Fans of the TV series will swoon over the sumptuous big screen spectacle featuring the lovely estate and the equally luxurious costumes. The flurry of activity revolves around the preparation and visit of the King and Queen. The whole upstairs/downstairs gang has returned and almost every one of them gets a subplot that neatly ties up their story (almost a bit too tidy for my taste). The dialogue is typically crisp and the scenes are characteristically brief…keeping the pacing up and the complexity down. Without backstory explanations, Downton “virgins” are liable to be confused about the relationships , but they’ll still be able to enjoy this elegant period excursion.

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