My wife and I went to this movie without any real expectations. We weren't sure if the film would be of the same high quality as the series. Would the story compel? Would our favorite characters be there?
We were not disappointed. The movie was marvelous!! since it is not a series, and story lines could not carry over, the visit by the King and Queen set a perfect table for all of the qualities of character we came to expect from the Crawly family and their staff.
I could have done without the Barrow love life part, and Tom Branson's cheery expressions seemed a bit contrived at times, but all in all the movie was delightful and filled the space left by the end of the series. Lets hope that Julian finds a way to continue to follow the Crawlys further into the 20th century.