Karen Myers

Downton Abbey, the PBS series, was never created to exist in a vacuum. The storyline and characters exist only for the purpose of the movie thereby putting it into a vacuum. Consequently, the actors are noticeably awkward at times--except Dame Maggie Smith, of couse. I missed the exquisite writing and depth of Julian Fellows' intricate plot lines and sumptuous character development. Having said that, I did enjoy the movie, found it worthwhile and it was nice to see new romances bloom for several characters including Mr. Barrow.