Rent Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

A terrible schlocky sequel which does nothing to build on the slim potential of the first film - Fifty Shades Darker review by TB

Whatever you could say about Fifty Shades of Gray, it was never dull. Despite a lot of terrible narrative choices, I enjoyed various parts of it. It had a strange humour to it & Dakota Johnson was actually the best part of it. And yet again in this film, she is also the best part. However, this film has lost pretty much all of the charm of the first film and not replaced it with anything.

According to multiple reports, this seems to be entirely the fault of E.L James. When she sold the rights, she also retained extensive & almost total creative control of the franchise, which I cannot blame her for in many ways. There have been so many thousands of films which have been adapted from books & totally bombed/destroyed so much of the source material, that you can understand why you would want to retain as much control as possible. But, the problem comes when you then go too far in the other direction. And this appears to have been what she has done.

In almost dictator style, after many heated arguments on the set of the 1st film, James fired most of the creative team & brought in her own scriptwriter who she could control, who also coincidentally happens to be her husband. The director has also been replaced and as much as James Foley has his own impressive filmography, you do get the impression that he is just a director for hire, who has agreed a massive payday in return for lending his credibility to this project. But the results of all this messing about are devastating for what was already a mediocre story.

The biggest issue with this series, as many others have pointed out, is that if you want to watch sleazy & transgressive sex, you can just stick on some porn. And Fifty Shades, despite all the build-up, is just not a sexy film. When the key selling point (the sex) is shot so badly & gives you absolutely no reaction or feeling, you know there are problems. And front & center of that, as with the first film, is the ATROCIOUS chemistry between the two leads.

There is literally nothing there. Jamie Dornan may act his heart out in terms of puppy-dog eyes & lowering his voice to a growl when trying to raise tension, but it's like watching a terrible school play. Dakota Johnson, who absolutely is the best thing about the series, doesn't fare much better. The two of them actively seem uncomfortable in each others presence, which is never a good thing, especially when the whole story is about how crazy you are for each other.

The bondage itself is also not at all transgressive, and more than that, is actually quite boring, almost laughable. Especially after the events at the end of the first film, you would expect the game to be upped, but it really isn't.

Ironically for me, my favourite bit of this film has nothing to do with the story or actions of the characters: about halfway through on the extended cut, there is a spectacular & stunningly shot scene with a yacht as it sails through the waters around an exotic location (I can't remember where.) This scene (around 4 minutes,) is absolutely stunningly shot. Beautiful camera angles, music, literally like the film takes a pitstop to give you a break from all the turgid rubbish. And that was for me the best bit.

When a sailing sequence with no debauchery is the best thing in a film about S&M sex, you know you're in problems. But there is also a strange fun to be had with it, which is in no way erotic. You may even laugh once or twice...