33
Metascore
39 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 58IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandWhipping up a proper tone for the big screen versions of E.L. James’ wildly popular novels was always going to be the films’ biggest problem, and while director James Foley might not quite nail it, wily injections of humor prove to be an unexpectedly helpful addition to the kinky franchise.
- 50Boston GlobeMeredith GoldsteinBoston GlobeMeredith GoldsteinEven with an improved Dornan, the movie still belongs to Johnson, a character actress capable of making light of a movie pretending to be darker.
- 50Chicago TribuneKatie WalshChicago TribuneKatie WalshThe last third of the film descends straight into a combination of "Dynasty" with shades of cult classic "The Room." It's fantastic because it's complete and utter silly madness. Helicopter crashes! Slaps! Drinks thrown in faces! Fully clothed shower sex! A framed "Chronicles of Riddick" poster! All the makings of an instant cult classic.
- 45TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeIt’s nice that the two photogenic leads are treating sex like a pleasurable activity rather than an onerous chore in this second entry, but overall, the film plays like an un-asked-for collaboration between the Hallmark and Playboy Channels.
- Darker is strangely plotless and devoid of any real tension.
- 40Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonSometimes sexy, sometimes campy, Fifty Shades Darker is a smorgasbord of silliness, its dopey pleasures indistinguishable from its many awkwardly melodramatic moments.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreA film which promises “darker” but delivers “funnier” — with some of the laughs intentional.
- 33The PlaylistWill AshtonThe PlaylistWill AshtonPulseless, perfunctory and persistently watering down its kookier instincts, Fifty Shades Darker pales in comparison to the first. You might as well call it Fifty Shades Duller.
- 30The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeLeonard and Foley offer enough semi-naked sex scenes here to prove that quantity is no substitute for chemistry.