Downton Abbey (2019) (1 Viewer)

[Wayne_j]

The week early fan event was all over the place.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Peg and I went to see this tonight.

We were big fans of the series and even binge-watched all six seasons again in anticipation of this film.

We both found it to be .... boring. Everything about it was flat. First, it looked more like a Netflix TV show than an actual movie film. Second, the story was trite, zero depth. Third, the situations were obvious, blatantly predictable. Fourth, about six threads were dangled and all were tidied up in the end.

There was nothing at stake in the movie, nothing emotionally moving or intellectually stimulating. On the positive side, the setting and the fixtures and the people were pretty to look at. For two hours.

This pretty much summed up our feelings. Everything that made the series compelling was left on the sidelines for this effort. The intimacy with the characters (both upstairs and downstairs) at Downton were ignored during all the machination of the plot involving the royal visit. There was really no plotline involving the impact of the visit on the characters. It was all rather by-the-numbers and boring. It seemed to have the feel of a very predictable sit-com plot. So many of the characters were reduced to roles that nearly amounted to cameos (John Bates was the most surprising of all). But even characters like Lord & Lady Grantham were reduced to mere tools to keep the story moving. And the story involving Barrows was embarrassingly poorly conceived and written.

For us, a HUGE disappointment. I guess I likely won't have to worry about whether to file a copy of the film in the movie section of my collection or next to the TV series.

 

[Bernard McNair]

We are both fans of the series and saw the movie on Thursday. It was great entertainment and looked superb on the big screen.
We look forward to seeing it again on Blu.

 

[PMF]

[...] Everything that made the series compelling was left on the sidelines for this effort.[...]

Mike Frezon's post now makes me wonder if this feature film version of "Downton Abbey" could possibly be in service to a bridge and primer for a hopeful 7th season; therefore all that's been cited as unaddressed could be further fleshed out.
Looking forward to seeing this theatrically.

 

[Randy_M]

Peg and I went to see this tonight.

We were big fans of the series and even binge-watched all six seasons again in anticipation of this film.



This pretty much summed up our feelings. Everything that made the series compelling was left on the sidelines for this effort. The intimacy with the characters (both upstairs and downstairs) at Downton were ignored during all the machination of the plot involving the royal visit. There was really no plotline involving the impact of the visit on the characters. It was all rather by-the-numbers and boring. It seemed to have the feel of a very predictable sit-com plot. So many of the characters were reduced to roles that nearly amounted to cameos (John Bates was the most surprising of all). But even characters like Lord & Lady Grantham were reduced to mere tools to keep the story moving. And the story involving Barrows was embarrassingly poorly conceived and written.

For us, a HUGE disappointment. I guess I likely won't have to worry about whether to file a copy of the film in the movie section of my collection or next to the TV series.

Wife and I went yesterday. We LOVED the film. Also binge watched in anticipation. We, on the other hand, were not disappointed. I was also surprised at the lack of John Bates, but I guess you can only do so much in two hours. I would have loved to see a couple of scenes with Spratt, though.

Well, everybody is different in their opinions. I'm guessing that the disc will sell briskly.

 

[Malcolm R]

Mike Frezon's post now makes me wonder if this feature film version of "Downton Abbey" could possibly be in service to a bridge and primer for a hopeful 7th season; therefore all that's been cited as unaddressed could be further fleshed out.
Looking forward to seeing this theatrically.

I doubt there will be another full season, but I'm sure they'd consider another movie.

 

[Tino]

Peg and I went to see this tonight.

We were big fans of the series and even binge-watched all six seasons again in anticipation of this film.



This pretty much summed up our feelings. Everything that made the series compelling was left on the sidelines for this effort. The intimacy with the characters (both upstairs and downstairs) at Downton were ignored during all the machination of the plot involving the royal visit. There was really no plotline involving the impact of the visit on the characters. It was all rather by-the-numbers and boring. It seemed to have the feel of a very predictable sit-com plot. So many of the characters were reduced to roles that nearly amounted to cameos (John Bates was the most surprising of all). But even characters like Lord & Lady Grantham were reduced to mere tools to keep the story moving. And the story involving Barrows was embarrassingly poorly conceived and written.

For us, a HUGE disappointment. I guess I likely won't have to worry about whether to file a copy of the film in the movie section of my collection or next to the TV series.

Peg and I went to see this tonight.

We were big fans of the series and even binge-watched all six seasons again in anticipation of this film.



This pretty much summed up our feelings. Everything that made the series compelling was left on the sidelines for this effort. The intimacy with the characters (both upstairs and downstairs) at Downton were ignored during all the machination of the plot involving the royal visit. There was really no plotline involving the impact of the visit on the characters. It was all rather by-the-numbers and boring. It seemed to have the feel of a very predictable sit-com plot. So many of the characters were reduced to roles that nearly amounted to cameos (John Bates was the most surprising of all). But even characters like Lord & Lady Grantham were reduced to mere tools to keep the story moving. And the story involving Barrows was embarrassingly poorly conceived and written.

For us, a HUGE disappointment. I guess I likely won't have to worry about whether to file a copy of the film in the movie section of my collection or next to the TV series.

This post concerned me the most as both my wife and I loved the series. We were also looking forward to seeing it.

Thankfully we LOVED it. I felt the opposite Mike as I feel all the characters beats and emotions of the series was retained for this wonderful film.

 

[benbess]

Maggie Smith is very funny in this movie! The whole film is entertaining and well made, and had some interesting plot points. My whole family of Downton fans liked it, and I rate it a "B+""

 

[benbess]

I read somewhere that the production budget was about $12 million, which means this has been a big hit relative to costs....

Downton Abbey
Domestic Total as of Sep. 27, 2019: $48,389,850 (Estimate)
Distributor: Focus Features Release Date: September 20, 2019
Genre: Drama Runtime: 2 hrs. 2 min.
MPAA Rating: PG Production Budget:
Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: $48,389,850 54.0%
+ Foreign: $41,200,000 46.0%
= Worldwide: $89,589,850

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I read somewhere that the production budget was about $12 million, which means this has been a big hit relative to costs....

Downton Abbey
Domestic Total as of Sep. 27, 2019: $48,389,850 (Estimate)
Distributor: Focus Features Release Date: September 20, 2019
Genre: Drama Runtime: 2 hrs. 2 min.
MPAA Rating: PG Production Budget:
Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: $48,389,850 54.0%
+ Foreign: $41,200,000 46.0%
= Worldwide: $89,589,850

I've seen anywhere from 12-20 million for the budget.

But still, it'll likely hit 100 million by next weekend, so it's a runaway success no matter what.

 

[Tommy R]

My wife and I finally got out to see this last night and we absolutely loved it. As fans of the show, we were excited enough to see it but I’d say the final product exceeded expectations. It felt theatrical enough to be more than just one of those longer season finale episodes they would do. I’d LOVE another movie every couple years for the foreseeable future if they keep the budget low and they stay profitable.

 

[BobO'Link]

I found and watched the series on Prime first - don't really recall why as it's not something I'd normally select (my wife hasn't seen it at all). I found myself watching the entire series over the following few weeks. I enjoyed it so much I purchased one of the complete series BR sets (one with full episodes - not the edited PBS ones). I won't see the movie in the theater (I no longer go to "the movies" for many reasons) but *will* purchase a copy for my collection.

I don't understand why people who've not seen a TV series would go to a movie that's either based on a TV series or, especially, extends the series on the big screen. I'd think it'd be a poor experience just about every time.

 

[Tommy R]

I don't understand why people who've not seen a TV series would go to a movie that's either based on a TV series or, especially, extends the series on the big screen. I'd think it'd be a poor experience just about every time.

Yes, someone watching this movie who hasn’t seen the series would be completely in the dark about the nuances of the characters and their motivations.

 

[Tino]

Yes, someone watching this movie who hasn’t seen the series would be completely in the dark about the nuances of the characters and their motivations.

Agreed. Which is why @Mike Frezon ’s dislike of the film really surprised me since he loved the series.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Yes, someone watching this movie who hasn’t seen the series would be completely in the dark about the nuances of the characters and their motivations.

Agreed. Which is why @Mike Frezon ’s dislike of the film really surprised me since he loved the series.

But that's just it. I didn't feel as if the movie accurately portrayed the nuances of the characters and their motivations. While I loved the idea of the storyline, I didn't feel as if the film accurately portrayed the way the characters I grew to know would respond to the situations presented to them.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I'm a couple months behind, but...

Loved it.

Getting the band back together, a caper, and enough unresolved plotlines for a second movie.

And again, poor Molesley.

Though at least with Carson, I get Frezon's complaint with acting correctly. But, he's retired now, and it is a Royal visit, so he's forgiven his out of character-ness.

 

[benbess]

Compared to the modest production budget this movie was a big hit....

All Releases
DOMESTIC (52%)
$96,713,820
INTERNATIONAL (48%)
$89,200,000
WORLDWIDE
$185,913,820

 

[Sam Favate]

A sequel has been confirmed.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a30101012/downton-abbey-movie-sequel/

 

[Colin Jacobson]

 

[Malcolm R]

Compared to the modest production budget this movie was a big hit....

All Releases
DOMESTIC (52%)
$96,713,820
INTERNATIONAL (48%)
$89,200,000
WORLDWIDE
$185,913,820

Yep, domestically it did much better than a number of major titles and tentpole-wannabes such as Terminator: Dark Fate, Alita: Battle Angel, Men in Black: International, Dark Phoenix, and Gemini Man.