This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DCU chapter.
The third instalment of the After series, based on the fabulous Harry Styles has finally been released on Amazon. Following the book turned movie franchise, After We Fell continues the story of lovers Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, #Hessa. Despite the constant poor review this series gets, here are some things to consider before turning into the third movie:
- There’s the direction (excuse the pun) but no plot. This movie starts right where its predecessor ended. None of the characters or previous storylines are reintroduced, so if you have forgotten what has already happened, don’t even bother at this point of the franchise. Without spoiling anything, Tessa and Hardin spend the entirety of the movie fighting and having sex, or fighting and then having sex. This movie follows a similar pattern and creates a cliffhanger at the end, setting you up perfectly for the next one.
- The red flags are everywhere. If you’re a fan of the series (dare to even call yourself an Afternator) you will be very familiar with Hessa’s toxic relationship. After We Fell focuses on the theme of trust, which both of these characters lack in each other. Hardin makes it look like he’s cheating on Tessa because he got annoyed that she had feelings for another guy while they were broken up (who remembers Trevor?). Then Tessa accepts a waiter’s phone number to get back at him. The cycle just continues.
- The sex scenes. It wouldn’t be an After movie without some steamy action from our main characters. There was a major emphasis placed on safe sex, almost feeling like I was watching an ad every time a shot of Hardin grabbing a condom was included. Personally, I felt like some of these scenes were even used as filler content to move the conflict along.
- The dialogue and cinematography are ok… I guess. Don’t be expecting groundbreaking transitions or heart wrenching lines. Although there has been an improvement from the previous movies After We Fell is still a fanfic at the end of the day. Actors, Josephine Langford (Tessa) and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (Hardin), really try their best with what they are given, but sometimes it just comes off as lacklustre.
At the end of the day, if you want a cheesy, Netflix inspired YA movie, go for it. We all love to indulge every once in a while. Otherwise, if the first two movies haven’t hooked you, I recommend skipping it. Go watch a Timothee Chalamet movie instead!