Downton Abbey

source: Downton Abbey

Feels very much like the writers were planning on making another season of downtown but then decided to cram it into a movie. All the drama is not dramatic as there is not enough time to build suspense. Characters are not explored, relationships are not build they just happen - oh they've just met and now they're snogging. Would have been better off to stay as TV series. That being said the actors did great and the music I brilliant as always.

I'm a keen fan of Downtown Abbey as a Television Drama so I find it difficult to rate or critique Downton as a Cinema release. Why? You may ask. I enjoyed the movie to a point because Ive also enjoyed the 52 episodes of the 6 series on television . However I don't really think it makes a great movie transfer although it's entertaining and enjoyable.. It has all the high quality wit and sumptuous surroundings of the original TV series and creator Julian Fellowes is a master of portraying the Upstairs/Downstairs world of the Aristocracy and the snobbery from both sides of the divide. No spoilers from me other than anybody who saw the trailer knows the entire movie centres around a Royal visit to Downton Abbey from King George V and Queen Mary. All the usual performances are as good as in the Television production but I really enjoyed the addition of Geraldine James as Queen Mary and Imelda Staunton as Lady Bagshaw cousin to the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley played beautifully as usual by Maggie Smith . Anyone who enjoyed the Downton Abbey series will surely enjoy making acquaintance with all their favourite characters again but I'm not sure the big Cinema screen didn't make them seem more like soapy cardboard cut outs at times. PS. As Mathew Goode heads the cast list on IMBd I expected to see more of him than just a walk on at the end, most disappointed as I think he would have made Lady Mary Crawley played by Michelle Dockery happier and less austere and irritating.

All the hype didn't live up to the reality .I would have fallen asleep IF it had not have been for the wit of Maggie Smith . She made that film .They should have kept it to the Tv screen

I think the idea of the movie is good and they did a great job recreating the same characters again. But... the story was very poorly executed in my opinion. There are so many subplots that fall VERY short in the grand scheme of things. There is this "Stealing"-subplot which leads to a dress being fixed. It was way underdeveloped I think. Then there's the "Andy-Daisy"-subplot which was totally forced and useless aswell. Theeen there's the "Kill-the-king" subplot which was so ridiculously underdeveloped and VERY VERY predictable... There are a couple other of that sort so thats a real minus for me for this movie. But the set, the directing, the costumes and the characters were really well done. And the best part was Maggie Smith, as she was in the show. She's just awesome.

The plot is wafer thing. The actors had almost nothing to work with. Instead of writing to entertain, the whole thing is a giant disingenuous virtue signalling exercise for gay rights, reformed armed separatists, and 'aren't men weak and stupid, titter titter'. The whole thing is a sad affair and informed Downton fans would be advised not to tarnish the memory of the series by going to watch this "progressive" Hollywood drivel.

I adore the TV series, and this film was more of the same, which I loved. It is full of the same beautiful production quality, wit and humour. I can hear the criticisms already 'it was too sentimental', 'there wasn't enough complication' but my answer to that is that many of these characters had intense story arcs in the show, so it's nice to revisit them now and see them living, or finally getting, their happy endings without too much drama. Everyone in the cinema, myself included, laughed the whole way through this film, as is to be expected from Downton Abbey. And then there were other moments that were quite poignant to offset the humour, which blended perfectly. Yes, it's a movie for fans of the show, but why shouldn't it be? After years supporting this show and following these characters, why shouldn't we be rewarded? I had high expectations for this film, and was very satisfied with it, and that doesn't happen often. Well done to Julian Fellowes for staying true to his characters and delivering a film that is a delight to watch!

I love the Downton Abbey TV series so I was always going to expect a lot of the movie. I'm happy to say my expectations were exceeded. Everything about the movie was brilliant. First of all the cast were nothing short of amazing. It must be hard to resume playing a character after years away from them but they all managed to do it and do it well. Pretty much all the actors returned which was nice for fans and reflective of what a great time they must have had working on the original series. I loved that every character got a moment, no matter how big or small. The writing and directing was spot on. Great to see the original team still has what it takes. Grand yet subtle. The costumes of course were stunning as usual. The attention to detail is very much to be awed. The plot was perfect. It was a new storyline but had all the hallmarks of a great Downton episode. Plenty of laughs, lots of little romantic moments, that ordered chaos we all know and love, and of course a wonderfully acted bittersweet moment from two of my favourite characters (I won't spoil it). And last but not least it was so lovely to be back at Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey. A wonderful location. It felt like going home. In summing up, this movie was the perfect addition to a practically flawless series. As an avid fan I was thoroughly satisfied by everything about it. Highly recommend seeing it on the big screen.

I have to say it's everything I had hoped for as a fan of the series. I'll try to stay spoiler free here, but all the favorite cast members get a new arc or a continuation of where we left them. From Lady Mary to Branson to Mosely, the gang's all here. The new cast additions liven it up, from the Royal staff to Princess Mary to a nice performance from Imelda Staunton, who's playing a role far removed from Umbridge as Grantham cousin Lady Bagshaw, another foil for Maggie Grace. Go see it, please. If it does well enough we may get another one!

Very beautifully filmed extremely predictable story with non-developing characters that do exactly what you would expect from them.