Review | Film review: Fifty Shades Darker – second adaptation of E.L. James’ erotic novels as dull and cold as the first one
Constrained by Hollywood mores and almost endearingly frigid, this is a film for teenagers, bulging as it is with chart-friendly hits from the likes of Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik
1.5/5 stars
Picking up immediately after the events of Fifty Shades of Grey , the 2015 adaptation of E.L. James’ best-selling erotic novel, Fifty Shades Darker finds damaged twentysomething billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) desperate to win back unassuming publishing assistant Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson).
Despite a change in director (James Foley in for Sam Taylor-Johnson) and scriptwriter (James’ husband Niall Leonard), Fifty Shades Darker fails to ignite a spark between its leads, nor shake off the tepid, unadventurous tone of its predecessor.
Not for lack of trying. Anastasia’s new boss, Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson), is a renowned womaniser who makes his predatory intentions immediately clear. Christian reluctantly agrees to a “vanilla” relationship with Anastasia, this time unbridled by the rules or punishments of their previous dominant/submissive coupling.
But before long, Christian’s controlling, possessive behaviour is making things weird again, while ghosts from his past – namely a psychotic former “sub” (Bella Heathcote) and Kim Basinger’s veteran seductress – further complicate his reconciliation with Anastasia.