Directed by Simon Curtis, Downton Abbey – A New Era arrives in March 2022. With the screenplay written by Julian Fellowes, its creator, the movie will be just as good, if not better, than its predecessor.
Although Downton Abbey, directed by Michael Engler, is no longer a television series, many fans followed the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them at the turn of the 20th century in an Edwardian English country house.
I saw the movie opening weekend; it is everything I imagined it to be and more. The film is like a television series with a significant storyline and many subplots that entertain the audience. Julian Fellowes’s screenplay’s fast-paced and witty dialogue is a pleasure to follow, with the same characters as if nothing has changed. A revelation happens at the end, but other than that, we know everyone else will return.
The final one-sheet says it all.
Over its six seasons, the series garnered three Golden Globe Awards, 15 Primetime Emmy Awards, and 69 Emmy nominations. It acknowledges Downton Abbey as the most nominated non-US television show in the history of the Emmys – even earning a Special BAFTA award and a Guinness World Record for the highest critically rated TV show along the way.
The movie arrives in all its signature storylines. Watching the second movie trailer, we can see those storylines picking up where the television show left off. The benefit of a visit from the King and Queen of England proves to the fans that even though the popular television series is now a movie, nothing is different; Downton Abbey is the same.
The movie is like its television show but with more grandeur. The sneak peek shows the actors’ perspective of returning to Downton Abbey.
The movie clip shows how dialogue can move a story along with the action in the scene.
The following two clips show how the movie is just like the television show. That is an intelligent decision by the producers. The story moves along at a quick pace without any meandering.
Do you recognize Imelda Staunton? She is a Harry Potter alumni and played the caustic evildoer Dolores Umbridge.
The following three clips prove the movie is exactly like the television series: the same women bicker, the same downstairs staff, and the same love between husband and wife.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, The Commuter follows Michael Woolrich, played by Liam Neeson, who is in the midst of his daily commute. He is an insurance salesman—a typical guy who used to be a cop. A mysterious woman on the train contacts him. She forces him to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on the train before the last stop.
The movie has a great cast, including Elizabeth McGovern from Downton Abby, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Sam Neil.
Just watching the trailer, I can tell the movie is suspenseful. Neeson is so good at playing these types of roles. It is unique for him to play an everyman, not some high-skilled gunman who has a kidnapped daughter.
The Commuter’s Blu-ray/DVD combo pack hits the streets with two never-before-seen featurettes that focus on the cast’s experience shooting the film and the technical details of shooting on a train. The trailer is so intense.
I saw the movie on my flight from Denver to Sacramento. The movie started off well but was predictable. If you want to kill a couple of hours on a phone, this is the movie to watch.
The movie clip below shows the intensity of Liam Neeson.
Here is the final trailer.
The domestic trailer doesn’t look all that different. What do you think?
