Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: A Charming & Delightful Final Chapter (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

After six seasons of the marvelous hit television program and two decent feature films, creator Julian Fellowes is finally bringing the world of "Downton Abbey" to a close with the aptly-titled "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale." It's been a long road to get to this point, and we've seen quite a lot of ups & downs with this vast ensemble of characters, but now it's time to say goodbye as they head into a new era marked with many personal changes that will take a fair amount of adjustment for all involved.

This third and final feature begins with The Crawleys in London, where news breaks of Mary's (Michelle Dockery) divorce from Henry Talbot, which causes a bit of scandal that includes her being asked to leave a social gathering where royals are attending. Back home, Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern) brother Harold (Paul Giamatti) is visiting after the death of their mother, bringing with him Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola), a financial advisor who is trying to help Harold recover the inheritance money he's lost. Harold hopes to use the rest of their mother's money to recoup the losses, a prospect that Cora heavily objects to.

Meanwhile, Mary's divorce causes their neighbors to shun a dinner invitation, that is until Edith (Laura Carmichael) and Cora hatch a plan to let them know that Noel Coward (Arty Froushan) will be attending as well, potentially bringing Mary back into a more positive light. As all of this is going on, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) struggles with the decision to sell Grantham House to raise money after Harold's failed investments, as well as deciding whether now is the right time to pass Downton Abbey on to Mary and begin a new chapter in his life. Will The Crawleys be able to settle all of their latest difficulties, or will the family succumb to both financial & social disgrace?

As with the previous two features, it's quite a Herculean task to boil down such a large ensemble of characters & their various storylines into a relatively brief two-hour outing, so once again Julian Fellowes certainly had his work cut out for him. After all, when one has the wide-open spaces of a TV show to work with, there's much more room to develop its most important elements, making the act of turning it into a feature a delicate balancing act of settling on which key stories to develop and how to include all of the others characters that fans are hoping to catch up with, especially for this final outing.

However, as we've already seen twice before, Fellowes is more than up to the task of bringing his beloved ensemble to the big screen, and "The Grand Finale" is no exception. Here he's opted to primarily focus on the two or three main storylines of Mary's divorce and its various effects, Harold's attempts to recoup his loses and his association with Gus, and Robert trying to come to terms with passing Downton Abbey on to Mary. Within this main framework of narratives, he has skillfully sprinkled in the rest of the vast array of characters, giving us bits and pieces along the way so that we're able to see what everyone else is up to as the main stories play out.

In this way, Fellowes has constructed yet another charming & engaging outing that will no doubt please long-time fans of the show, who will certainly be most curious as to where their favorite characters will be at the end of this last feature. As per usual, there's no epic conclusion, even for this end of the tale, but that's never really been something that Fellowes does, instead ending it in a rather quiet & dignified manner, where pretty much everything is wrapped up in a satisfactory way. Overall, it's a very fitting final chapter for The Crawleys, one that brings their entire story to a fine end, and ultimately gives fans the closure they desire within one last delightful feature.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 2.39:1 transfers of outstanding quality. The picture looks beautifully sharp & clear throughout its entire 124-minute duration, perfectly highlighting the film's gorgeous production design & costumes. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio tracks are marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, Universal has done a fantastic job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

Feature Commentary with Director Simon Curtis and Actress Elizabeth McGovern

Changing Times (12 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on the changes that The Crawleys go through in the film.

Society Season (13 Minutes): A featurette that takes a look at the various activities attended by The Crawleys.

Authentic to the Core (7 Minutes): A featurette that explores the use of Noel Coward in the film.

A Farewell to the Fans (2 Minutes): A brief featurette that has the cast reflecting on the show.

Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale (42 Minutes): An extended featurette that also has the cast looking back on the show.

Conclusion:

Julian Fellowes' "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" is a fitting & satisfying conclusion that skillfully blends its main storylines with the rest of the vast ensemble, giving fans one final charming & delightful outing with the characters that they've come to know & love over the last 15 years.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on 4K/Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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