Sequel to “Grey” fails to impress
Ana Steele and Christian Grey are back and moodier than ever in James Foley’s “50 Shades Darker,” the film adaptation of E.L. James’ novel of the same name.
Immediately, it is easy to see how the whole “50 Shades” phenomenon began, notoriously, as “Twilight” fanfiction. The mood of the movie is eerily similar to that of the “Twilight” movies, and there are a few key plot points that were clearly adapted from that franchise.
Aside from the “vampy” feel, James does a fantastic job of creating her own story within her series, using “Twilight” merely as slight inspiration for her novels. Foley also handled the task of directing this film adaptation well by not straying too far from the book.
Yet, I wouldn’t call this movie a success.
“50 Shakes Darker” opens with heartbroken Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) sending his recent ex, Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), a ridiculously extravagant bouquet of flowers. After some coaxing, Ana agrees to give Christian a second chance, but this time as a ‘vanilla’ relationship.
Thus, our story begins.
The film has three major plotlines. The first involves Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger), best described as Christian’s very own “Mrs. Robinson.” The second concerns Ana’s perverted boss, Jason Hyde (Max Martini), and the last is that of Leila (Bella Heathcote), one of the girls from Christian’s past who has it out for Ana.
It is honestly just too much to handle. There are so many things going on at once that I got mental whiplash. The only thing saving my head from spinning was that I read the book back in high school, so I knew the general plot(s). Because of the million plot points that have to be squeezed into an hour and 58 minutes, everything feels forced and rushed, which unfortunately turned this “romantic thriller” into a comedy.
Every five minutes some new, overly dramatic event happened that put Ana and Christian’s relationship to the test and all I could think about was how over-the-top everything was. It was laughable, and judging by the giggles of the rest of the audience, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
My main concern with “50 Shades Darker,” and “50 Shades of Grey” as well, was the poor character development. Ana barely has a personality aside from the obvious fact that she is very shy and meek. Her other half, Christian, is the clichéd tall, dark, handsome, and damaged man who swoops in and rescues Ana from a life of mediocracy, and in turn, she saves him from his troubled past (Cue the inevitable eye roll).
Honestly, the only unique aspects about this franchise are its reputation and its ‘edginess.’ Otherwise, it’s just like every other overhyped romance film that has graced the big screen.
I don’t blame Foley for the overblown plot lines, as a director can only stray so far from the book before it turns into another “Percy Jackson” fiasco, where it doesn’t resemble the material at all. In fact, Foley did well in making the plot seem almost believable. I just wish he put in the same effort into making the characters seem more real.
That said, the movie is incredibly entertaining to watch, and if you can find someone who will laugh with you at how outrageous “50 Shades Darker” is, I guarantee you will enjoy yourself. It’s truly the definition of “so bad it’s good.”
