Downton Abbey: A New Era Review - A Lively & Emotional Return To A Beloved World
In 2019, Focus Features and creator Julian Fellowes brought the beloved British television series Downton Abbey to the big screen in a film that felt like a fitting bookend to the saga. However, it also proved to be such a success that a sequel seemed inevitable, and now, after a handful of delays, Downton Abbey: A New Eraarrives to bring audiences back to the titular estate they know and love. In some ways, the mere presence of another movie threatens to undo some of the sweet moments established in the first, but Fellowes — along with director Simon Curtis — manages to build upon what came before in a satisfying way. Downton Abbey: A New Era will satisfy fans of the original series, serving up a pair of storylines that have fun and heart in equal measure.
Picking up sometime after the first film, the residents of Downton are thrown for a loop when the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) inherits a French villa from a man she knew back in her youth. Her family, particularly her son Robert (Hugh Bonneville), are baffled by this sudden mystery and resolve to learn more by traveling to France to meet with the man's son (Jonathan Zaccaï). Meanwhile, Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays behind to oversee a film production that has decided to make Downton its set, an exciting event that sends the downstairs staff into a tizzy as the modern world once again collides with the old-fashioned household.
Related: Downton Abbey Timeline Explained: Every Season & Movie
The first Downton Abbey movie, even with a plot involving an illegitimate child and an assassination attempt against the King of England, felt remarkably low stakes; it was more of an opportunity to reunite with the television show's beloved characters than anything else.
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