Fifty Shades Darker, which premiered on February 10, 2017, is the second film in the trilogy and has also been directed by James Foley, loosely copying E.L. James’ book of the same name. This version focuses more on the continuation of the relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey and how events such as Christian’s harrowing past and betrayal unfolds in their tumultuous romance. Like its predecessor, Fifty Shades Darker explores the themes of love, intimacy, and redemption, but with a greater focus on the SX rating it gets.
Plot
The film continues from where Fifty Shades of Grey left off. After ending her relationship with Christian due to him being too heavy-handed with her, Ana starts her career as an editor in a reputable publishing house. But after some time, Christian comes back to her after having seen how successful she became. He offers her a deal, explaining how he loved her and wanted her back but on the conditions that it would only be when she wanted to have him.
A re-woke romance shows Christian’s troubling history springing up once again, Anastasia becomes acquainted with Leila Williams (Bella Heathcote), a woman obsessed with Christian. christian also has a cousin who was rather obsessed as well and played the role of quite the submissive to him, but healing through these relationships are unbeknown to her. To add to this complication, Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger), one of the people who embodies fifty shades of grey, happened also to be his Cousin’s Mentor and later on became another source of chaos in his life.
The relationship this time for Christian Logan and Anastasia Steele seems rather difficult as he has a lot so called ‘drama’ regarding his emotional factors of life. The delivery of the film is cut by a high tense proposal along with the final chapters setting up the tone to grandeur at a masquerade ball.
Cast & Crew
- Management: James Foley
- Screenplayers: Niall Leonard
- CEO: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, E.L. James, Marcus Viscidi
- Based on: Fifty shades Darker by E.L. James
Starring:
- Dakota Johnson in the Role of Anastasia Steele
- Jamie Dornan in the Role of Christian Grey
- Kim Basinger in the Role of Elena Lincoln
- Bella Heathcote in the Role of Leila Williams
- Eric Johnson in the Role of Jack Hyde
- Marcia Gay Harden in the Role of Grace Grey
- Rita Ora in the Role of Mia Grey
- Luke Grimes in the Role of Elliot grey
Production and release
The Fifty shades Darker shooting was a highly anticipated one owing to the success of the Fifty shades series. Following the first movie’s director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s exit, James Foley took the reins, shifting the tone of events to a more haunted and thrilling angle.
February of 2016 saw filming take place in Vancouver and Paris. Exquisite set pieces were included in the filming, one such being the Masquerade ball that stood out visually. The once in a seven woman team included Sia, Zain Malik and Taylor Swift and thus collaborated to help heighten some of the movie’s emotional moments.
The movie was strategically positioned on Valentine’s Day eve, which guaranteed a higher chance of success with a wider array of audience, which did happen. James picked up $381 million which was quite an impressive figure for a début movie.
Critical Reception
Fifty Shades Darker received a range of reviews with critics issuing mixed to negative feedback, however fans of the novels were inclined in a distinctly opposite direction. When analyzed via rotten tomatoes, the film appears to be critically panned holding a mere 11% approval alongside a substantial audience score, implying a more divided feeling towards the film overall.
Critics noted that the narrative felt quite disjointed and the romance which was at the heart of the story was overshadowed by the splices of suspense and intrigues. However, Dakota Johnson’s performance was quite the opposite, her portrayal of Anastasia was marked as emotive and tender. In the same vein, Jamie Dornan performance of Christian Grey received accolades for being a considerable upgrade compared to the first film’s portrayal while seamlessly evolving the relationship with the other lead.
Themes and Analysis
At its core, Fifty Shades Darker revolves around trust, love, and a hint of redemption. The character of Christian Grey, focuses on breaking trauma of his upon learning to aimlessly love without losing control while in stark contrast Anastasia portrays how to be resilient and unapologetic to the degree of wanting emotional honesty and respect in a relationship.
In the same breath, the film delves into the darker side of such power plays. Leila Williams embodies the damage Christian has endured in real life, serving as a warning of what unhealed trauma can produce. Likewise, Elena Lincoln is an example of a harmful powerful figure as an example of someone who should not have influence without wisdom.
The masquerade masquerade ball scene works as a metaphor of the duality’s both Christian and Anastasia wear in their relations: Christian’s mask of control and Anastasia’s mask of doubt. This is an aspect of the story relations between Christian and Anastasia. These meanings have not only sexual bondage but also as a personal barrier which Christian uses to avoid any emotional closeness.
Box Office Performance
Fifty Shades Darker had mixed reviews from critics, the movie was able to reap in $114 million from the domestic market and $267 million from the international market. The success of the film financially showed that the Fifty Shades brand was still enticing to its audience.
Soundtrack and Cultural Impact
Fifty Shades Darker also saw the instalment of a highly successful single alongside its song track, ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ sung by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift. The track contributed immensely in ensuring that the film has a romantic and suspenseful tone, further enhancing its overall impact.
Fifty Shades Darker also stired a heated debate among critics and advocates around the portrayal of BDSM relationships within the film and the ethics surrounding the movies portrayal within the film industry as a whole.
Conclusion
Despite the poor reception FFiity Shades Darker still won beacause it deepend the emotional aspect between the two leads, Anastasia and Christian, the relationship that fans were craving for. The film makes a great use of romance, suspense and honestly in combining all the aspects Fifty Shades Darker has helped in perfecting the saga of love, trust and self-discovery.
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