will have hot water, and they endure some minor staff shakeups in anticipation of the big visit. Then the visit happens, then the visit ends. That’s the main thrust of the movie.
In the background, there are all sorts of little affairs and plot threads that even the most hardcore fans might have a hard time keeping track of. There’s even a blink-and-you-will-miss-it assassination plot involving King George that just sort of happens, without any attention to anything resembling details. Hey, a movie where King George V almost gets assassinated should be at least slightly exciting, right? Nope, it’s just something that happens in this movie, as inconsequential as one of its characters taking a bath.
The presentation of the film’s first half is rushed, as if Engler is worried someone will accuse his film of being bloated and dragging. Quick little scenes happen, and then they are connected by a plucky string orchestral soundtrack that does more to annoy than enhance. Honestly, the kinetic pace of the first half of this movie reminded me of Michael Bay’s scattershot Transformers movies.
I wanted this movie to slow down, and allow some of its sumptuous set designs and obviously decent cast to get a chance to be seen and breathe. The Downton staff winds up preparing a meal for the King and Queen, and not a single detail about what they prepare is shared. I’d like to know what the maid prepared for Queen Mary. Was it duck? What did they have for dessert? Clearly, the makers of this movie never saw Babette’s Feast.
The last act of the film is the its best. A showdown between Violet Crawley (Smith) and Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton) comes to a satisfying conclusion, proving that their part of the story probably deserved its own movie. There’s no question in my mind why Smith won some Emmys for her portrayal of Crawley on the show. She’s not in the movie a lot, but when she occupies the screen, the movie takes on life.
So, if I can say anything good about Downton Abbey the movie, it’s that I’m at least slightly curious to watch some of the TV show (I probably won’t), and see a little more background on some of its characters. I can see why the enterprise has gathered a huge throng of fans, but I can’t come even close to recommending the movie they’ve made.
This article appears in Oct 3-9, 2019.
Since you admit that you never watched the series, your revue lacks context. The movie mirrors the series and it does it very well indeed. You much have watched a different movie than I did because I thought its pacing was very true to the series and the story.
Grimm admits to never seeing the series so that gives him zero context for a knowledgeable review.
Downton Abbey’s debut in the US was $31 million and the #1 film that weekend exceeding expectations while additionally earning over $100 million worldwide by the end of September. The movie is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 84% Critical score and a 95% Audience score. Downton Abbey scored the highest opening ever in Focus Features’ history.
The Downton Abbey movie was a huge success precisely because it was geared for fans of the series (an older demographic) and wasn’t made to appeal to a general audience.
If they make another sequel, The Weekly shouldn’t send a boy to do a man’s job to review.
I haven’t seen this yet.
Grice…I recommend you stay in the “haven’t seen yet” camp.
I became a fan of Downton Abbey TV series when I came across an episode, but mistakenly thought it was a movie. By the time I came to the end of that particular episode, which I believe was from the first season showing a garden party at Downton Abbey, and possibly a season-ending episode, I was annoyed because I would have to wait to see another episode and find out what happened next. But I was definitely hooked. I enjoyed the time that the story is set in, especially the lovely ladies , the clothes the stories of their loves and lives. Did I like everything that happened in this TV series ? No. But I certainly wanted to go on and see the film. I knew it was going to be tough for them to do justice to all the characters in a 2 hour movie, but I enjoyed the movie enough to see it twice, and liked it better the second time. I’m disappointed in Bob Grimm’s review of the movie. It stands to reason you wouldn’t understand what’s going on in the film if you hadn’t seen the six seasons of the television series, but it just seems petty to say that you’ll never watch it, and then you tell a reader not to bother watching the film without knowing if they had seen the television series.