Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: A review of the heralded saga’s climax.

With plenty of “My Lord’s and My Lady’s”, and wealthy people doing wealthy things, creator and writer Julian Fellowes’s beloved tale reaches its’ curtain call. Director Simon Curtis, who did Downton Abbey’s 2022’s A New Era, returns with meticulous attention to detail. All the T’s are crossed; the I’s and lower cased j’s are dotted with much of the familiar cast reprising their roles amidst a few fresh faces. But not all is savory in the upper crust, as financial woes threaten Lord Grantham, (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Grantham, (Elizabeth McGovern) family while their daughter Lady Mary Talbot’s (Michelle Dockery) crisp divorce poses societal controversy. 

Betrayal and double-crosses intensify the plot

The Costume design is fantastic, and the sets are top tier, succusfully immersing you in 1930’s England. Theatregoers will feel like participants, but perhaps not upscale guests of the Abbey, more akin to members of the staff, peeking at the grand rooms, extravagant rugs, and endless bookshelves when entering to be of service. Along with their daughter’s now taboo marital status, the recent Stock Market crash the world is reeling from becomes precarious for the household, together building the story’s tension. Lady Grantham’s brother Harold, (Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers) has visited from The United States bearing the details, accompanied by his newfound financial advisor Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola, The Brutalist).

The period is referred to as a “golden era”, yet pale faces dominate the entire film, and other than the help, the less fortunate are merely spoken of in absence. Horse races, real estate, feasts, maids, butlers, and pesky commoners striving for fair treatment. The economic troubles that stress the contingent are really just one less large house to own in their stuffed stable. No one is going broke, no one shall be cast out on the street. Upper class problems. The conspicuous element may be a difficult sell to share in the looming despair. 

Precise presentation plagued by callous tones

No weak links in this ensemble chain though. Everyone rises to the occasion, eliminating the chances of subpar performances offsetting the balance, with Nivola, Bonneville, and Dockery standing out. And rejoice! No CGI or artificial special effects. All appears tangible, minus an out of place slow-motion arrival at the horse track which looks borrowed from a music video. An elegant dinner party boasting famous film stars hopes to shake off the stigma of divorce that has cast a shadow on the family’s standing within their stratosphere.

Sadly, the bulk of tension the movie cultivates for the crux of its’ strife becomes dissolved just past the halfway mark, surrendering your attention if a less steadfast viewer. Staunch fans of the show and previous pictures will no doubt be entertained and leave satisfied, while unfulfillment lurks in theatre seats for casual audiences.