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Downton Abbey movie


Celery Man

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Not at all surprised that there isn't a thread for this here, best as I can tell.

My quick review - this was ultimately very enjoyable for fans of the series.  There were some moments throughout that were a bit confusing or felt forced, and in retrospect I think it was that the movie contained at least a season's worth of plotlines in 2 hours.  Thomas and his new friend, Tom and his shadow, whatever the hell Mary's husband was off doing, Tom and the maid, Dowager Countess and her cousin, the King's daughter and husband.  Tons of "stuff" going on that would have felt more natural if it had space to breathe and get fleshed out.  Plot was light on Bates, but that's OK by me if the tradeoff is Carson.

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Just came back from it. Fans of the show will be very satisfied; so will fans of period drama sets and costumes. Agree with Celery Man that there were a lot subplots jammed into 2 hours. But it was an easy, entertaining 2 hrs. They definitely left it open to continue if it does well enough at the box office. ($58 M so far.)

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25 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Watching the series for the first time with the wife right now. It may be a contrary opinion here, but I rather enjoy it. If nothing else the history aspect is interesting. Will probably catch the movie when it hits HBO.

It's a good show.  While I'm not afraid to enjoy a non-manly show or whatever, I originally didn't think I'd like it because I just can't care about Pride and Prejudice.  But this is a good show.

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Saw it last weekend as an Afternoon Tea viewing at the Drafthouse. Mrs. Ghost and I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and left the theater feeling like the movie was a teaser to fans to see if they could move it forward (read: make more $$). It more than likely justified a renewal, for better or worse.

It was enjoyable. They wisely spent some extra money on the cinematography. They would have been better served spending more attention on the screenplay. It hit most of the high notes, but felt too safe in most areas, and unduly forced in others. For the most part it was a chance for fans to revisit the abbey and slip into a comfortable pair of old house slippers.

 

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The few clips I've seen of this show remind me precisely of Eddie Izzard's bit about British cinema.  
"A Room with a View of a Pond", with the guy entering one room in the manor to see Sebastian stacking matches, "Yes, well I suppose I better have."  

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23 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Watching the series for the first time with the wife right now. It may be a contrary opinion here, but I rather enjoy it. If nothing else the history aspect is interesting. Will probably catch the movie when it hits HBO.

The first two seasons we're remarkable.  It lost its fastball a little after that.

However it is wonderfully acted and an excellent premise and story.

I will wait for it to hit Netflix.

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I enjoyed the series and enjoyed the film.  I was pleasantly surprised that they made no attempt to "reset" the story.  It was simply the next episode. If you didn't know the show, you would enjoy many of the moments and the nice looking film, but much of it would be lost on you.  I saw it with my mother, father and sister.  My mother and I were fans of the show.  My father and sister were not.  I gave them a 15 minute summation of the series before we went in and helped them.   My mother has been dealing with health stuff and we were happy that she agreed to go.  As it ended, she said out loud, "I don't want it to end".   That made me so happy.  And I agreed.

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14 minutes ago, DFWTexEx said:

If you didn't know the show, you would enjoy many of the moments and the nice looking film, but much of it would be lost on you.

Yeah jokes aside, I don’t know that much of this movie would be lost on me.  It’s not A Nolan brothers film, it’s a show about the myriad staff and residents of a stoic British manor.  I’m sure we’d somehow manage to pickup on the costume drama and all its complexities and denuemont attempts 

Edited by Lobo
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Streamed this last year under duress from wife but I got into it after a while (Sybil helped get me through).  End of season 3 was so predictable wife and I actually laughed out loud - we saw it coming a mile out....

Spoiler

...it's a shame Matthew didn't...

 

Edited by gecko
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1 hour ago, gecko said:

Streamed this last year under duress from wife but I got into it after a while (Sybil helped get me through).  End of season 3 was so predictable wife and I actually laughed out loud - we saw it coming a mile out....

  Reveal hidden contents

...it's a shame Matthew didn't...

 

That was the last episode I saw. Next thing I know he's gets totally ripped and is murdering people in The Guest.

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I thought the movie was really good. Very well done and entertaining. I think I watched most of the episodes of the first season and a few episodes of the other seasons. My wife watched all of them and dressed up in the style of the time for the first episode of the last season. She had to catch me up a little while we were watching the movie but I don't think anyone really needs to know anything about the series to enjoy the film. It helps but not needed. And also, I think the music is just as much a part of the charm of the movie as anything. 

Edited by Brandywine
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  • 2 years later...

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