Film Review - Downton Abbey (PG)

A royal luncheon, a parade and a dinner? I'm going to have to sit down!

I've only ever watched the Downton Abbey TV series on Christmas Day and with my parents. During those festive specials they'd bring me up to speed with all the goings-on both upstairs and downstairs at the Crawley family estate. 'So the Irish Republican chauffeur is marrying upwards into the family? Okay, well good for him.' 'And this guy's on trial for murder because...? Ah, right, got it. Do we think he's guilty? No? Good.' It gave me enough to work with going in to see the new DA feature film. Not enough to enjoy all the naunces on which the hardcore Baby Boomer fans around me were clearly picking up, but plenty to make it a fun experience nonetheless. And it is fun, even if you're not Downton die-hard. But get real - this movie is definitely made for the faithful.

The year is 1927 and royalty is descending upon the Crawley family pile, with family members and servants bracing themselves for the arrival of King George, Queen Mary and their entourage. Among the guests is Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), an estranged Crawley cousin, whose financial plans have formidable matriarch Countess Violet at her most combative. And when the advance party arrive in the form of the royal servants (led by David Haig's insufferably pompous Mr Wilson), the Downton staff find themselves in danger of being sidelined in their own duties. Maybe the return of the retired head butler Carson (Jim Carter) can help them fight back.

Those are just the main strands in this continuation of the soapy period saga, because - fair warning - the subplots are innumerable. 2015's Christmas special rounded everything off pretty neatly, so it's a good idea to have the event storyline of imminent royal guests to kick things back into motion. Plus there are a few characters - the tragedy-stricken (and aforementioned Irish Republican) Tom Branson and promoted under-butler Thomas Barrow to name a couple - whose personal stories warrant a bit more spinning out. However, virtually everyone in the extensive ensemble cast gets a bit of proper screen time here, resulting in a fragmented, if still enjoyable narrative.

This is basically a Downton Christmas special for the big screen, with added pageantry and bigger production values. Director Michael Engler, who headed up the final Yuletide episode, makes the most of the grand locations with lots of swooping aerial shots of the Abbey and long tracking shots through its labyrinthine interiors, as vital messages are conveyed and brasses are polished in preparation for the grand arrival. Writer Julian Fellowes keeps things lower key, however, touching base with every single character and providing a wide scattering of dramatic touches rather than anything genuinely explosive. (The one thread that promises a literal explosion is wrapped up surprisingly early on.) 

Performance-wise Dame Maggie Smith is of course a stand-out and granted as many dry one-liners as you'd expect, along with some moments of genuine drama. But Allen Leech and Robert James-Collier both get decent stuff to chew on as the two Toms, as do welcome richly-written newcomers like Staunton and Haig. And even first-time visitors to Downton will be amused by the central downstairs conflict - Mrs Hughes and Mrs Patmore fuming in the face of the royal servants' gall and plotting their retaliation.

In conventional cinematic terms this big-screen extension is not a great film. It's too structurally rooted in the TV show for that. But it's charming and funny and even touching at points - with all the high-born and lowly characters its audience has come to love and only the mildest critique of the British class structure (along with a message that toffs can be progressive too). If you've never done Downton, you'll most likely find it a diverting couple of hours. If you're a fan, I highly suspect you'll float straight to a heaven populated by all your favourite characters. And none of them will disappoint.

Gut Reaction: Unexpected swell of emotion at the theme music and quite a few laughs-out-loud. Plus something very personal - this was my mum's favourite TV drama after all.

Memorable Moment: Mr Mosely's big moment.

Ed's Verdict: 7/10. It's essentially a massive extra episode of the show, but it rattles along at a decent pace, is full of incident and hits its beats - comic and dramatic - very effectively. Champagne all round.