Studio: Universal
Release Date: July 5, 2022
Rating: PG
Film: 4/5
Plot The much-anticipated cinematic return of
Downton Abbey follows the Crawleys and their staff as they welcome a movie crew and their glamorous stars to Downton for the filming of a new silent movie, while other members of the family go on a grand adventure to a villa in the south of France to uncover a mystery about the Dowager Countess and her past. With a screenplay by Julian Fellowes and starring the original cast alongside exciting new additions,
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA is packed full of exuberant moments, excitement and humor, tears of joy and sadness and new beginnings for all your favorite characters.
My ThoughtsFor the first 30 minutes of this movie, I thought to myself that it was going to end up being a disaster thinking that Julian Fellowes bit off more than he could chew. Happily, things took a big turn for the better in the second act and the payoff at the end was more than worth the wait.
I can’t imagine writing a feature film that has 22 main characters—or 23 if you count the castle! How do you give each character their just do without slighting someone else? Somehow Fellowes is able to consistently pull this off. Granted, with a TV series that has multiple episodes, you have a much bigger canvas to work with, but in a two-hour movie? He certainly does it here, although not all 22 characters have the focus solely on them.
As a film, this works due to the familiarity you have with the characters from the long-running TV show and the prior feature film, so not a lot of time was needed to set up the characters or the situations. It’s like going to a family reunion—you start with a good foundation of who everyone is and if you do happen to see a new face, it’s pretty easy to get to know them.
I only have two complaints about the movie. First, the CGI isn’t very good. Some of the green screen work is embarrassingly bad (the proposal scene is probably the worst I’ve seen in years). The male character (to avoid spoilers) doesn’t even look like he’s in the room. Maybe this won’t be noticeable on a smaller screen but looked horrible on my 110” screen. My other complaint is the movie is quite predictable, but thankfully, the lovable characters overcome this aspect and even though the emotional ending could be seen from a mile away, the execution was flawless.
Other than the poor CGI work, the video encode is quite good and highlights the amazing period piece costumes, the castle, and some live-action shots from the south coast of France. The Dolby Atmos track is about what you’d expect from a dramatic movie, but I loved the score and to me that was the highlight of the overall presentation. The music is fantastic and the jazz concert sounds amazing.
Video 4/5 (AVC)
Audio 4.5/5 (Dolby Atmos)
Special Features:- Good to be Back
- Return to Downton Abbey: The Making of A New Era
- A Legendary Character
- Creating the Film Within the Film
- Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia
- Spill the Tea (Time)
- Feature Commentary with Director Simon Curtis
- Blu-ray + DVD + Movies Anywhere Digital Copy
Conclusion Downton Abbey: The Movie pulled in just under $200 million in 2019 and I’m sure the studio expected similar returns this time. Sadly, the film didn’t do great at the box office with only $89 million in worldwide receipts. The budget for the first film was a reported $16 million and for this one the studio shelled out $40 million. While I’m sure it will be profitable, it wasn’t the cash cow that the first was, that’s for sure.
I think the timing of the release was somewhat poor and the marketing was non-existent. I follow movies and didn’t realize it was being released in May until the day before it hit the theaters. Regardless, I hope we see more of the characters in the future with either another movie or possibly a spinoff series with some of the beloved characters. If you’re a fan, definitely pick this one up despite its minor flaws. Recommended for fans.
Reference Review System: JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
JL Audio F110 (X2 co-located and bridged as one sub)
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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