Film review: Fifty Shades Darker better than the first

Every fairy tale has a dark side. What more could we want then?

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the handsome, tormented, young entrepreneur Mr. Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) has broken off their relationship to start a new career as an assistant to Mr. Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson) with a Seattle Independent Publishing House (SIP), but desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist.

They rekindle their searing, sexual affair and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven, and demanding Fifty Shades. While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her and make the most important decision of her life.

Whether you read the whole trilogy or not, Anastasia and Christian’s relationships enfolds as Christian tries to change in order to regain what he lost. Anastasia is more confident and in charge of what gets to happen between the two. A relationship is starting to evolve even when Christian’s dark and troubling past starts to make Anastasia question where she lies in this relationship.
Throughout the film, there are multiple sex scenes, but you could actually feel the emotion and intensity between the two characters instead of feeling uncomfortable with how the sex scenes went in the first movie. Anastasia takes control by telling Christian to take things slow and easy. Although that quickly fades, Anastasia is still in control with what she’s comfortable with and what she’s willing to try and do with Christian.

There are scenes filled with suspense such as when Leila (Bella Heathcote), one of Christian’s ex-submissives, follows Anastasia until she holds Anastasia at gunpoint, another scene where Christian is in a helicopter crash, and the scene we meet Elena Lincoln (played by Kim Basinger), who is Mrs. Robinson (a.k.a the woman who took Christian in and taught him all of her tricks), which gets pretty intense between her and Anastasia because of how Elena downgrades Anastasia telling her that she can’t change Christian and that she’s not good for him.

To me, the second film built into that love story that we were trying to find in the first movie. There is a balance between Christian and Anastasia in what they want from each other. You feel that chemistry more in this film than in the first one. Plus, you get to see a little bit more of the side characters from the first movie in this one.

If I were you, I’d ignore the negative reviews and go see this one. This sequel was definitely better than the first one. I saw it twice and enjoyed it both times and I’m not talking about the sex scenes. Plus, it was well shot, well edited, has a great cinematography and a very good soundtrack with artists such as Zayn and Taylor Swift, Halsey, Tove Lo, Nick Jonas and Nicki Minaj, Sia, Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend, The-Dream, etc.

So, whether you have a Valentine’s Day date or not, have a girl’s night out or simply see it with good friends, slip into something a shade darker, and experience a dark side to this fairy tale.