Fifty Shades Freed

Easily the best of the Fifty Shades movies, Fifty Shades Freed follows Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) as she and Christian Grey’s (Jamie Dornan) efforts at settling into married life are stymied by a variety of outside forces (including the return of Eric Johnson’s nefarious Jack Hyde). It’s clear immediately that Fifty Shades Freed benefits substantially from a newfound chemistry between Johnson and Dornan, and there’s little doubt that Dornan, especially, does a superb job of finally transforming Christian into a somewhat affable figure (ie gone is the controlling stiffness that defined the character in the first two movies). The relatively eventful narrative goes a long way towards perpetuating the watchable atmosphere, to be sure, and it’s apparent, as well, that the refreshingly brisk running time plays a significant role in cementing the film’s mild success (ie the movie lacks the padded-out, wheel-spinning vibe of its predecessors). Filmmaker James Foley, working from a script by Niall Leonard, delivers a blandly-attractive production that delivers everything one might’ve expected, admittedly, with the smattering of thriller-oriented elements compensating for a narrative that’s occasionally just a little too lackadaisical for its own good. The end result is a decent capper to a decidedly erratic trilogy, with the movie ultimately designed to appeal primarily to fans of E.L. James’ original novel (despite the head-scratching omission of several key events and occurrences).

*** out of ****