Film Review: Downton Abbey: A New Era
Monday, May 16, 2022 at 2:00PM 
The sprawling cast of "Downton Abbey" goes to France and gets into the movie business in this new sequel.By Christopher James
Martin Scorsese described Marvel movies as theme park rides, not films. As derisive as that is, there’s some truth to it. What are theme park rides other than rushes and thrills, zooming through a theme or story with the sole purpose of making you react and cheer? If Marvel movies are a roller coaster, Downton Abbey: A New Era is an ornate, hundred year old Merry-Go-Round. It’s a theme park ride in that it exists solely to take fans through the hallowed halls of Downton, rather than to make a grand cinematic statement. That’s what makes this installment much better than the previous film. It cycles through the greatest hits with tremendous efficiency and spirit. The large ensemble is all smiles as they sip tea and gossip. Penelope Wilton and Maggie Smith land every sassy remark with a knowing grin. Girls just want to have fun, and my is Downton Abbey: A New Era low thrills fun!
Like a schoolyard dodgeball game, Downton Abbey: A New Era sets up two sides and divides its characters up between the two plots hastily. No sooner does the wedding between Tom (Allen Leech) and Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) end before Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) decides to upstage them with her own revelation....
Downton Abbey, Film Review, Maggie Smith