Have you seen the two Downton Abbey movies and what did you think of them compared to the TV seasons?

[SnowedIn]

I thought they were excellent but not as good as the shows.

[WindAtMyBack]

I've watched both. Neither was all that good. The premise of the first movie was pretty ridiculous. Some parts of it were way too fake. There is NO WAY those people would have done some of the things they did and gotten away with it. I don't remember much about the second movie except it wasn't good. I suppose the fact that I remember almost nothing says something.

Both were just milking the series. If someone is a big fan of the series, the movies are worth watching. For anyone else the movies can't stand on their own.

I should mention that I don't have a TV and never even heard of the series until earlier this year. I watched the series and movies on DVD from the library in about a month's time. The only reason I know the show exists is because someone at an ESL site was asking about it. They couldn't understand some of the accents.

[SnowedIn]

Appreciate your thoughts! Thanks for sharing.

[WindAtMyBack]

Speaking of Snowed In...
I just got back from the library with a load of DVDs. We are expecting a big storm and I might get snowed in, so I stocked up. I'm working my way through Game of Thrones now. I just started the series a few days ago.

[SnowedIn]

Well done you! That's AWESOME! And, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to find someone else who goes to the library.

[WindAtMyBack]

The libraries around me are usually pretty busy. I went to two library branches tonight to get what I wanted. The parking lot at the second branch was packed and I barely found room to park.

I only go about once every 3-4 weeks. This past fall I was going twice a week because I used the meeting room to tutor English (ESL).

I notice a LOT of parents taking their kids to the library. The library also has a lot of programs aimed at kids. They have free tutoring for common school subject for high school kids. I don't see all that many teens there, but they have other things on their mind.

[SnowedIn]

That is so fantastic to see programs for kids and parents taking their kids to the library. I make sure mine go.

Does your library offer to reserve items so you know what you're getting in advance?

[WindAtMyBack]

Yes you can reserve any material, either from that library, or delivered from another branch (it takes 1-4 days to get it from another branch. They have shelves near the entrance where they place reserved material. It's in alphabetical order by your name and it's there waiting for you. You can check online ahead of time to know if it's ready.

[SnowedIn]

Such a great service!

[JPresidente]

I watched the series and loved it. It surprised me how much I liked it because I thought it would be a stuffy British series with too much talking but it was definitely entertaining. I saw the first movie and it was pretty good. I'm gonna try and watch the second movie soon.

[SnowedIn]

You will not be disappointed by the second movie!

[JPresidente]

Cool. 👍

[musicbrain5]

Yes. Of course I also watched the entire series as well, nothing tops that. The movies were basically just additional episodes that you could go see in the theatre, since many of the episodes were as long as a feature film!

The first film, I didn’t like so much as the second. It felt as though they were forcing a story. The second film was excellent. I like how it tied the whole series together and things were wrapped up nicely.

[SnowedIn]

So well said! I confess I liked the first movie better than the second solely due to the cinematography at times during the interior shots. But both are fantastic movies.

[AmyHew1tt]

I haven't watched the second movie. But I've watched the series more times than I can count. I love it, even if lots of the choices made irritated me/broke my heart. Definitely one of my favorite shows ever.

[SnowedIn]

Yes yes yes! Well said. When you get the chance, watch the second movie. It's pretty fabulous.

[QuietVerbena]

I agree with you. Do you think they’ll make a third one?

[SnowedIn]

GREAT question. Part of me says yes. Production companies love money and Julian Fellowes loves Downton Abbey and his characters. There's certainly more story there. BUT... there's also what Hugh Bonneville said and (I'm paraphrasing) that was that the story arcs have been wrapped up and this is a good place to end it. But, if the writing were good enough, the story could certainly continue.

[Anonymous]

Yes. The production value is better but its just a continuation of the TV show. Love it. I'm still mourning lady sybil and Mathew.

[SnowedIn]

Yes to all! Thanks for sharing!