In "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale," the lasting charm of Julian Fellowes' series is succinctly summarized when one of its characters opines, "Sometimes I feel like the past is a more comfortable place than the future." It's a mission statement for the continuing popularity of the franchise — six seasons of TV and now a third, and presumably final, big-screen adventure — writ large.

This is a world where the furrowing of an eyebrow counts as an action sequence, and where a character says "not in a month of Sundays!" as an expression of disbelief. It's a simpler, more elegant time, an escape to another world, which is especially welcome in our current state of chaos.

The "Downton Abbey" TV series wrapped in 2015, and "The Grand Finale" follows 2019's eponymous movie and its 2022 follow-up, "Downton Abbey: A New Era." "The Grand Finale" goes out not with a bang, but also not with a whimper, but rather a polite wave goodbye, if this is indeed the end for the "Downton" gang.

It's 1930, and "The Grand Finale" opens with a world-rocking scandal when word of Lady Mary Crawley's (Michelle Dockery) divorce goes public. Oh, the horror! What will people say? That news is coupled with the family's onset of financial troubles, which threatens the future of their tenure at their beloved estate. Will they have to leave Downton? Not in a month of Sundays!

Elsewhere, Charles Carson (Jim Carter) is preparing to retire and hand over head butler duties to Andrew Parker (Michael Fox); a county fair is on the horizon and Isobel Grey (Penelope Wilton) is shaking things up on the board of directors; Alessandro Nivola's oily Gus Sambrook catches Mary's eye in a moment of vulnerability; Guy Dexter (Dominic West) is visiting Downton with his down-low boyfriend, former servant Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier); and Paul Giamatti is American businessman Harold Levinson, whose mishandling of funds has put Downton's future in jeopardy. This comedy of manners unfolds as a succession of muted fireworks.

The late Maggie Smith, to whom the movie is dedicated (she died in 2024), watches over everything from a portrait in the foyer, regal even in still life. "The Grand Finale" misses her sense of zip, but she's a symbol of the passing of time that "Downton Abbey" represents. The past is a comfortable place, but you can't stay there forever.

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'DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE'

Grade: B-

MPA rating: PG (for suggestive material, smoking and some thematic elements)

Running time: 2:03

How to watch: In theaters Sept. 12

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