Beneath the gloss, it’s just a soap
What you get is a glossy film under new director, James Foley, full of beautiful people, beautiful clothes and beautiful places, but notmuch else.
Review
Fifty Shades Darker (R18) Directed by James Foley Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger 118 mins 1⁄
2 it. Aside from the sex scenes, of course, and there are plenty of those, from a bit of hanky panky in the shower to some fun in the good-old red room.
Yet for a supposedly ‘‘erotic’’ drama, there’s not much heat coming from these two. Dornan, though beautiful and extra buff this time around, is just plain bland. Johnson is the only saving grace, once again bringing plenty of spark to Ana, even though you want to smack her (no pun intended) every time she goes back to this bossy, S&M-obsessed moron.
So what you get is a glossy film under new director, James Foley, full of beautiful people, beautiful clothes and beautiful places, but not much else.
The dialogue is cheesy at best, and it often feels like a very expensive soap opera – with a bit of (but probably not enough) kinkiness thrown in. – Christina Kuntz