Cinema Lounge Reviews

The servents of the Crawley family still work for the family continuing the same legacy of the TV series almost 4 years ago. The King and Queen are on their way to stay at the house and for their arrival, the royal family staff arrives to prepare and set things right. However, things start becoming difficult when the Kings and Queens staff start taking over the house and the Crawley family must act quickly to keep Downton’s reputation intact

Well, what can I say, this was a well-filmed reboot of the popular television series it once was with its significant amount of success. Along with its anticipated return, it was also exciting to see some of the old cast members portray the beloved characters the show was known for such as Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley. Moving away from the negative opinions about the movie version for a while, the story was actually easy to understand which can be a benefit for some viewers (especially the new fans experiencing Downton Abbey for the first time) but for the long term fans out there who like to keep Downton’s originality then this storyline does seem to be boring at times but more on that later. However, when watching the film you get the pleasant nostalgic feeling of experiencing Downton Abbey once again just like its series almost 4 years ago and does bring some enjoyment at times as we get to meet our stars and relive the memories of the famous Crawley house. To add to that, to keep the timeline intact with where the series left of the movie is set 2 years after the last episode of the show so everything should more or less feel very familiar. Another small addition to the film which does have a huge impact on the overall enjoyment is the subtle hints of comedy that add to the experience which in my opinion makes it that more nostalgic.

However, the hugely controversial topic which seems to be dividing the fanbase is whether it is suited as a film or should just be kept to its original TV format. In my opinion, I believe that making a movie out of it could never be the same as watching the series over and over as that is what made the series so popular and original in the first place and therefore may never give off the same feeling as it did in the show. Depending on how you look at it as well, it may just feel like your watching another special episode of the show as nothing in the film really makes it stand out as being a big movie which is sad to see as it may be damaging its reputation a little. Throughout the film’s storyline, it is boring at times as the drama and action that takes place doesn’t quite seem to be the same as the style of the original TV show as they are really a no sudden change of events, huge climaxes or anything else of the sort. So even though it still gives off the feeling of the original Downton Abbey which we once all loved, it just doesn’t seem to translate well into the movie industry.