Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Reviews Are Split, But There's 1 Thing Critics Do Agree On

Downton Abbey stars Allen Leech, Dominic West, Robert James-Collier, Douglas Reith, Sarah Crowden, Penelope Wilton, Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael and Harry Hadden-PatonIf comfort viewing is what you’re in the market for, longtime fans of Downton Abbey can be confident that’s what they’ll get with the third (and supposedly final) movie, which has been dubbed The Grand Finale.The new film in the big screen spin-off trilogy features a sprawling cast that includes Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth McGovern and Penelope Wilton, and follows the Crawleys in the summer of 1930 as they deal with various looming threats of social disgrace.Billed as the final Downton outing after six seasons, two movies and 15 years of the much-loved historical drama franchise, reviews for the film began trickling in on Wednesday evening. So far, critics are pretty split over the new film from director Simon Curtis, with most agreeing that it is, indeed, comforting and nostalgic, but with others feeling like the franchise has outstayed its welcome. Others felt there were too many characters to feasibly give all of them sufficient screentime, while some insisted the film did a good job of juggling so many cast members.HuffPost UK found it to be a beautiful send-off with a timely message, but there have been many more mixed reactions…The Daily Mail (4/5)“It’s corny and formulaic, sometimes even preposterous, but two hours immersed in Downton is fundamentally the same as it’s always been, like luxuriating in a warm bath. And hurrah for that. I’ll rather miss it.”The Express (4/5)“Hilarious and tear-jerking send-off…Hats off to Julian Fellowes for masterfully juggling not just the extensive cast of the Crawleys, their servants and their spouses, but also this plethora of colourful new characters.”Downton Abbey faves Raquel Cassidy, Kevin Doyle, Sophie McShera, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Nicol, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggatt are all back for the third movieThe Hollywood Reporter“Overstuffed but endearing film provides fitting closure to devoted fans…True to its title, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale works hard to provide closure to fans for their 14 years of devotion.”The Independent (3/5)“A fine time, if proof that this franchise simply must end…This apparent closer to the long-running TV and film series can’t help but feel like two episodes smashed together.”The Guardian (3/5)“This silly, enjoyable nonsense should go on for ever…The film is very silly and always watchable in its weird way, with those eccentrically emphasised shots of characters thanking each other for their thoughtfulness.”The Telegraph (3/5)“The Grand Finale is a fond farewell, but you long for Dame Maggie Smith… It’s not a peak for the doughty franchise so much as a reverential goodbye. Jollity is also served, when it’s not straining for misplaced importance.”Digital Spy (3/5)“The Grand Finale is the ending fans didn’t really need […] it may have taken two forgettable hours to get there, but if this really is a final goodbye to Downton Abbey, at least it is a warm one.”Deadline“Scandal, money and changing times mark an elegant and bittersweet end to iconic series…[Simon] Curtis’ elegant and assured guidance, along with [Julian] Fellowes’ customarily witty and engaging scenario, make this the best Downton movie of them all, one I have to admit shedding a tear or two by the time it ended.”US Weekly“The Grand Finale is a long but ultimately worthy goodbye for 15-years-in-the-making comfort characters whose long story – featuring war, death and the concept of week-ends – has now finally concluded. At least until the inevitable spinoff.”The Times (2/5)“Farewell and good riddance…An agonisingly familiar plot proves that this last film, written on autopilot, has nothing left to say about life above and below stairs – apart from Mrs Hughes the housekeeper’s sex tips.”The Standard (2/5)“It’s a strangely Netflix-era of writing, when showrunners have to assume their audience is also scrolling their phone and may miss crucial facts unless you signpost them regularly. But then, given that The Grand Finale is akin to getting a nostalgia lobotomy, perhaps it’s helpful to join the dots for a dazed audience.”Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is out in cinemas on 12 September. Read our review of the film here.MORE FILM NEWS:This Is Why The First Trailer For Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights Has Already Divided ViewersOlivia Colman And Benedict Cumberbatch's Film Called Out Over 'Dangerous' And 'Offensive' SceneHugh Bonneville Uses Downton Abbey Premiere To Express Solidarity With Palestine

Comments

Breaking news

Virgin Media O2 issue urgent warning over ‘significant rise’ in scam texts

Metro

Comments

Similar News

Michelle Dockery's fairytale ending after tragedy: Downton star's pregnancy with producer husband comes 10 years after death of Irish fiancé she called 'my king and hero'

Hugh Bonneville uses TV interview at Downton Abbey premiere to talk about the 'indefensible' situation in Gaza

Hugh Bonneville Uses Downton Abbey Premiere To Express Solidarity With Palestine

Michelle Dockery covers up her baby bump as she heads to Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale premiere afterparty with glamorous co-stars after revealing her pregnancy on red carpet

As the velvet curtain comes down on Downton Abbey, it feels like a warm bath: BRIAN VINER reviews Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Is A Beautiful Send-Off With A Timely Message

Hugh Bonneville makes a rare appearance with glamorous new girlfriend Heidi Kadlecova at the Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale premiere in London

Michelle Dockery exudes glamour in a pale blue gown as she joins her dazzling co-stars Joanne Froggatt, Laura Carmichael and Joely Richardson at the Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale film premiere

Downton Abbey's upcoming film is slapped with a woke trigger warning for using classist insults such as 'tart' and 'trollop'

'I knew Downton Abbey's Maggie Smith and one thing made her different to rest'

Hollywood actor sues British council over 'Downton Shabby' manor house after it evicted him from ruined 'ancestral home' he has spent eight years trying to save

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes complains that British people hate the rich - even if they still want to be rich themselves

US filmmaker in legal battle over 'Downton Shabby'

Secrets of the real Downton Abbey - freezing aristocratic castle and thieving dogs

Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt, 45, seen pregnant for the first time in character - as she reveals Julian Fellowes' heartwarming act towards her

Why Julian's not Abbey about Maggie's claim that she never watched Downton: EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE

Liam Gallagher's 'Downton Abbey-style' Cotswolds mansion with VERY famous neighbours goes on sale for £6Million - after Oasis frontman rented the property ahead of band's reunion tour for a whopping £19K-a-month

Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern admits she is 'over' the hit ITV series and confesses how she felt filming without the late Maggie Smith

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: How anger fuelled the mastermind of Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey 'iconic' props and costumes up for auction

Breaking news

Virgin Media O2 issue urgent warning over ‘significant rise’ in scam texts

‘I’ve cried myself to sleep every night since me and my kids were made homeless’

Giant mystery creature washes up on Wales beach – but what is it?

Elite military veteran reveals the ‘worst case scenario’ that could lead to UK civil war

At least 15 children injured after car crashes into group of people in Berlin

Miracle recovery for boy, 8, mauled by shark after his sister rescued him

Wrong family informed after attempted murderer dies behind bars

Trump Is Confident He Will End Ukraine War As Putin Seems Unmoved

Keir Starmer Condemns 'Appalling' Attack On Angela Rayner's Home

Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights Trailer Has Already Divided Viewers

Olivia Colman And Benedict Cumberbatch's Film Called Out Over 'Dangerous' And 'Offensive' Scene

UK Gardeners Told To Plant These Now For Happy Bees In Spring

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Reviews Are Split, But There's 1 Thing Critics Do Agree On

4 Napping Mistakes A Sleep Doctor Would Never Make

Sophie Turner To Play Lara Croft In New Tomb Raider TV Series

Who is Angela Rayner? The life and family of Labour’s deputy leader

Trump boasts ‘they won’t be doing it again’ after carrying out airstrike on ‘drug’ ship

Kate Middleton shows off new blonde hair in public outing with William

AP visit to Myanmar highlights its struggle to rebuild after an earthquake while a civil war rages

London Underground cleaners could vote on strikes over pay

Israel president meets with Pope Leo XIV as Gaza offensive presses on

Judge rules Trump administration cannot withhold funding from Harvard

Israel foils Hamas plot to assassinate far-right minister Ben Gvir with explosives

New car market declined by 2% in August

Rachel Reeves has ‘full confidence’ in Angela Rayner over stamp duty row: UK Politics live

Half a million people flee their homes in Pakistan’s Punjab to escape flooding

Man accused of ramming car into Liverpool soccer parade pleads not guilty to 31 charges

Transgender federal employees say they face fear and discrimination under Trump

Transgender federal employees say they face fear and discrimination under Trump

Artificial intelligence helps break barriers for Hispanic homeownership

How disastrous Lisbon funicular crash that left 17 dead unfolded

Trump’s aid cuts leave countries across Africa running out of crucial contraception

Construction sector suffers longest downturn for over five years – report

U.S. envoy Witkoff meets European leaders on Ukraine security

Hurricane Lorena weakens as risk of flash floods and mudslides for Mexico's west coast remain

Tory donations fall despite video game entrepreneur’s £1m gift

‘We’re going to lose so many girls’: The deadly impact of Trump slashing aid for contraception

Feminist activist sent to prison for ‘Allah is lesbian’ T-shirt

Man banned from chasing dolphins on his jet ski

American Eagle shares surge after controversial Sydney Sweeney ad despite sales drop

Russia warns UK it may seize British property after weapons buy-up

FDA warning over raw pet food after cat euthanized with bird flu

Powerful rain and floods devastate northern India as experts blame climate change

5 months after Myanmar's deadly earthquake, photos show widespread damage and ongoing reconstruction

For decades, US Open women's champs got a smaller replica trophy than the men. Now they're equal

Liverpool parade crash suspect Paul Doyle pleads not guilty to dangerous driving after car ploughed into fans

Big changes made to Epstein accuser’s memoir after family complains

Angela Rayner: How working-class hero who rose through Labour ranks became mired in tax scandal

British-born teen to become first millennial Catholic saint

London bus crash latest: Several injured after bus crashes into pedestrians outside Victoria station

Trump asks Supreme Court to approve his tariffs after warning US would be ‘destroyed’ if they don’t go ahead

JD Vance heckled during visit to Minneapolis church shooting site: ‘Protect our kids’

Why Has The EU Banned Some Gel Nail Polishes, And Will It Happen In The UK?

Hugh Bonneville Uses Downton Abbey Premiere To Express Solidarity With Palestine

Why Angela Rayner's Political Survival Now Rests In The Hands Of 1 Man

'A Car Crash': Nigel Farage Slammed For Praising Trump And Thatcher During US Trip

Man accused of Liverpool parade crash pleads not guilty to 31 charges