The original Downton Abbey blew me away despite my never seeing a single episode of the television show, so you can imagine I walked into this sequel with fairly high expectations.
A New Era proves to be a worthy but less satisfying entry largely due to a somewhat murky plot and an overabundance of characters, but it’s the actors who still bring the same level of charm and delight. They slip into their roles with relative ease and are impossible to dislike.
This second chapter picks up in 1928, and Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) lets the family know that she recently inherited a villa in the south of France from a gentleman she once knew. The family has been invited to visit, but Violet chooses not to go due to her age.
Instead, a few of the others go, including Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), and while they’re there, they discover a stunning revelation that I won’t reveal.
Meanwhile, a film crew arrives and wishes to use Downton Abbey as a place to shoot a new film. The entire household meets the big stars Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and the flamboyant albeit arrogant Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock). While the former captivates the household with his acting abilities and all-around good nature, the latter is detested due to her sense of entitlement, and that entitlement is further threatened when Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is chosen to dub Myrna’s dialogue.
As before, the movie gives each actor a chance to shine the staff particularly as they jump at the chance to see a film being made on the estate. Some of them even get acquainted with the actors in more ways than one.
I have a feeling that I may be in the minority in liking the fact that while the first movie was crowded with so many stories and characters, at least, there were enough elements to make it highly enjoyable by the end.
The film is certainly great-looking with its outstanding production design and terrific costumes: Downton Abbey still feels like a real place brimming with a lot of wit and energy.
The biggest weakness the movie makes is the aforementioned plot threads and characters that still need a Venn diagram to keep everything in check. Sometimes I couldn’t keep straight who was supposed to be where or doing what with whom. The film’s structure doesn’t really have a great ebb and flow.
Nevertheless, I’m giving it a mild recommendation because the actors are so earnest and committed, and they still seem like they’re having fun with these characters.
It’s undemanding fan service. Take it or leave it.
Grade: B
(Rated PG for some suggestive references, language and thematic elements.)
