“Fifty Shades Freed” is the ultimate oxymoron.
Anastasia “Ana” Steele is anything but free. Entranced in all that is the “wonderful” Christian Grey, she is held within the tight constraints of his dominating persona.
Welcome to the much-anticipated conclusion to the Fifty Shades trilogy — thankfully.
The story begins with Ana, a young woman with an unexpected kinky side.
Ana falls for Grey, a well-known man who has truly made a name for himself in the business world.
To some, Grey might seem like the perfect man. He’s handsome, smart, rich and, most importantly, has great taste in cars.
With such luxury, Ana swoons, falling deeper in love with the disingenuous Grey.
“Fifty Shades Freed” is a bit different than the other films, but no better. It begins with a marriage between the two and a honeymoon in France that quickly comes to a halt when knowledge of danger to Grey’s business hits the yacht.
This danger is nothing new to the Fifty Shades series as thrill is probably the only thing keeping these movies above water.
With an awkward mix of try-hard thriller, bondage, romance and manipulation, the film is hardly an Academy Award winner.
Even though this film does in fact contain a bit more romance than the others, the overall tone remains the same.
Grey is not the man any woman should be searching for.
This film highlights the problems found in many unhealthy relationships and brings to light the deeper issues that stem from women’s rights and “girl power.”
Ana is the epitome of all that women are working against in today’s society. With the recent spike in feminism and feminist movements across the world, it seems that “Fifty Shades Freed” is nothing short of a flop — a movie that glamorizes emotionally abusive and controlling significant others.
However, that isn’t to say Ana is tortured. It is more so that she’s infatuated with Grey and so desperately under his spell, she is blinded by his controlling, manipulative characteristics.
It’s been a year since I saw the second film in the Fifty Shades trilogy. I wrote a review then and felt just as inclined to write one this year. I am back to say yes, the third movie really is just as bad as the other two.
With a 12 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I feel hardly inclined to give this movie any sort of positive rating.
In combination with sub-par acting and a meaningless plotline, I simply cannot understand the appeal.
However, the one aspect of the movie I can discuss on a more positive note is the soundtrack. From One Direction’s Liam Payne to recent BRIT Award-winning artist Dua Lipa, the soundtrack supplies a killer Spotify playlist.
But that is just about the only good that comes from this film.
Whether you are hoping for a film about romance or sex, I promise you will find a better one somewhere on Netflix or Hulu.
And, for those looking to watch the film solely for the less-than realistic BDSM scenes, I have some advice — just watch porn.
If you plan to watch the movie for any entertainment purposes whatsoever, don’t waste your time — stick to the cheesy romantic comedies of the early 2000s, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Savannah Cardon can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @savannahlcardon