Stephanie Best

Beautiful locations and scenery, beautiful costumes, and vehicles. Good actors, and a script that seems to be on usual form. Unfortunately, we were disappointed as the plot lines were thin, seemingly quickly thought out, and almost grabbing at straws for an extra ounce of Downton joy. The actors played their parts accordingly as it would be if they were slipping back into a familiar comfy pair of well paid shoes, nothing that challenging: With a storyline involving The Dowager Countess of Grantham which has already been done and virtually rehashed from the series involving the Russian aristocracy, and an implausible situation. Additionally what could’ve been used as a good creative opportunity for the plot line of a film crew turning up in Downtown, was wasted. Taking its ideas almost completely from “singing in the rain”, which I find much more enjoyable, Lady Mary voices over the cockney accent of a beautiful actress who usually is only able to do a non-talking picture. I was just waiting for Debbie Reynolds to start singing and Gene Kelly to pop out and dance! The character of Lena Lamont, oops sorry Miss Dalglesh, was also thin and under used. All she did was strop in and out of scenes overacting being precocious. The entire reason for the plot line of Lady Mary taking over her voice was counteracted at the end with Myrnas ability to successfully adopt a full American accent, thanks to just a couple of hours of elocution from fully trained vocal coach Cora Grantham! Other small plot lines running through it some of which were unnecessarily dusted off and rebooted to add interest, seemed to conveniently be tied up happily at the end; from Barrow finding happiness through to lady Edith resuming her journalism. These smaller; can’t possibly leave anything to the imaginative intelligence of the viewer stories, seemed to be clutching at straws to find happy endings for anything that was ever outstanding as a plot line, ever! I think avid Downton fans could’ve come up with a better plot line than this. A really disappointing film. Please refrain from making another and let us use our own imagination, this has lost all the creative flare and emotional impact it once had. End!