Downton rekindles that old feeling in A New Era – The A.V. Club
Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Laura Carmichael in Downton Abbey: A New EraImage: Ben Blackall / 2022 Focus Features LLC
Rejoice, Downtonians! Downton Abbey: A New Era is a worthy entry in Julian Fellowes’ beloved franchise. You were right to be concerned, of course. The acclaimed TV drama’s first foray onto the big screen, 2019’s Downton Abbey, felt like a glorified holiday special; it’s no surprise that Parasite, the far superior take on the same Upstairs, Downstairs premise, completely overshadowed it in terms of cultural significance. And the fact that Focus Features twice postponed A New Era, from December 2021 to March and then to May, wasn’t exactly reassuring. But the sequel manages to rekindle that old feeling right from the opening frames, set to the same John Lunn ...