Fifty Shades Darker

fter the young student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson, “Chloe Saves the World”) broke up with her wicked billionaire lover Christian Gray (Jamie Dornan, “The Fall”) in the first part of the film trilogy, she starts her life anew. She got a job as an assistant in a publishing house and has a good relationship with the boss. Of course, Gray doesn’t give up that easily. After dinner together, Anastasia is back on the hook of the smart businessman. But this time it should be a normal “flower sex” relationship, without rigid rules and punishments like last time. While Anastasia doubts whether that will be enough for her Christian, he is more concerned with himself than ever. At night, he is tormented by nightmares from his traumatic childhood.

Meanwhile, Anastasia gets involved in all kinds of sexy practical jokes that she would otherwise strictly reject. The sex toys subtly placed in her lap give her pleasure again after a while, so that nothing seems to stand in the way of a happy S/M relationship between the two. But it’s not just Gray’s shadow of the past that bothers them, real competition too. Who is the downtrodden Leila who keeps stalking Anastasia? And how will mature seductress Elena (Kim Basinger), who taught Gray his sexual skills, deal with the young relationship?

Fifty Shades Darker is, like its predecessor, cleanly implemented. But that alone is not enough if the story, which is likely to be repeated in any case, only repeats itself in terms of content and the characters are on the spot in terms of their development. The presentation of the couple’s special preferences is a bit more explicit here, but their joint charisma hasn’t gotten any better. So you still have the impression that both main actors would rather be somewhere else. The fact that their dialogues remain below the level of a soap opera, even at best, contributes to the rest. If you were interested in the characters, you would almost be ashamed of the content.

It’s all just appearances: Only die-hard fans of the first film get their money’s worth with Fifty Shades Darker. The great-equipped erotic novel adaptation is as tame and banal as the previous part. There is just as little trace of Fifty Shades Darker as of real erotic sex scenes.

• Fifty Shades Darker