INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
If you enjoy these reviews, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could share this newsletter with family and friends who might love receiving film reviews, classic movie lists, and Oscars projections straight to their inbox.
PLOT
Via Letterboxd: When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.
REVIEW
Throughout six seasons from 2010 to 2015, Downton Abbey managed to break through in a way no one expected. What began as a simple British miniseries, meant to be a niche PBS Masterpiece Theatre item, quickly grew into a global phenomenon. By the early 2010s it wasn’t just beloved; it was competing for awards and cultural prestige alongside juggernauts like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones here in the States.
As someone who is very openly not much of a television person these days, it says something that Downton Abbey was able to consistently hold my attention across its entire run. It’s one of the extremely few modern series I stuck with from start to finish. That’s a credit to the sharp writing and phenomenal ensemble, which elevated what could have been a straightforward melodramatic period piece into, in my view, the best TV series I’ve ever seen - second only to Frasier. It’s endlessly rewatchable, the very definition of cozy comfort television.
But six successful seasons weren’t enough for creator Julian Fellowes. In 2019 came a theatrical feature film, followed by a sequel in 2022. Now, we arrive at what’s billed as the final chapter for the Crawley family and company with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
I’ll be frank, I’m writing this belated review after a stretch of exhaustion, trying to balance film criticism with personal life and barely squeezing this in before rushing to a screening tonight. So I’ll keep it simple; if you’re reading this, odds are you’re already a fan of Downton Abbey. And if that’s the case, you already know exactly what to expect from this film. If you’re new to the franchise, I’d highly recommend starting with the series and first two films, or else you’ll be lost trying to dive in at the end.
The Grand Finale is, at its heart, one last chance to spend time with characters we know and love. Each arc unfolds much as you’d imagine, with proper closure for nearly everyone’s years-long journeys. The show has always been a mix of cozy comfort and soap opera drama, wrapped in opulence, costumes, production design, and witty banter; and this film delivers exactly that. It wears its fan-service proudly on its sleeve.
That said, this installment feels more cinematic than the previous two films, with a richer presentation and some genuinely surprising turns. Some are bittersweet, but ultimately this is a two-hour farewell designed to leave you smiling.
The ensemble shines as usual, though special mention goes to Paul Giamatti’s return as Cora’s perpetually unlucky brother, and Alessandro Nivola as his mysterious, charismatic financial advisor.
If I had to nitpick, I’d point to two issues. Mary’s arc feels undercooked, as if there’s a missing chapter we’ll never get. And a late reveal tied to Nivola’s character seems primed for more development, but never quite pays off. More broadly, these films can’t escape the fact that most character arcs were neatly wrapped up in the original series finale, which makes the movies sometimes feel like they’re forcing extra chapters. Still, the writing is strong enough that the trilogy functions as a satisfying “seasons seven, eight, and nine” for longtime fans.
Ultimately, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale delivers everything fans should hope for. It doesn’t fully justify its own existence, and in truth, the previous film’s ending felt like a more perfect sendoff, but it remains a warm, comforting goodbye to one of the greatest stories ever told on both the small and big screen. For that reason, I’m giving it an A-.
GRADING
