The film franchise, if you can call it that, leaves you with a rather underwhelming climax. ‘Don’t Miss The Climax’ the posters states, more like ‘Don’t Waste Your Money’ and wait for it to be released on Sky.

By Lydia O’Dowd

The last and final film of the adaption of the best-selling E.L. James trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed directed by James Foley, does not quite end with the spark filmgoers on Valentine’s Day were likely hoping for. It is an eccentric and tense tale of martial solidarity, conflict and compromise which is set upon effortless wealth and the difficulties it poses.

Unfortunately, I feel by round three there’s not enough left to discover about Anastasia and Christian to create an entire film based on their relationship. The brutality of Christian’s past and optimism of her future teamed with their combined issues have been rather adequately explored in the first two films. We are left mostly revising past tensions and focusing on the new baby saga issue; it is a little lack lustre.

The last film Fifty Shades Darker ended with Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and his partner Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), on the verge of getting married. Freed begins with the couple’s exquisite wedding which is followed by a lavish honeymoon to Paris and Cote d’Azur. All of these scenes are presented as a gooey romantic montage of clips.

The plot revolves around Anastasia’s former boss Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson), the eerie character from Fifty Shades Darker. Hyde is set on shattering Anastasia’s life after she got him fired for acting inappropriately towards her. There is a low-stakes heist storyline and Rita Ora (Mia Grey, Christian’s sister) makes a return appearance when she is kidnapped. It is a relatively slow and tedious revenge plot which feels rather nonsensical. It has its moments of excitement but feels slightly forced.

Christian’s controlling nature, disputes over having children and a few more revelations about Christian’s past are the other story drivers.

It feels fairly repetitive and tiresome compared to the past two films; the only pleasure the film offers is lifestyle porn. Product placements of Audi speedsters, extravagant holidays and private jets. It leaves you to wonder from early on in Fifty Shades Freed if there was actually a third film in it.

In fairness, one of the more interesting and only noteworthy annotations of the film is the subtle yet noticeable changes that occur in the couple’s relationship. They are significant parts of the film which represent the couples journey. However, the changes are not overstated anymore than other chapters of the film.

Yes, the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise is more explicit than most romantic films, however, the sex scenes in Freed, signify how people change and become very familiar in marriage. They were integral scenes which set the terms and nature of the relationship under scrutiny and express the couples shift.

Their chamber-like sex toy filled Red Room of Pain, which was the main eye-opening notion of the first two films, merely became a facility to occasionally solve monotonous squabbles.

There is a strong level of sexual charge that holds the couple and marriage together but there are some implications of it just becoming a ‘thing’ they do, which could be a connotation of the transition into married life like it is for many couples when the honeymoon period dwindles.

Finally, the film closes with a French kissing scene and a reminiscent montage of memorable moments throughout the three films. Worth noting it was mainly scenes from the first two films.

All in all, the film was very predictable. I would not advise spending your money on seeing it in the cinema unless there is nothing else that takes your fancy. If you want to watch an easy-going film with a somewhat amusing storyline that is not hard to follow, I would give this one a go. I’m glad I saw it but its definitely one to watch after a hangover in bed the next day and for free.