Downton Abbey: A New Era Movie Review: Quaint But Intriguing Sequel

Just imagine your servant saying, “I was up at 5 this morning just so I could get started on this kayali pulao! I do so love my job.” Well, in the real world there’s little chance of you having it so good. But in the make-believe, delusional, fantasy driven old-style cinema, these sort of affirmative statements are kosher. Of course the very English, very 'propah’ servants won’t speak of 'Khyali Pulao’ – for them it would be the more mundane but intricate oyster sauce or champagne stew that needs to set just perfectly.

The servants are delighted that film stars – who they perceive as having as much immeasurable wealth as their lords and ladies, are descending on their 'castle’, so-to-speak. For them it’s a privilege to fawn over such folk.

But the Crawleys, desperate as they are to fix their leaking roof, are aghast…but needs must!

It’s high-brow moments like these, that draw you in to this decadent, feudal, close-to-Victorian-era fantasy that is Downton Abbey: A New Era – the follow-up sequel to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley family and staff received a royal visit from the King and Queen of Great Britain.

Well, the afore-mentioned is just one part of the story…there’s more. The depravity of the bygone era is lightened by a surprise bequest.

While the glamorous film stars are touching ground zero at the grand house, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) is all set to squire his wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), and other minor Crawleys off to the Mediterranean to investigate the mystery of the villa located in the South of France, bequeathed to his mother, the Dowager Countess Violet (Maggie Smith).

Downton Abbey, 1920s-Yorkshire, is a sort of feudal hangover - quaint and regressive but intriguing nevertheless. This movie spin-off has all the elements the fans of the Downton Abbey series expect – strong performances, witty dialogue, old-fashioned costumes, and the intricate detail regarding the many chores, which are what gravitate your interest.

Writer Julian Fellows gives his many characters enough time to do their bits prominently. The characters are perfectly cast and garner enough interest, therefore.

The staid (if not stuck-up) British ways, the mild-mannered, quip-sharp comedic moments, sharp and busy screenplay, stunning aerial captures of the majestic estates, and spot-on ensemble performances give this film a robust vitality that’s hard to resist.

We go with three out of five stars for Downton Abbey: A New Era.