DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA - REVIEW

So, I think I should start this review with a caveat.

I have never seen an episode of Downton Abbey. I saw the first film, because a friend wanted to see it, but that is as far as my Downton knowledge goes. Therefore this review is probably coming at things from a different place than others. Certainly a place that is less informed, and more based solely on my experience during the two hour runtime.

My experience of the first film was that of enjoyable fluff. A nice way to spend a couple of hours, but something I would rarely, if ever, think of again. I was expecting much the same this time round and, more or less, this is exactly what A New Era delivered.

Very little of what happens makes much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. Characters start out relatively happy with their lot, and, in the most part, this is where they finish as well. The film tries its best to build up some tension, but, while the journey is enjoyable enough, you are always safe in the knowledge that everything will turn out fine, making it difficult to care about the destination.

There is also an element of tone deafness to some of the proceedings. The money worries of a family who, out of nowhere, have been given a villa in the South of France, and the drama of whether they will get a new roof for their mansion, feels out of touch in the midst of a cost of living crisis. I appreciate that this is what Downton is, and that this reaction is probably born from the fact that I am not familiar with the world, but I can only go by what I feel as it happened.

On the positive side, A New Era looks incredible. The set design, the costumes, and the cinematography are very well done, and you are rarely left wanting for something to look at. The scenes in the South of France give a nice contrast to those set at Downton itself.

It is fun to see the characters as fishes out of water, whether it’s the stuffy butler at the new villa, or the - and I’m loath to use this word - servants back at Downton on a film set, but the fun can only carry things so far.

The main problem that A New Era has is the script. The plotting is all over the place, the dialogue hammy and stilted, and the dramatic conceits either too ridiculous to care about, or dealt with so perfunctorily that it’s impossible to care. The emotional climax of the film may have hit more had I been more familiar with the characters, however it is so obvious from the start I feel like most audience members will have come to terms with it long before it happens.

The script is also incredibly baggy, with a huge number of scenes superfluous or inconsequential. A number of times we’re shown scenes with characters just summing up what we have just seen, without adding anything of value. Just a bland statement of fact, before we’re whisked off somewhere else.

The characters were so broadly drawn I found it hard to believe that they have come from such a phenomenon of TV. It didn’t matter to me that I didn’t know who any of them were because it is immediately obvious.

There also seemed to me to be a sense of self-satisfaction and smugness to the script and in the performances, which I found uncomfortable, and unearned. As if it was felt like they didn’t need to deliver anything more than what they did, because the good will of the audience would see them through.

Again, as with my review of Doctor Strange, I realise I am giving the impression that I did not enjoy  A New Era. I did. Unfortunately, the enjoyment that I got from it wasn’t enough for me to forgive it of its faults, of which there are many.

Ultimately Downton Abbey: A New Era is a Sunday Night sofa experience, stretched out for the big screen. Which is, of course, exactly what it is meant to be. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy it, and newcomers certainly won’t hate it, but it is unlikely to live long in the memory.