Downton Abbey: A New Era

Downton Abbey: A New Era

The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the south of France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess's newly inherited villa.

  • Released: 2022-04-27
  • Runtime: 125 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History, Romance
  • Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Robert James-Collier, Lesley Nicol, Allen Leech, Laura Carmichael, Phyllis Logan, Dominic West, Hugh Dancy, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Joanne Froggatt, Jim Carter, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, Penelope Wilton, Fifi Hart, Jonathan Coy, Samantha Bond, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Imelda Staunton, Harry Hadden-Paton, Rodrigo Saavedra, Matthew Goode, Tuppence Middleton, Douglas Reith, Oliver Barker, Zac Barker, Eva Samms, Megan Barker, Joanne Frogatt, Sophie McShera, Jeremy Swift, Sue Johnston, Jonathan Zaccaï, Charlie Watson, Archer Robbins, Eva Samms, Karina Samms, Alex McQueen, Paul Copley, Alex MacQueen, David Robb
  • Director: Simon Curtis
 Comments
  • debejere - 29 November 2023
    WHY ??? RUIN A GOOD THING
    Bad. And now >badder< 😦 I know, not a word. You had a great thing. Now and slowly you are going so wrong. No. Wait your going so wrong, fast! Like Bombing out. BOOM! Dominic West is so wrong in so many ways. He bombed in The Crown! Why in the world cart him in another period drama? The more you try to add another series another movie to this wonderful show that America and the world loved. The more everyone is saying "Not working for me". So please stop while you ahead. Don't believe me, ask DA lovers. So disappointed is an understatement. Julian Fellows knows it's just not working no matter how you cut it.
  • mark.waltz - 1 April 2023
    The final curtain of a titan.
    In one of the first episodes of "Downton Abbey", Maggie Smith's character of Lady Violet expressed a need for smelling salts after a reference to ancient Greek hero Perseus, and for her first line in this, she makes a reference to Andromiter, the princess whom her "Clash of the Titans" character Thetis had tied to a rock as a sacrifice for the Kraken. It's a great salute to Smith's late husband, Beverly Cross, screenwriter for that classic adventure, and a great start for this movie. Actually the film opens with the wedding of Tom to Lucy, with Imelda Staunton's distant cousin Maud getting the official first line. The camera pans down the church where all of the characters (except for the Dowager Countess) smiles as they pass by.

    Two stories dominate the second film based on the already classic TV series with Lady Violet announcing her possession of a French villa and the pending arrival of a Hollywood film crew to film a movie (silent) there. The relationship between sisters Mary and Edith is seen as pleasant, although the caustic Mary can't help but snark on her on occasion, something that Edith (returning to her writing career in spite of her higher title than Mary's and raising two children) simply shrugs off, having won the victory in the last episode of the series. Other characters comment on the arrival of the film crew, with Robert and Carson adamantly opposed while select others seem to be thrilled by. The necessity of a new roof for the large estate house is seen as the reason for the agreement of the filming, accented by Cora's exclamation of "The modern world comes to Downton."

    Only 16 years have gone by since the setting of the first TV episode, and most of the characters have aged a bit and grown up, and as characters ponder the illness of Lady Violet, they realize that her grooming of Mary has come full circle of how life will go on even though characters like Isabel are going to find moving on a challenge. Laura Haddock as the movie's uppity star (quite flip with the family and outwardly rude to the staff) is certain to have revelations of her secrets as those of other visitors interacting with the Crawleys and servants, including Thomas who is now very Carson like as the butler. But half of the film is set in France, so the story expands outside of England and gives the film a new beautiful setting where Lady Violet gets to reveal some last secrets of her own, one a real zinger. Carson once again comes out of retirement to "buttle" at the villa. Thomas continues to grow as a reformed bad guy, dealing with his continued loneliness in a less destructive way and once again having hopes of not being alone.

    Of course, the culmination of the film surrounds the passing of the saga's most beloved character, and it's a tribute to Maggie Smith that she's so memorable, getting great lines even when she's off to that great castle in the cloud. For fans of the series who have taken in every moment since the beginning, it's a perfect exit, one worthy of tears and applause for an amazing fictional character played by an amazing real life legend. Even if they don't get major stories, other original characters like Mrs. Carson, Mrs. Patmore, Daisy, and Anna and John Bates each have moments that do continue their circle of life, while Mosely gets more amusing moments and Rosamund and Miss Denker (absent from the previous film) get a nice chance for their on-screen return. The flashing back and forth from the two locations is presented in a way that isn't awkward, and gives hope that there could be more of the new generation ahead. Perhaps Maggie Smith as the aged Lady Mary could bring the series full circle.
  • Red-125 - 23 December 2022
    A must-see for Downton Abbey fans
    Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) was directed by Simon Curtis. Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay.

    Almost all of the regulars from the TV series return in this movie, and they are as excellent as ever. Of course, Dame Maggie Smith stars in every scene in which she appears, but all the other regulars perform as well as they did on TV.

    Unlike the 2019 movie, the plots are realistic, or at least within the realm of reason. Two main plots emerge in the first few minutes of the film. One is that a French nobleman has left the Dowager Countess (Smith) a beautiful villa in the south of France.

    The other is that a film crew is going to use the abbey as the set of a major movie.

    This is a must-see film for Downton Abbey fans. However, if you've never seen Downton Abbey, it probably won't work. (Too many back stories are omitted from the movie. The movie won't make sense if you don't know about them.)

    The film has a solid IMDb rating of 7.4. I thought that it was better than that, and rated it 8.
  • katiesewed - 1 November 2022
    I'll happily watch every movie, but this storyline is quite mundane
    Love Downton Abbey. I'll happily watch every movie or special, but the storyline in this movie was a real snoozer. Instead of exploring how the characters we all love have changed with the march of time, the majority of the movie has to do with the filming of a silent-turned-talkie movie that was taking place on the grounds of Downton Abbey. Does anyone really care about the making of an imaginary film while we're watching a film? A whole slew of forgettable "film star" characters were brought in, and the real Downton characters' lives had very few screen minutes. I really didn't see the point of the plotline. The running off to the Riviera also introduced more ancillary temporary characters, who again took screen time away from the titular Downton Abbey characters. I just think it was a terribly missed opportunity, assembling all of the stars of Downton Abbey, then giving us 5 minutes' worth of updates on their lives per character, if that.
  • liesabun - 3 September 2022
    Pretty but otherwise meh.
    It's like "Singin' in the Rain" without singin' or rain or dancing. Lady Mary is Debbie Reynolds and Mosley is Donald O' Connor. Otherwise, it's typical Downton, if a bit tired. Great clothes and sets, along with Maggie Smith's dialog made it worth watching for me. The plot seems focused on tying up loose ends and pairing everyone up. The miniature of young Violet in the villa looks more like Alice Faye than Maggie Smith. Everyone but Henry is in the cast. If I tell you the parts I liked the best, I would be including spoilers. Suffice it to say that I'm glad I watched it and glad didn't have to pay admission.