The much-anticipated cinematic return of Downton Abbey follows the Crawleys and their staff as they welcome a movie crew and their glamorous stars to Downton for the filming of a new silent movie, while other members of the family go on a grand adventure to a villa in the south of France to uncover a mystery about the Dowager Countess and her past. With a screenplay by Julian Fellowes and starring the original cast alongside exciting new additions, DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA is packed full of exuberant moments, excitement and humor, tears of joy and sadness and new beginnings for all your favorite characters.

For thoughts on Downton Abbey: A New Era, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment brings Downton Abbey: A New Era to Blu-Ray with a sumptuous 1080p video presentation. It should be noted that the film also has a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that was not made available to me for review. The HD presentation provides a terrific amount of depth on display, especially in any interior shots. The extravagant production design and the intricate fabrics of the clothing provide crystal clear textural details. The image is clean with the natural color palette popping off the screen. The film employs rich splashes of colors within the setting and costumes which makes for a very striking image. The flesh tones are natural with a good amount of detail present in close-ups, especially when it comes to the texture of makeup. The black levels never come close to faltering with nothing in the way of digital noise. This Blu-Ray is a great representation of the format, so we can only imagine how great the 4K UHD version looks.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a great Dolby Atmos track that captures this stately tale beautifully. This is not a particularly kinetic movie, but the environmental sounds of the world engage the surround speakers in a really pleasing way. The information in the height channels rarely takes the lead, but it aids in expanding the setting quite deftly, especially in the music. It is this score which radiates from the speakers in a wonderful, well-balanced way that almost feels like a warm hug. When the characters are walking through certain areas, there are some really spry ambient details that flesh out the setting. Dialogue is the driving force of the film, and it always comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. The various sound effects provide a subtle engagement to the low end of the track which adds some texture. The audio track is an excellent sounding presentation for this feature in all regards.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Simon Curtis provides a really amiable commentary track in which he discusses coming into this world as more of an outsider, working with the cinematographer to bring more of a filmic look to this digital film, the monumental task that was keeping all of the characters situated and given respectful roles in the story, reuniting with performers who he had worked with in previous films, the scale he tried to bring to the film and much more that fans will enjoy.

Good To Be Back: A nearly four-minute featurette in which the cast discuss how happy they are to be back at the estate and making their next film. It is heartening to see how close many of the performers are and how excited they are to be continuing their character arcs.
Return to Downton Abbey – The Making-of A New Era: A 12-minute look at the ambitious production of the sequel and all of the preparation, people, and craftsmanship that goes into it. You get to see the work that each department contributed to bring this film to life including the digital effects, the production designers and their knack for real (and fake) cakes, the costume designers and more.
A Legendary Character: A four minute examination of the legendary character that is the Dowager Countess of Grantham and why Maggie Smith is the only person who could play this role so well.
Creating The Film Within The Film: A ten-minute deep-dive into the making of the film within the film, the extra research and details that were taken into consideration during the development, the set design and vehicles, the period-accurate film equipment and props, how it impacts the characters and more.
Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia: A three-minute piece in which you get to learn the real history behind Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia, and why it was a perfect vessel to play the cross-channel ferry in the film. Getting this brief history is very enlightening!
Spill The Tea (Time): A nearly three-minute conversation with Allen Leech and Laura Carmichael as they reveal secrets about the making of the movie including their favorite costars, the complications that arose during filming and more.

Final Thoughts

Downton Abbey: A New Era will probably play more enthusiastically to established fans of the franchise rather than those jumping in with no context, but even newcomers would be filled with joy from the various situations that arise in this sprawling story. This is a world in which character development is paramount, and nearly every character gets an opportunity to shine in one way or another. This is not a series that necessarily needs to continue, but every visit with these characters feels like reconnecting with an old friend. Universal Pictures has provided a Blu-Ray disc that sports a great A/V presentation and a nice array of supplements for those who do decide to check it out. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the series, but you might want to go full-tilt and pick up the 4K UHD Blu-Ray if you are capable. Recommended

Downton Abbey: A New Era is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.