When the residents and plucky servants of Downton are informed that King George V and Queen Mary will be spending a night at the estate while on a tour of the realm, everyone is thrown into various states of giddy panic. There’s some minor anti-monarchist rumbling in the kitchen, but mostly the house staff is thrilled to soon be serving their king and queen. The swells upstairs are honored by the idea, too, but they’ve got their fancy-people quibbles as well.

So Downton Abbey’s two-hour story unfolds, Fellowes managing a variety of different plotlines with pleasing thoroughness. Chief among the players in this (I’d think) final go-around are Allen Leech’s Tom Branson, whose Irish Republican roots have some questioning his loyalty to the monarchy, and Maggie Smith’s scheming Lady Crawley, who’s out, as ever, to gain more status for her family. Of course all your other favorites are back, too, each having their pippy little moments as the movie waltzes along. -Vanity Fair

“Downton Abbey is four-star entertainment from opening scene to closing.” – The Australian