Everyone I’ve met who has watched any of the Fifty Shades movies knows that they’re the kind of films unlikely to win, let alone be nominated for any seriously prestigious industry awards. There may be others out there who think otherwise; I just haven’t met them.

A friend warned me to steer clear of the Fifty Shades books because ‘they’re not well written.’ I’ve wisely heeded her advice. Yet, the reason I’ve gone ahead and watched the second movie, Fifty Shades Darker, even though there was very little in the first instalment that proved particularly memorable, is… my mild curiosity about Christian Grey. Particularly, how his ‘challenges’ will be explained. I’m a sucker for trying to understand people, you see.

In the movie, some light is shed on Christian’s past, though nothing especially memorable sticks out. We meet a few of the women that have been in Grey’s life before Anastasia Steele (Johnson). There’s more of all the stuff people couldn’t stop talking about in the first movie. A few other things happen. Things that you’d need to watch the movie to find out about  because I just remembered how nonsensical I found most of it. I even admit that I literally uttered the words, ‘What is this nonsense?’

This time, directed by James Foley, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan did the best they could with the material they had. I guess this period of their careers can be labelled as the ‘laughing all the way to the bank as people criticise their movie’ phase. At this point, I really have to wonder if the Fifty Shades films have become that thing I love to hate. Maybe.

Also, everyone knows that ‘haters’ are often fans, albeit confused or in denial. If I’m a fan, I’m mostly a fan of how the writer E.L. James has succeeded regardless of her apparently questionable writing ability. 

Fifty Shades Darker; watch it if you must. But only if you must.

Happy Film Loving,

G