★★★½
A follow-up to the 2019 movie and the BBC sequence, Downton Abbey: A New Period is a romance drama directed by Simon Curtis (Goodbye Christopher Robin, My Week with Marilyn) and starring Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Robert James-Collier, Hugh Dancy, Dominic West, and Laura Haddock.
The Crawley household journeys to the South of France with a purpose to uncover the thriller of Countess Violet Crawley’s newly inherited villa. Whereas many of the household is in France, Woman Mary Talbot (Dockery) and Violet (Smith) keep behind to look at over the property whereas a film crew runs amok. Will Robert Crawley (Bonneville) and firm uncover the reality? Can the workers sustain with the massive personalities and their huge calls for?
Whereas there’s all the time one thing taking place, the stakes are by no means very excessive. It’s established to start with of the film (and within the trailer) that the inheritance was a contented shock. The legitimacy of Violet’s declare is questioned, but when the villa does go to the Frenchman’s widow as a substitute, what has the Crawley household misplaced? Regardless of who will get the home, nobody goes to finish up homeless.
The identical goes for the kerfuffle with the film crew capturing at Downton. Whereas the cash to be gained from the usage of their house is put aside for a much-needed trigger (fixing the roof), the issue isn’t established beforehand. The stakes are hardly ever raised, and when they’re, nobody is in peril for lengthy.
That may change into a difficulty with a stand-alone film, however Downton Abbey: A New Period is somewhat completely different. For individuals who are loyal followers of the Crawley household and their workers, this may increasingly really feel like a protracted episode, and that’s not essentially a nasty factor. The drama comes from understanding the characters and watching their development by way of eight seasons and a characteristic movie’s price of ups and downs.
Hugh Bonneville’s portrayal of Robert Crawley is great. Within the present, he’s a form and stoic patriarch. Initially of this film, he has already relinquished that function to his oldest daughter and should come to phrases together with his fledgling standing, together with numerous different upheavals unearthed in the course of the 125-minute run time. Bonneville flexes his appearing prowess and succeeds in pulling at heartstrings.
Admirers of the sequence will discover this to be a welcome reunion of previous buddies. Every member of the solid does an excellent job of their roles. Hugh Dancy, Dominic West, and Laura Haddock are nice additions who do a terrific job mixing it up with Crawley and workers.
The areas, units, and costumes are wonderful and heighten the immersion of this era piece. A enjoyable and useful shock is a recap of the earlier film, which performs earlier than the opening credit. Director Simon Curtis doesn’t disgrace any viewers who haven’t watched the sequence. However for followers who’ve, there are many Easter eggs. Whether or not hardcore fanatic or a curious beginner to the world of Downton, audiences will discover A New Period to be a heat and indulging movie.
