Julian Fellowes’ megahit series Downton Abbey set the world on fire between 2010 and 2015, giving popularity to the PBS Masterpiece Classic anthology series that it hadn’t ever seen before or since. The popularity of that series led to two successful film adaptations in 2019 and 2022, that brought out fans en masse. Fellowes and the second film’s director Simon Curtis have reunited to cap off this trilogy, with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. And while this film might be the weakest of the three, it’s barely notable, as it still provides a lovely and captivating send-off to so many fan-favorite characters and rewards fans who have followed this story all these years.

As any Downton Abbey fan knows, there are so many characters and so many subplots constantly present in this narrative, and it would take me forever to describe where we find every character here, so instead of writing my own version of this synopsis, I will instead be using the plot synopsis provided by our good friends at Focus Features.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.

Like both of the preceding Downton Abbey films, The Grand Finale is top-to-bottom fan service, and if you’re one of this franchise’s millions of fans, there is a lot here for you to enjoy. The film does an admirable job of wrapping up many stories and many character arcs with grace, nuance and heart. But this franchise is no longer interested in courting the uninitiated. If you haven’t seen the series or either of the preceding films, I’m not sure why you’d start now as there will be nothing here for you. But if you’re already on board, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is more of everything you’ve come to know and love from this franchise and these characters, and it’s a delight to see where all these storylines end up. It’s a frothy, delightful champagne cocktail of a movie for the majority of the runtime, then the ending’s emotional gut-punch comes out of nowhere, and leaves you thinking about just how much all of this has meant. And I think that’s a perfect way to wrap up this series.

Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary is our de facto protagonist in this installment, as the member of the Crawley family who’s most favored to take over control of Downton Abbey after her family. Dockery is fantastic here, and is a solid anchor for everything else happening around her. Other cast highlights include Laura Carmichael’s Edith, Elizabeth McGovern’s Cora, Jim Carter’s Mr. Carson and Paul Giamatti, returning from the original series as Cora’s brother Harold. I could go into more detail about individual plot lines, but suffice it to say nearly every major player in this ensemble gets a moment to shine, and part of the pleasure of this film is seeing where each character ends up, so I won’t ruin any of that for you.

It’s important to note this is our first part of this franchise not to include Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley. Smith, of course, passed away in 2024, not long after Violet’s onscreen death in 2022. I had feared this film wouldn’t work because the entire dynamic would feel off without Maggie Smith, but luckily those fears proved to be unfounded. The rest of this cast is strong enough and these characters mean enough to carry the film on their own. Also it’s not like we have a shortage of people or stories to follow. The world of Downton Abbey still has dozens of people to keep up with and so many of these characters are so beloved by fans. And the film itself is dedicated to Maggie Smith, and we have a very affectionate tribute to her near the end that I’m sure the Dame herself would be proud of.

Cinematographer Ben Smithard, who shot the first film, returns for The Grand Finale, and the film looks splendid from beginning to end. We have some breathtakingly vivid shots of the city of London, as well as Downton itself. Costume designer Anna-Mary Scott Robbins, who also designed the costumes for the first and second films, as well as the original series, returns here. And it’s arguable that one of the primary reasons fans have flocked to Downton for so long is to see what everyone’s wearing. The vividly textured costumes here, no surprise, are drop-dead stunning. I always enjoy the hats in these movies, and if you’re coming for the hats and the evening gowns, you’ll leave very satisfied. The overall sense of opulence and luxury here is as beautifully realized as ever. We also have John Lunn returning to compose the score and it’s full of familiar musical cues fans will love.

Overall, if you’re already buying what Downton Abbey is selling, I see no reason why you won’t be taken with this third film. It’s a compelling, entertaining and affectionate coda to the story and all the characters you know and love. When I say The Grand Finale is the weakest film of the three, take that with the caveat that I think the first two films are close to perfect. And even if this final film doesn’t quite reach those heights, it comes rather close quite often. And like I said, if you’re not already a fan, there’s no reason to come in now. But if you had any interest in this franchise, I’d recommend starting at the beginning of the series and then watching all three films. What a pleasure it would be to experience all of this for the first time.