What can I say except “it was unimpressive”.

I know it is not meant to be an award winning movie, rather entertainment with a profit-making purpose (as with any movie made).

It stayed with the central theme of the book, the romance and complex relationship between an apparent young entrepreneur with a dark side and an innocent naïve young woman seeking to maintain her independence.

 

What struck me about this sequel “Fifty Shades Darker” is the moderation of the dominating character of Christian Grey. He has lost his edge and the ‘darkness’ that consumed him. There went the ‘bad boy’. Darker? I think not. Perhaps the film-maker had heeded the outcry that followed the first movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” – that it promoted the physical domination and subjugation of a woman for a man’s pleasure, that it was alright for Ana to be abused – and thus toned it down.

So now we have the tortured soul that is Christian Grey, a man wanting to please, to change in order keep his love; a proud man who would fall on his knees begging for her to stay. As Christian said, he is not a dom, rather a sadist taking pleasure in the pain of others, a trait he would willingly forgo for Ana. And he did. Ah, okay. Love is powerful, it conquers all. Fairytale? You bet, and not a convincing one.

It was more explicit than the first movie in its sexual portrayals though I dare say, not erotic. Somehow the sexual tension is lost, the chemistry between Christian and Ana is lacking. Vanilla.

This movie tries to please, but I am uncertain which audience. It turned out to be neither romance nor erotic and least of all, suspense. Yes, it was painful and not in that way 😉

What is intended to be intense erotic content felt voyeuristic and icky. Here is IMDB’s list of best sensually romantic erotic movies – call it research if you must.

By the way, I did enjoy an evening of movie and drinks with “the girls”, having a laugh. Thank goodness for great company, which more than made up for the lacklustre movie.

And now a haiku, for RonovanWrites’ Haiku Challenge 135 which can serve as an ode to Christian 🙂

 

~ FlorenceT

 

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