I won’t lie, I was probably a little too excited to see Fifty Shades Darker this week. It wasn’t necessarily that I had the highest expectations, but a girl’s got to be a bit curious, you know? Though the movie was every bit waht I expected (lots of sex scenes, a fair amount of awkwardness, etc.), there are a few things that are bound to catch even the most dedicated 50 Shades fans off guard.
1. Really Bad Product Placement
As a marketing student, I’m a bit hyper aware of product placements in both film and television shows. I’m a firm believer that it is possible to highlight sponsors in a tasteful way, though this somehow rarely happens. 50 shades darker is no exception. Popular brands such as Apple, Ben & Jerrys, and AT&T were obviously keen to get in on the action of this much talked about film, which features awkward close ups of the brands’ products right from the beginning of the movie. Who would have thought?
2. Rapid Fire Plot Changes
I read the 50 shades trilogy in high school, so it’s not like I didn’t know what was going on while watching the movie. However, I was unprepared for the ups and downs of the plot, which seriously seemed to have about 5 different, absurdly short climaxes! Shit goes down FAST in this movie, which was a bit odd — especially since it didn’t feel this way when reading the book.
3. Random Cuteness
Despite the abundance of cliches and awkward moments that unsurprisingly tainted the new 50 shades movie, there were a few moments that had me saying “awww”. I definitely didn’t see that coming.
4. New Characters
If you’ve read the books, you already know that several new characters are introduced in 50 shades darker. However, it’s definitely different seeing them portrayed onscreen, and not every character quite lived up to my imagination.
5. Five-Second Fights
Like in any relationship, Christian and Ana experience several fights throughout the film. Though it’s no surprise when they kiss and make up, the directors certainly didn’t waste much time on these differences of heart. Every fight is rapidly remedied, which I suppose makes sense since it gives them more time to fit in sex scenes.