Downton Abbey has always been a hit or miss show when it comes to its audience.
All those years ago, Julian Fellowes set out to make a dramatic period piece about the fictitious Crawley family and that's exactly what he did. It was destined to be a show that people either loved or hated.
Thankfully, a lot of people loved it.
The Downton Abbey movie was made for those long time fans that loved the series enough to solidify its place in television, and now cinematic, history. For that very reason, this review is specifically for fans of the Downton Abbey series.
But what if you haven't seen the series? Well. Do you like period piece dramas? Gut wrenching story twists? How about fulfilling romances between developed characters? If your answer is yes to any or all of these stop reading this and go binge Downton Abbey right now.
Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the review.
Y'all, i'm just gonna get right to it. I loved this movie, and if you loved the series, you're gonna love this movie too.
From the moment I heard the iconic theme music soar as the opening title stretch panned over the sprawling Downton estate, I knew I was back. This time, the king and queen are coming to Downton, and all of your favorite characters return to prepare for the royal visit. New characters are introduced and drama ensues, giving both the new and the old time to shine during the more than two hour run-time.
You know this movie was made for fans because it wastes no time explaining the six season long history of the characters.The plot is a simple yet effective way to put these fantastic characters into action once more. It strikes a perfect balance between game-changing and trivial as the plot doesn't dramatically close the book, but instead presents the levity to allow for a possible next chapter.
I don't have to tell a fan of the series that the acting is superb so i'll just say this; Maggie Smith...what a fantastic actress.
Truth be told, I couldn't have asked for more from this film. The Downton Abbey movie was made for the fans and was made possible because of the fans, and that's what makes it truly special. If you want to do yourself a favor, go and see this wonderful movie because Downton Abbey is in theaters now.