Downton Abbey (the movie)

I thought it started a little slow but got really good after the first 30-40 minutes.

I was happy for Thomas for once. Weird feeling.

It was Downton Abbey on the big screen, and it was as good as always. Something Downton has always done well with their Christmas specials is introducing new one off characters and making the viewer care for them (my favorite being Cora's brother, portrayed by Paul Giamatti). The Royal family and the relative's companion intertwined beautifully with the Downton regulars and made for a good story.

Nitpicking the obvious would be character screen time. The cast is simply too large for a 2 hour movie. No surprise, Tom continues to be Julian Fellowe's favorite character as he easily made out with not only the most screen time but the most interesting story. He got to be both a badass by stopping an assassination of a King (even though it felt rushed, like it was designed to be the climax of a part 1 of a two part episode) and then getting a love interest that looks like could be for the long haul. The Dowager of course got her much deserved screen time as she provided the best quips of her career. Audible laughs filled the theater more than a few times. The writers tried their best to even out the downstairs cast time by creating a coming together moment to overthrow the King's party. It worked well for the most part, but as previously mentioned, fan favorite Mr. Bates got the shaft. With his well established 'darker' than most skill set, I expected a little bit more creativity. The klepto maid being thwarted by Anna felt very much like a retread. We've seen the servant stealing from the upper class story line too many times. My biggest complaint would have to be continuity. No mentioned of Patmore's Bed & Breakfast. No mention of Daisy's farm. Didn't the series end with Tom finding a new girl? No sight of her. The demise of aristocracy and the ruling class that dominated the series was largely not to be found other than a few instances in the assassination plot.

And of course, my favorite character, The Earl of Grantham, continues to be everything wrong with Downton in the writers eyes. I understand he has (had?) a medical condition that prevented him from being a strong ruler or whatever, but man, the guy is 20-30 years younger than the Dowager who is as spry as ever. Don't bury the man and hand the reigns to Mary just yet. Let the man rule.

I was really hoping for Lady Bagshaw and her mysterious maid to turn out to be a lesbian couple.

I did really enjoy the scene with Molesley at the dinner with the King and Queen.

Leave it to him to frick it all up

My only gripe was that the film was more predictable than even the series. The only surprise to me was the mystery of the Lady in Waiting and the Maid.

Other than that, you pretty much knew the outcome of everything else.

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If you didn't follow the series religiously you would be lost

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There are a lot of characters to cram into a 2 hour movie. I wonder if Maggie Smith decided that this was her last hurrah as Violet and that's why they had her tell Mary she was dying.

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she was dying.

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I heard there is possible talks of a sequel movie.

I just can't imagine a Downton Abbey without the Dowager Countess. She is THE best character of the show.

I also love the friendship that has developed between her and Crawley

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The only surprise to me was the mystery of the Lady in Waiting and the Maid.

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My wife sniffed that out when the cousin and her maid waved at each other at the parade review.

The movie was good, like a long episode of the show. The story line about the staff being put out that they couldn’t serve, sleeping potions, hoax calls to return to London, etc. was pretty silly and unrealistic, but it’s just the kind of thing they used to do on the show.

Did you notice that everyone at Downton has quit smoking? Thomas used to smoke all the time, and various servants often had chats outside while having a fig. Didn’t see a single cig in the movie.

Wait, does Mary die in the movie? If so, I might go see it. What an impossible bitch.