Fifty Shades Darker Review: 2 Ups & 8 Downs

4. The Subplots Are Outrageously Bad

Fifty Shades Darker Bella Heathecote
Universal

This film makes you feel most of its 118 minutes because it is absolutely packed to the gills with superfluous subplots, none of which are actually entertaining, interesting or remotely fleshed-out.

There are flashes back to Christian's troubled childhood, the arrival of one of Christian's former submissives (Bella Heathcote) in hilariously creepy fashion, Ana's aforementioned inappropriate boss, a jarringly shoehorned sequence where Christian's chopper crashes and he goes missing for all of about two minutes (literally), and the appearance of Christian's weirdo first lover (Kim Basinger).

It's all an attempt to make the film feel more substantial than the rather meager offerings of the central relationship allow, but ultimately it just makes it feel bloated and comically portentous.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.