It’s important to know when stop, to bring things to an end and say goodbye, even when audiences are clamouring for more. Advice, the creators of Downton Abbey should have heeded, leaving well enough alone after the drama’s first cinematic outing.

After all, by the end of the original film, the Dowager had passed the torch to Mary, who’s supportive husband commits to fighting for the Abbey, while Edith is determined to stay true to herself in her new role as Countess and Tom is embarking on a new romance. Even the downstairs staff showed their metal, when they proved to be more than a match for their Royal counterparts. We might not have been given all the answers, but things were ended with a sense of satisfaction.

In this second outing, A New Era, the title suggests audiences can expect something fresh, something different… something new.

Yet Julian Fellows simply re-treads familiar ground, and embraces the large ensemble cast, ultimately creating a film which feels cramped and disjointed as the multitude of storylines try to fit into the 2-hour runtime. This includes Kinema coming to Downton, a surprise Villa in the South of France, Daisy and Andrew adapting to married life, the Dowagers health and Barrow’s future, amongst many others. In truth a full series would have been more effective, as it would have given these plots the room to breathe, they so desperately need.

Alternatively, to echo the title, perhaps the film should have chosen to focus on the younger Crawley’s, exploring how they intended to honour tradition while bringing the estate(s) into the new era of the 1930s. Certainly a decision should have been made between the Kinema and Villa storylines, as having both simply split the focus and meant neither reached their full potential.

After almost 12 years, it’s little surprise that A New Era is a well-acted affair. Dame Maggie Smith continues to drop well-aimed barbs, Michelle Dockery shines as Mary takes the lead and Hugh Bonneville bumbles along as the well-meaning but out-of-touch Earl. Even Jim Parson returns as the supposedly retired Carson, to show the French how it should be done.

“They better be warned the British are coming.”

Mr Carson

Yet, outside of Michelle Dockery, no one really gets much to do. Allen Leech’s Branson is side-lined, Joanne Froggatt, Phyllis Logan, and Penelope Wilton sees their roles reduced and even Barrow’s love interest storyline feels like an after thought despite being so prominent in the first film. With this in mind, it’s little wonder that Matthew Goode opted to commit to The Offer (the story behind making The Godfather) instead returning as Lady Mary’s husband, Henry, when the two projects clashed.

However, the writing around Henry’s absence, that he has chosen adventure and cars over Mary, rings untrue after the ending of the first film, while her flirtations Hugh Dancy’s visiting Kinema director feel forced. Surely in 2022, we can have a female protagonist with a strong storyline that doesn’t feature a clichéd romance. In this case, the creators could have focused on the need to bring Downton into the future and embrace new ways of making money, without the unnecessary distraction of love.

To be clear, A New Era isn’t a terrible film, it’s just a messy one. While fans of the show will enjoy revisiting the Abbey and its inhabitants, the creators desire to ‘wrap everything up in a bow’ leaves behind an overall feeling of dissatisfaction.

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