DOWNTON ABBEY (PG)

A RIGHT ROYAL REUNION, UK, 122 MIN

This is just as much of a class act on the big screen as it was on the box. Creator and chief writer Julian Fellowes, along with his popular cast of regulars, are all in the motivated kind of form that ensures this lavish production never misses a beat. Fellowes has packed enough plots, sub-plots and side details into the movie to fill an entire season in its own right. A new standalone story kicks off in 1927, where word has just reached the Earl (Hugh Bonneville) and Countess (Elizabeth McGovern) of Grantham that Downton has been chosen to be the site of a royal visit. King George V and Queen Mary aren’t just swinging by for a leisurely tour of the estate and a quick bite to eat. They’re staying for a sleepover! Not surprisingly, the household — now under the administrative watch of Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) — reacts to the news with the expected levels of pride and panic. Silver must be polished. Furniture must be dusted. And just to make sure everything goes off without a hitch, Downton’s esteemed former head butler Carson (Jim Carter) has been hauled from his well-earned retirement. Remarkably, this is only the tip of a massive iceberg of plotting that must be melted down by the end of the movie. In terms of genuine drama summoned by the tale, the stakes remain quite low throughout. Aside from a swiftly averted assassination attempt upon the King, and the temporary arrest of a featured character for frequenting a gay speakeasy, any prolonged turmoil amidst the Crawley family is kept to a minimum. Of course, if there is to be any trouble afoot, you can bet your bottom dollar that the mischievously meddling Dowager Countess (a magnificent Maggie Smith) will have started it. Superbly filmed and shrewdly written, this welcome return to Downtown Abbey is as good a work of light entertainment as will be released this year.