The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.
If you’re one of the ones suffering from withdrawal from the 4-year hiatus of London’s perfectly, unperfect royal family, the good news is come Friday, there will be no stone left unturned. While the award-winning television series from 2010 to 2015, gained quite a following of the British Crawley family’s internal travesties, a majority of people slept on the cultural exchanges that pitted royalty against royalty after world events such as the sinking of the Titanic and the changing of times impacted by World War I. The fans who indeed caught on to the infectious Crawley characters, formed one heck of a slow-forming addiction by becoming accustomed to the backbiting and internal chaos on a royal stage which spanned twelve years of bureaucratic life.
“Downton Abbey” the movie, is an entertaining adventure whereas a quickly announced visit from the King and Queen to Highclere Castle turns the entire aristocratic Crawley family into turmoil as the current service staff is deemed unfit to carry out proper protocol so an entire and supposedly better-trained staff is sent in to give King George V and Queen Mary the service they are accustomed to. A well-planned scheme to overturn the wait staff proves not only unscrupulous but superbly carried out with surprising results in addition to unexpected royal bonding. Also brewing under the surface is the question of the legitimacy of Lord Grantham’s search for his new heir as well as the true identity of Lady Mary’s Crawley’s (Michelle Dockery) maid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) as questioned by Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith). In a series of meetings to keep the Crawleys updated with one another’s personal and societal progress, several plots are uncovered making for an interesting dynamic that contributes to royal bureaucracy and generational fallout.
“Downton Abbey”’s lure seems to be an inside look at how a royal family survives a new era based on past principles with present and future consequences. The full-on presence of uniform, pageantry, politics, resistance, and elegance seems to be a driving force that motivates fans to indulge themselves in the sheer entertainment of reality. The overreacting and undermining of authority and protocol gives way to hilarious shenanigans that kick the royals into high gear and keeps those in the lower echelon wanting more. The series by Julian Fellowes has given director Michael Engler total creative control with this film by allowing the four-year timelapse to appear seamless and invariably makes the resurrection well worth the media frenzy whereby fans are highly anticipating the comeback as well as hoping for yet another run of royal chaos.
Now available on Digital and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand December 17th
