Fifty Shades Freed

loved it im sad that its ended its a wonderful trilogy

Loved it! Just wish they had more of the Jack Hyde kidnapping scene instead of it being over and done with so quick with the money exchange.

The ending was cute too with the memories from previous movies...plus the children! Awww! Good ending to the movie triology.

Good ending for this underrated chick-flick erotic trilogy.

Given how hated and controversial this trilogy is, and for logical reasons, discussing seemingly the most problematic occurrence in this last installment is a good place to begin this review. The orgasm denial play/denial play scene and Christian doing those particular acts as "punishment" without prior discussion to learn if that's a hard no for her. That was a continuation of his control obsession and overwhelming urge of wanting to always have that control during sexual encounters, in addition to every interaction and scenario at his job and in his day-to-day life, coupled with a complete lack of understanding of the concept of boundaries.

In a sense, it was a continuation of the subplot with Leila in _Fifty Shades Darker_: Christian displays apparent signs of some character growth throughout the film, only for that subplot to come along, accompanied by our realization that he's still in dire need of growth and further maturing.

But self-discovery through being with Ana and having her guide him down a better path can help him become a better version of himself, a version he never knew he could be―coming to realize and see that there IS hope for him and that his way of living (the constant controlling, the obsessiveness, the possessiveness, the withholding of information, even in the context of looking out for her and trying to keep her safe, and the macho, "Show No Emotion, Besides Anger" facade he's had going on while bottling up his emotions and refusing to open up emotionally and such has been devouring him from the inside) has always been counterproductive and negatively affecting him.

He's already exhibited massive improvement compared to the first film; though, in terms of the existence of the orgasm denial scene, specifically it being in THIS one rather than one of the previous two, I think, despite it, he improved further and had a breakthrough by the end, achieving that better version of himself. That Christian was not the same Christian in the orgasm denial scene.

In a more lighthearted spirit, the music supervisor, Dana Sano, or James Foley, the director (whoever is most responsible for following Matthew McConaughey's advice to Leonardo DiCaprio in _The Wolf of Wall Street_ about pumping those numbers up; in this context, the specific number of songs used in a film) took the soundtrack of this trilogy's last installment to the next level―for a third time, brilliantly following up the top quality soundtracks gifted to us twice before. She outdid herself and her prior work one final time as far as these particular films are concerned. She wouldn't be satisfied with merely reaching the same benchmark she achieved with _Fifty Shades Darker_ or _Fifty Shades of Grey_, depending on whichever film YOU thought had the better soundtrack. She knew and DESIRED to surpass herself and the weak-minded concept of "limits," so she did.

But she didn't stop there. Not only did she increase the quality as a whole through each song she chose, she decided to throw in additional songs beyond the amount in the other films, which was around the same number in both―there had to have been multiple "extra" songs in this than the average we graciously and gladly accepted two times already; it sure as hell felt like it. And that (compiling a splendid soundtrack once, repeating history, then doing it AGAIN, only this time, it was irrefutably the winner out of all three) is an incredible accomplishment.

This work (of art) of hers to end off the _Fifty Shades_ trilogy with a bang was impeccably a banger―thrice is right, as they say. My ears are satisfied, and my brain agrees earnestly. Mostly every song, possibly every song, was a banger, especially “For You” by Rita Ora & Liam Payne―it sounded extravagant, and you could immediately tell it was the signature, standout song, further proven by being created for and existing because of this film. You can say the same about “Earned It” by The Weeknd for _Fifty Shades of Grey_, coupled with “Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding and “I Don't Wanna Live Forever” by ZAYN & Taylor Swift for _Fifty Shades Darker_―banger after banger. Anything less is unfindable here and within this overall trilogy.

During those few initial seconds of “For You,” while it was quietly and lightly playing in the background and slowly building up in volume as Christian and Ana were on the way to his private jet for their weekend vacation to Aspen (with it reaching its crescendo/normal volume when they were driving up the driveway of their vacation home), a thought that I now realize was the product of a memory mix-up crossed my mind.

"Oh, this is the second usage of it, which is interesting, but I like it; a great song is a great song."

I mistakenly thought it was in _Fifty Shades Darker_. But I quickly realized my ignorance. My prior familiarity with it is what my brain brought to the surface. I mixed it up; hearing it here, in its natural habitat/place of conception, was not its first journey into my ears. I forgot about coming across and listening to this song in September of 2023, way before I arrived at this final installment of these films in my journey of watching all three.

Interestingly, “Love Me Like You Do” was reused; my train of thought was not 100% unfounded. Reusing it was such a great decision. It elevated the ending so much and was a significant factor in making it super bittersweet.

On that note, let me smoothly transition into saying that the ending was bittersweet but presented positively. The montage of various scenes and particular moments Ana and Christian shared in the other films while she was reminiscing, remembering, and looking back on their history (how they met and everything that happened since that fateful moment) had a little cheesiness to it (montages usually are while also being effectively heartwarming and emotionally impactful), but still had those elements likely expected from any montage you come across: touching, sweet, and satisfying to see, not to mention the superb synergy produced between it and “Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding with a massive complementary result.

Many people will intensely disagree with my assessment because they bought into the lie (and happily hopped onto the bandwagon of hatred) that this overall trilogy and each film qualifies to be among the absolute worst, bottom-of-the-barrel products of the film industry to an astronomical degree. I don't doubt there are plenty out there that qualify, made with virtually nonexistent budgets, starring actors/actresses nobody would ever know. Nobody (IF anyone at ALL) knows about them―ACTUAL examples of what's at the bottom. There is no need to lie to other people or yourself, and lumping the _Fifty Shades_ trilogy together in that same box, most of all. Have some respect. The only valid thing said by these people is their inability to resonate with, engage with, and genuinely enjoy what they have watched. Nothing is wrong with that whatsoever; everyone has different tastes. But you should have enough self-respect and self-awareness to not fall for blatant bandwagons of blind hatred.

In particular, the last scene was even better than the ending. It served as a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. Simultaneously, you could say different conclusions also occurred.

Throughout the journey of Anastasia Steele, particularly relating to BDSM (her evolving views regarding it, gradual acceptance of it, and voluntarily incorporating associative acts), starting from a place of being a virgin to the point where she never even heard of butt plugs before upon discovering their existence during the BDSM contract reviewing scene with her and Christian in _Fifty Shades of Grey_, nor comprehended how they function despite the name's literality, potential comedic intent/effect aside―and generally being comprehensively inexperienced and unaware of mostly everything sex-related, she's been a follower, someone who always went along with it.

She did it because she saw how deeply it matters to Christian; she loves him. While a mild people-pleaser element may have been present and played an active role, it was 99% her love for him driving that decision every instance they had a BDSM session or applied components to their vanilla sex. Lurking and slithering around, however, was a complication: all of this was at the expense of her unbridled enthusiasm, engagement, and enjoyment. There was allure, intrigue, and even excitement to a degree, mainly due to the novelty in the beginning, and she continued feeding off those feelings beyond their point of novelty; however, she was never all in, never as invested and in as much of a happy place from her side of the D/s dynamic as him.

But now, Ana went out of her way to initiate a BDSM session by inviting him to their playroom. She has done so or half-initiated before, at least a couple of the tamer, non-playroom sex sessions. This time, and how she went about it, was different.

It was by "properly" presenting herself on her knees (though typing that out feels slightly strange despite an act like that being perfectly okay to do if all parties are consenting adults, as is BDSM overall; it must be due to me having zero experience with sex in general, let alone universal, prevalent life experiences, thanks to religious parents, being sheltered, being homeschooled, no childhood, no friends, having no life, and doing the same things every day to this day) rather than bashful directness or playful, on-the-nose flirtation. In the first film, Christian orders her to present herself on her knees, with her hands flat on her thighs, by the door whenever HE tells her to come into the playroom; she flipped the script on him here.

I see it as symbolism: her embracing that aspect of their relationship entirely, finding actual, genuine enjoyment in submitting herself to him, establishing a personal relationship/connection with submission/submissiveness. Her previous approach was enjoying the occasional restraining, and generally, him being in control―but through the lens of seeing those things as additional toppings to vanilla sex for spicing things up, not as its individual, comprehensive world, and even that partially felt because a decent amount of her sexual pleasure seems to come from seeing him be so into it and overtaken by his primal lust.

After half-embracing it up to this point, the final scene was the grand conclusion of her character arc relating to that and her journey to welcoming BDSM into her sex life.

Similarly, it served as a conclusion to Christian's trilogy-long character arc. His reaction to her "topping from the bottom" (something done by her from the beginning and has continued to do, much to his frustration) was one of acceptance for once. He has been at war with himself, his childhood, and, subconsciously, how Elena groomed him―in continual internal turmoil, leading him to lash out outwardly through exerting control over all aspects of his life, specifically possessive control over Ana and improper BDSM practices with her and his previous Submissives.

But now, he's at peace, with his immaturity slowly evolving into maturity; he's on track to obtaining a gradual grasp on emotional intelligence. Stability is on the horizon. Three films and stern, strong pushback from a place of affection directed at him full-force by Ana during the argument scene between them that boiled over because he went to Elena (whose claws have had unrelenting control and influence over him due to her grooming and, frankly, abuse since he was 15 years old; it made sense that he went to her, and not just because of the grooming) were the activation requirements. Ana's pregnancy, the prospect of becoming a father, and its later reality were the culminating factors to wake him up to the fullest extent from his lifelong slumber of being controlling, possessive, immature, and impulsive.

His last line had two details I liked and appreciated very much.

"You're topping from the bottom, Mrs. Grey. But I can live with that."

1.) She was still playing a submissive role, which was fine in and of itself, but what I latched onto the most was her spunky and playful attitude in that last scene. What if the roles were the opposite? Ana is the one in control, the Dom(me), not Christian, and how that difference could have made for an even better dynamic. I'm preaching to the choir here because 99% of people had that same revelation and threw it out there. It's a fascinating alternate universe to think about. Christian already told her in _Fifty Shades of Grey_ about feeling free when he gave up control regarding his (abusive) "relationship" with Elena; swapping the roles would've been aligned with the characters themselves, not for the audience's benefit alone and the widespread belief that doing so would make their dynamic more believable and hotter to watch.

2.) The concluding sentence of the line was perfect. I loved it. Not only was it a fantastic finishing touch to an incredibly exceptional last line to say, especially relating to being the last piece of dialogue of the trilogy itself, but it was also a callback to the scene in _Fifty Shades Darker_ where he drew a "map" on his chest with lipstick to show Ana the places on his body that he's comfortable being touched and what's off-limits, to which Ana's response was the same line.

Ana teasing Christian with the ice cream, a reverse of what he did to her earlier in the film with the bite of steak (but more importantly, a subtle shift/swap of the D/s dynamic between them), was one of if not THE best scene. It was so good, but it was over too quickly. Only getting a glimpse of her in control and him at her fingertips is criminal. Despite being a quick, almost throwaway moment, it was a pleasing and intriguing change of pace with so much potential. A proper exploration into the skillset and art form of domming, but from Ana's perspective, diving us right in alongside her, was right there for the taking―as she's learning the ropes (sometimes literally), so are we.

A good approach would've been working towards this from the beginning of the trilogy by giving us similar moments and glimpses into what will ultimately culminate in a climax in this film, wherein the sex/BDSM portion is focused entirely on Ana Domming Christian.

I can't be the only person who thinks that would've been peak cinema and an exceptional conclusion to that side of these films. And I have two other reasons to support my argument. Firstly, grooming aside, he was Elena's Submissive, meaning brilliant symbolism is there of him overcoming and conquering his unrecognized trauma from that through submitting himself to Ana, a new woman, and undoubtedly the only woman besides Elena to whom he's ever relinquished control. Secondly, this film's poster depicts him submissively against a wall with his arms up and her lifting his shirt. We were click-baited.

In terms of E.L. James' novels, there wasn't another novel after _Fifty Shades Freed_ to adapt and bring to the screen, and since the ice cream scene was all we got here, we can assume it was the only instance of their D/s dynamic switching for a short while in the novel unless that wasn't in it. Unfortunately, those two things explain why we didn't get more than that; otherwise, this adaptation and the others would have considerably deviated from the source material.

But I feel like swapping the dynamic they had in the novels, particularly from the get-go of this live-action trilogy, wouldn't have been a big deal. And that even sounds like a typical change you'd expect to see in live-action adaptations, not to mention there are some scenarios where deviating from the source material in some form is the way to go for the betterment of the film, whether it's adding something new, removing something, or changing/altering something; for example, putting two characters in a relationship because the actors had palpable chemistry. Adaptations don't HAVE to be (and shouldn't be) the same as the source material but in live-action, and diverging from it whenever it's beneficial for that different medium should be encouraged, as long as the general gist of the story is respected, given that so many more factors and variables are at play.

It was a missed opportunity, for sure, and not solely because I may or may not have a faint inkling of a kink (or maybe a full-on fetish) for dominant women and the idea/concept of being at the mercy of a woman and its various ways of implementation; something about the mere thought of those things is alluring, attractive, and fascinating. Most men probably feel the same way. The other reason is that, plot-wise, it's even more engaging and intriguing to watch than the "typical" relationship dynamic in romance and rom-com films (but with a BDSM twist), with the man steering the ship and being the pursuer, while the woman's role is to wait in anticipation for the man to sweep her off her feet.

I know the majority demographic for such films are likely women, and they prefer that, whether or not societal things/expectations and what's expected of you as women to want, desire, and pursue plays a role in that preference. There is no problem with that on my end. But the opposite side of things should be getting (hopefully, proper) representation as well. Especially in a BDSM context, either all-in, aka specifically BDSM, or BDSM-adjacent in terms of specific elements from that involved but without actual BDSM: the style of flirting or particular things implied, and so on.

It feels like there are barely any mainstream films and shows that depict the opposite side of things, specifically ones that revolve around BDSM. If anything, the little representation is likely more present in indie, under-the-radar/lesser-known films and shows than mainstream stuff. And most of those might even be in British and South Korean media, or others, leaving America in the dust. I'm 90% sure there are quite a few South Korean films and shows fitting that criteria; Netflix's BDSM-themed romcom, _Love and Leashes_, comes to mind. I'll have to check those out at some point; if anyone has any recommendations, please share them. South Korea seems to have a deeper grasp than the general apparatus of screenwriting in America on romance and making it feel meaningful and impactful.

Unlike any opinion ever formulated by most people after watching this, I will miss this universe and its characters―most of all, and expectedly, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. And, to a lesser extent, his family; all should have had a role less akin to background characters and more screen time. Their presence added substance and life to their scenes, especially their interactions with him. The total number should've been higher, making it possible for us to understand the family's dynamic further, particularly his side and perspective of it, individually and collectively. We didn't get enough insight into his childhood after Grace adopted him, either. From his upbringing to what his life generally entailed. Those (what I interpret as) important, substantial things were missing. Thankfully, their non-involvement wasn't 100% detrimental, but the lack of those things was noticeable.

_Fifty Shades Freed_ was the best film of the trilogy by far.

My mission to, at long last, complete this trilogy, starting with rewatching the other two and writing second reviews of those, has concluded. It began in July of last year and ended on January 12th. I decided to change my usual routine of watching a film or TV show episode on Mondays and Thursdays, rewatching it on Tuesdays and Wednesdays / Fridays and Saturdays, and finishing my reviews on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with Sunday being a break day. My reasoning was to allow what I watch to sink in longer before my additional viewings to ensure my reviews are as thorough and decent as possible.

But doing that allowed a little bit of subconscious procrastination to take over, given the enormous gap between when this mission of mine began and its completion roughly 6 months later. I'll try to master this new routine with everything I watch next moving forward.

[Additional but less substantive thoughts:

―Dakota Johnson's acting when Ana and Christian argued was excellent. No offense to Jamie Dornan, but she gave the best performance of the two throughout this trilogy.

―Taylor, despite having only a few lines and not much of a significant role throughout the trilogy, was a surprisingly compelling character to have in the background in many scenes, routinely exchanging a word or two with Christian and Ana. The actor, Max Martini, was 99% responsible for that. He has his unique brand of aura and palpable presence, and it bleeds through his performances. He is undoubtedly one of those actors who should be getting back-to-back work consistently, especially roles at the forefront, so he can have the opportunity to spread the word of those qualities he possesses to the world. I felt the same way seeing him in Netflix's _The Order_; he played Edward Coventry in the first season. I've wanted to rewatch that show for the last year or two, so perhaps seeing him as Taylor is a sign for me to do that as soon as possible.

―I also liked Sawyer, who gave "Taylor's second-in-command" vibes. He was only in this installment, while Taylor was in all three, but managed to make a good impression nonetheless. Brant Daugherty, interestingly enough, resembles Eric Johnson (Jack Hyde) a little bit. Something about him looked familiar to me. And, as it turns out, he was in _Pretty Little Liars_ as Noel Kahn. I've seen bits and pieces, probably over a decade ago, so that's why he looked vaguely familiar.

―Tyler Hoechlin's brief appearance was unexpected. I had no idea he was in this (albeit for a single scene), so that was a pleasant surprise.

―The costume design was fantastic, specifically the wedding dress the costume department chose for Dakota Johnson to wear and the backless dress Ana wore to the club in Aspen. Both were gorgeous, especially the former.]

I never watched on firestick.

..clicks play......ehhhhhhhhh....hmmmmm....stop... exit... Click Pornhub dot com ahhhhhhh better.
.squirt!!! The end

'Fifty Shades Freed' is the most boring of the trilogy, even if it probably is a tiny bit better than the original (no. 2 is minorly superior). I am embarrassed to admit that it gave me some goosebumps at the end, I'm such a simp for a montage, I'm afraid; Ellie Goulding's song helped, admittedly.

There isn't much to note about this, at least in terms of being unique from the two movies that proceeded - very much a copy-and-paste job. I still like Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, without whom I'd likely be rating this film down in the depths alongside the presumed majority.

I did wonder, before and after seeing the first flick, how they managed to stretch this out across three productions. Having now seen them all, I can see they just barely managed to do so. This third release is pretty pointless, they've could've fit all this into a small chunk at the end of #2.

Crazy how these films made a billion at the box office. Turns out sex does indeed sell.

My favourite scene was the one with the tablet news article in Mrs. Grey's office.

This is the first movie I've ever brought a notepad with me to the theater and actively wrote stuff down. That was interesting; I will say, it made the movie go by much faster because I was more involved. I think instead of writing a proper review, I'm just going to hilariously re-write what I crudely wrote on my pad of paper.

"I got more joy out of the Mary (and the witch's flower) preview before the movie. How many seconds have I wasted watching that M&M's fake movie trailer? The wedding in this is much shorter than the one in Twilight, thank God. This is great cinematography. Why is Anna surprised by Christian owning a jet? She flew in a drone and helicopter in the first movie. There's generic action stealth music in this hijacking scene. 'It's Boobs in Boobs-land' is an actual line in this movie. 'Don't pull, they'll bite' is an actual line in this movie. This is The Room levels of bad, getting into the sex scenes quick. Generic plot with generic Danny Elfman music. Christian Grey drove all the way down to Anna's work just because of her fucking e-mail. Why no text messaging? Sitting on a couch for a conversation, such great direction. There's no plot, there's little fantasy sequences with pop music. 'Oh look, a fancy car! Oh look, a fancy house!' Horrible Anna race driving scene, pointless SUV-following sequence, Christian Grey no-have security? Wouldn't the SUV-guy find them later? Grey is a billionaire, his presence is everywhere. Going to New York to escape anonymous driver? Why? Comes back, go to fancy house for little vacation, more pointless sex and bathing scene. Anna restrains the intruder with her play handcuffs, how funny. Christian's trip to New York added nothing to the plot. Sex scenes are not earned or built up, they just happen. Another random vacation montage with soundtrack music. I feel the characters are one-dimensional on purpose so you can insert yourself in them. Embarrassing scene Anna dropping ice cream on Grey's chest with more soundtrack music, totally ignores drama from last scene. The whole movie has fake pseudo-drama, but uses it as a vehicle to sell women's fantasy sequences as a product. Who fucking cares about Anna's friend trying out dresses or getting engaged? 'Uh-oh! Anna rolled her eyes, better punish her in another sex scene with more soundtrack.' Play sad soundtrack song over news of Anna pregnant, it's forced drama. I started ironically getting into it by the end, like, 'Yay, Christian wants to have the baby now!"

There's this really silly flashback montage at the very end of the movie, using clips from the last two movies, as if we went on a journey with them or some shit. I'll admit, I'm going to miss hating on this franchise, it was a fun short-lived ride, unless they dig it back up for a spin-off.

_R.I.P. The Fifty Shades Of Grey series_

Another piss-poor piece of filmmaking, Fifty Shades Freed is a meandering and insipid romantic(?) drama. Somewhere in here there’s a story, but it’s really hard to find; something about Ana’s former boss trying to get revenge of some kind. And the Christian/Ana relationship still feels abusive, with Christian controlling what Ana does and who she sees (relenting only occasionally). The actors don’t have any chemistry (even after three films), giving lackluster performances. And other than one car chase, none of the action scenes are very exciting or intense. Fifty Shades Freed plays more like an epilogue to the last film and fails to deliver a compelling story.