I’ve come to the conclusion that the Fifty Shades franchise is a case of it is what it is. The films likely please the fans of E.L. James books and that appears to be the only intention. These aren’t films that are made to convert newbies. The people behind it likely know that they have a limited audience in mind and despite lackluster reviews for the first film, it did make north of $500 million worldwide when it was released two years ago. There is an audience for this but with Fifty Shades Darker, I’m officially convinced I’m not a part of that. This is a very bad film and despite a beautiful aesthetic and attractive leads, the film is lifeless and dull. It’s interesting that, much like the first film, for all the kink it’s trying to sell it is profoundly boring. Sure, there is some steam at play here but the end result isn’t all that interesting. Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey sure are pretty but not much else.
Much like the first film, there isn’t much of a plot. After breaking up at the end of Fifty Shades of Grey, the couple must be reunited. Despite Ana’s determination that a relationship with Christian is bad for her health, it takes all of a 15-minute dinner conversation before they’re locking lips again. Then, despite declaring the need to “take it slow”, they’re having sex before the movie is 20 minutes old. After that, Fifty Shades Darker is essentially a chronicle of the ups-and-downs of their relationship until the inevitable marriage proposal. Along the way, we get subplots involving the appropriately named Mr. Hyde (Eric Johnson), who’s Ana’s boss at an indie publishing firm; Christian’s ex, Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger); and a girl who appears to have wandered in from a totally different movie.
Despite its title, the film is a bit lighter than the first one in terms of sex. The BDSM elements have been toned down and the sex here is never rough and only occasionally a little kinky. There are ben-wah balls, blindfolds, and little light spanking but nothing outrageous or outside the scope of couples interested in adding a little spice to their sex lives.
The film’s erotic content, oddly enough, is better than in the first film. The characters have marginally stronger chemistry and the movie is more interested in showing off their bodies. The “bedroom” scenes (which only occasionally occur in the bedroom) are the only times, in fact, when the movie becomes engaging. They aren’t groundbreaking by any means but since the hype surrounding the sexual activity from the first book to film adaptation is gone, the sequel doesn’t have to live up to much of anything to turn up the heat just a little bit.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the film is that there is potential here. The character dynamics could be made into a good film but it’s hampered by subpar writing. The character dynamic between Ana and Christian has changed. She’s still as unformed as in Fifty Shades Grey but he has been softened up a bit after losing her by the end of the first film. The dom/sub dynamic is glossed over or explained away because Christian has turned over a new leaf. His tendencies aren’t the result of his true self but were cultivated by Elena and are related to childhood events. On paper, an exploration into his psyche could be interesting but the film is pretty inadequate in terms of confronting it in a compelling way. Director James Foley and writer Niall Leonard (who happens to be the husband of E.L. James) are more interested in shallow endeavors which is why the film tends to look great more than feel great.
In my #TBT review of the first film, I said that Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan were likely the victims of poor direction and writing when it came down to their performances. I’m actually going to give them a bit more kudos this time around because they actually get through all of this with a straight face. Some of the dialogue these two have to utter is completely ridiculous but they manage to handle most of it like true pros. I mean hearing Ana refer to oral sex as “kinky fuckery” as if it’s not a part of basic intimacy actually made me laugh but Johnson has to say it without losing it like she’s starting a blooper reel. Dornan has his share of bad lines too, especially his response to Ana not knowing he had a place in Aspen. “I have a lot of places” is so openly smug that I can’t believe it was written as actual dialogue but again, he gets through it like a champ. Instead of giving them Razzie’s perhaps we could at least toss them some MTV Movie Awards.
The new supporting players don’t add much new to the table. I assume Kim Basinger is here collecting a paycheck as Elena. She does remember she has an Oscar, right? I guess everybody has to eat but she deserves better. I did get some enjoyment from the all too obvious twirling his mustache evil portrayal by Eric Johnson in the role of Mr. Hyde but some of that enjoyment (and laughs) were probably not intended.
Despite my feelings about the film after it was over, I still found it a shade better than the first film. They’re both pretty bad but the actors seem more comfortable this time around (something that was a big issue during the first outing) and I’ve just come to accept these films aren’t intended to break the cinematic mold. I’ll also give it points for being 10 minutes shorter than the first film so they clearly knew I personally couldn’t stomach it being much longer. I’ll say for fans of this kind of stuff it probably really works (the screening I was at was full of groups of women who totally ate this up) but for me, I remain confused by the popularity. Maybe Fifty Shades Freed, set for release this time next year, will be the film to turn it all around for me. Maybe? Probably not.
Reel Talk gives Fifty Shades Darker 1.5 Reels
