In Review: 50 Shades Darker

I just saw this movie a couple of days ago and I needed to write about it. I feel I’m going to explode! There is so much stuff to talk about I don’t even know where to start!

First of all my expectations were again really low as they were 2 years ago for 50 Shades of Grey. For a few moments I thought it would be more of the same: pretended sex, an exaggerated amount of sex scenes, bondage, lack of sexual tension between the actors, misunderstood storyline and overall a bad movie. This sounds strange but with all this in mind and a lot more, I was excited for the next one. Until I saw the trailer… I got disappointed right away. It was looking nothing like the first one, it was looking like they were actually creating a real story, a romantic story and the sex was less important – not what you expect when speaking about 50 shades. This kinda lets me down and made my expectation drop. Although I still wanted to go watch it in theatres before I miss that chance. I didn’t mind to pay to see something I wasn’t expecting much because we are talking about 50 shades and at least I have an opinion about it – also it would be great to make fun of the movie… which I did.

Almost two hours after entering the cinema I was shocked, speechless and amazed. I though the sex stuff couldn’t get any worst from the previous one… well… I was completely wrong! It’s one of the first sex scenes in the movie and his head is literally on her “private business”! Unless it was computer made – which I don’t think so – his face had a really tête à tête – as the french says – with “her”. I know that actually nothing happens but he had to have… how can I describe it… a front row seat for the show, and for him being married it shouldn’t be easy to do – also should be hard for Dakota as well, but she was looking like she was having the time of her life. Basically, they escalated the sexuality in this movie, it was starting to look like an erotic film – if they keep this rhythm I’m hoping the third movie will be a porno.

For a change this time the story matters and it gets quite interesting. We get to know the dominatrix, the woman who introduced Grey to the bondage thing and she stars one of the best things that happen in the movie right at the end – it’s like a little treat to be able to make it that far. We also get to know better the world around them. The first movie was all about Anastasia and Christian and a little bit of her roommate, that ends up dating Grey’s brother, and then we don’t have much more characters. Luckily, this time there was other people that helped tell the story and will matter for the next movie. They didn’t spend all the time in the playroom, or in the bedroom or whatever they wanted to have sex in.

Speaking of which, reminded me about how much she swears in the movie and a few of the times are unnecessary, I believe. It’s like losing her virginity had unlocked part of the vocabulary she never learned, as if she was in a game and levelling up unlocks new stuff. I know it unlocks some kinky part of each of us, that sounds ridiculous, but it will change with time. I mean the things she does and says don’t look as natural as when Grey say them – and I don’t think it is a bad thing – but it makes me cringe so much.

The whole movie was a roller coaster of emotions. It started off quite sad as 50 Shades of Grey ended then moves on for a happier period, then sad again, then happy again, then sad once again and a happy ending. Although there is one thing the director/writers/who-else-is-in-charge-of-producing-the-movie likes to do is to make sure that without the next one they have made one of the worst movies. Right now it shouldn’t be a problem unless they make the third movie into a porn and can’t be transmitted on theatres for rating issues. But the thing is, they had to leave the story hanged again. At least, this time I understood it and I know what can I expect for the next one.

On a down note, the dialogue was sometimes a bit predictable. Although they made one little thing super unpredictable that scared everyone that was in the room alongside with me. I’m not going to tell much because the fun is in the unknown and if you already saw the movie you probably know what I’m talking about.

If you don’t want any spoilers close your eyes because I need to point out this one.

When Grey has the accident with the helicopter it is so unplaced. It happens next to the end and we don’t know anything about him for one maybe two minutes of the movie and then he’s back home with just a little cut on his forehead and also ready to have sex – great touch by the way! – and soon they forget it. My theory is that the helicopter was sabotaged by the old Ana’s boss – what a plot twist… At least we know he will be the star in the next movie. The thing is if they just included that scene to show they are in danger and that Jack will do anything to break them apart – and if so why is he so obsessed with her? – it becomes just a way to develop the story and doesn’t add anything to the story. It would be a way to make the story go forward and that’s unfortunate. Or if he had nothing to do with the accident it’s even worst it was a scene done for nothing.

About scenes made for nothing, a few times they included things that didn’t give you much. Almost as if they didn’t have enough footage to do the movie. You know those tiny bits of information that you get in a book and sometimes they miss in the film? Well that happens because of the lack of time but with 50 Shades Darker it looked like they needed those moments to extend the movie, they didn’t give any important information or were related to anything else in the story. It was just… why?? It looked like those cut scenes you sometimes get to see on youtube and you think that was in the book and should have made her way to the film but well they for some reason had to cut it out.

To finalise, I got a little bit choked with some sex scenes because I started to see the actors instead of the characters. And let me tell you how strange/awful/uncomfortable it should have been to film. Imagine how many takes they had to do. Also, all the crew around them filming and making sure they were getting the shots right. Standing alone naked should be embarrassing enough, but have that kind of interactions you only should have with your pattern, the person you trust the most, I can’t even imagine. The relationship between Jamie Dornan (Mr Grey) and Dakota Johnson (Anastasia) should be so strange. I know they are acting and blah blah blah… but both of them can’t erase from their memory what they have seen of each other.

Overall, 50 Shades Darker was better than the first movie and with all the story development I can now say I want to actually read the books. I’m not in any rush for it but my goal is to do it before they release the third film – I have like one year?. I was already told I will get disappointed with the movies but I don’t give big importance to them, so if in the end, I will start to hate them, let it be.