As an avid fan of both the British aristocracy and historical movies, I knew that the movie version of Downton Abbey would be right up my alley. I had seen the original series numerous times. It seemed to be perfect, and it was.

“Downton Abbey” is a continuation of the massively popular PBS show that took the world by storm.  The Crawley family is planning host to King George V and Queen Mary during a tour of the area. The staff is giddy with excitement at the thought of serving their monarchs, but soon discover the royal family travels with their own servants. Downton Abbey’s staff plots to take the royal servants out of commision for a night in order to serve the King and Queen. Familiar characters are found throughout, such as the Crawley family, along with a new set of stuck-up staff who were overconfident in their importance. 

The costumes and scenery deserve some award for displaying the sheer opulence of the Birtish aristocracy. I was always impressed with the costumes in the series,and the movie is no different. 

Throughout the entire movie, Violet Crowley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) was always ready with a quick retort and sass. Her quick wit has become famous, and added a humorous mood to the film. It however did feel forced at sometimes and overused. There is a fine line between too much sass that it is annoying, and the perfect amount that writers did not achieve. 

As a whole, the movie was not necessary. It was a welcome addition to a beloved franchise, but was just another happy ending for all the characters, including the butler, Barrow (Rob James-Collier). The inclusion of a homosexual story line did play a part of the general plot. Inclusion in a time where it was not often talked about was a major stepping stone for the studio.

It was a fluffy movie, that overall did not have a main focus of the story. Personally, I felt that the plot was more of a continuation of the series finale. Most of the conflict was limited to a few individual people for each specific problem. There was no overarching major conflict that connected both downstairs and upstairs members of the house. 

The Downton Abbey movie was an official goodbye to the series. It was cinematically beautiful, and was reminiscent of times that have passed. However, more additions are not necessary. The storylines have been exhausted. Downton Abbey was a beautiful movie, and serves as an appropriate finale to the series. 

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who has seen the television series. If not, it may be hard to follow along with the references from past seasons. All in all, Downton Abbey is a cinematic masterpiece that is enjoyable for both old and new fans.