EDITOR’S NOTE: vague spoiler alerts follow
“Fifty Shades Darker,” directed by James Foley and starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, is the second installment to E.L. James’ erotic trilogy that leaves little to the imagination.
Accompanied by the drawn out, graphic sex scenes, viewers engage in the secrets of Christian’s messy past and the progression of Anastasia and Christina’s newfound, no contract relationship. The movie certainly owns the R-rating.
The movie begins with Anastasia Steele starting her job at Seattle Independent Publishing, moving on from her relationship with billionaire Christian Grey. However, the separation does not last long as Christian seeks her out at an art gallery, begging her to give him another chance. Anastasia, who isn’t the strongest female character to grace film, agrees. Their passion reignites.
The sex scenes are awkward with no real chemistry between Dornan or Johnson. Between the S&M scenes, viewers get a peek into Christian’s past. His mother was a coke addict and he was in a sub/dom relationship with his mother’s best friend.
As the movie unravels, Anastasia deals with ghosts of Christian’s past – eventually being stalked by one of his ex-submissives. A proposal is awkwardly thrown in mid-nightmare. Christian is in a helicopter crash but has no signs of damage at all. Making that, ironically, one of the most unrealistic aspects of the film. Anastasia also deals with a boss who is intent on breaking them up.
As the film progresses, I find myself fighting to stay engaged in the movie. Anastasia resembles a naïve little girl, and Christian is a very unlikable character. Their relationship is boring, and frankly, a bit too overdramatic.
Besides the poor storyline, the scenery of Seattle was beautiful. Jamie Dornan is also not too bad to look at. Other than that, it was a mediocre film with very little substance. If you’re looking for a movie to go see with a group of friends, by all means, this is the movie to see.
The third installment is to be released February 2018.
