Welcome to A-Z Movie Reviews. Every Sunday, for the next several months, I will be posting a review of a film in my home movie collection. How it works is, I will be reviewing movies in alphabetical order until I get to the letter Z (Yes, I do have a film that ends in Z). Now I realize there are many ways to alphabetize a film collection, but this is mine so don’t judge me. This is simply for fun.
We have reached the final film in the Fifty Shades installment. For this A-Z Movie Review we are talking about Fifty Shades Freed.
What it’s about:
Believing they’ve left behind the shadowy figures from the past, billionaire Christian Grey and his new wife Anastasia fully embrace their inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as the Greys begin to step into their new roles, sinister events come to light and jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
It has been super nostalgic revisiting these films so let’s get into this one shall we?
The Wedding
The moment all fans had been waiting for and it did not disappoint. Anas dress was gorgeous and watching her and Christian exchange vows put the biggest smile on my face. It still does. There’s just something so romantic and beautiful about that scene. It’s bright, and floral, and makes me dream about my own wedding some day. Hey, I’m a girl, what can I say? My only complaint was we didn’t get the moment in the book when Christian removes Anas dress on the plane while they’re flying to Paris for their honeymoon. I loved it in the book so it was a moment I was looking forward to.
The Honeymoon
Christian and Anas honeymoon montage was full of so many amazing locations and it was beautifully shot. It’s one of my favorite scenes and I love that Hailee Steinfeld’s song “Capital Letters” is the one they used because it’s perfect. We saw Christian give Ana her charm bracelet which was so sweet and watching them frolic all over Paris made me wish I was there. The Jetski scene is also a favorite of mine because of the wide shot with the yacht in the background surrounded by the ocean.
Anas Wardrobe
Like I said, I’m a girl so of course I would be looking at all of Anas outfits and wishing I could add them to my wardrobe collection. I loved Anas style evolution throughout the films because it was a reflection of her maturity and her professional growth. She had so many looks that I loved in Fifty Shades Freed.
Jack Hyde
Yes, I know Jack Hyde is the biggest asshole on the planet but I’m mentioning him only because the actor who portrays him is so good at it. When I first saw Eric Johnson, I thought he was absolutely perfect to play Jack. In Fifty Shades Freed he definitely turned it up several notches and his scenes with Ana were rough to watch.
That Scene With Gia
Okay, so this scene with Ana and Gia Matteo (Arielle Kebbel) bothered some fans because of the way Ana spoke to her. Just to give you a little background, Gia is an interior designer who has worked with Christian alot. She was getting a little handsy with Christian and Ana didn’t like it. In the book, Ana thinks to herself about all the things she wants to say to her but she doesn’t. In the film, she does. People thought it was out of character for Ana but not to me.
In a book it’s very different so naturally, in the film we would have to be shown the annoyance that Ana felt and by her telling Gia what was on her mind, that was achieved. Ana is not a shrinking violet so she’s going to speak her mind.
The Haircut
I love this scene so much because it’s just so normal and sweet. Ana and Christian are newlyweds and watching her wash his hair is the closest thing to normalcy between these two. It’s definitely something Christian had never done and watching him be so playful with Ana is another one of those moments that just highlights the intimacy between them. So many people think a majority of us only love Fifty Shades because of the sex but that’s just not true. The basic moments of intimacy are the ones I really love.
Ana and Christian’s Fight
This fight OMG! After Ana finds out she’s pregnant and tells Christian, he storms off and goes to see his former mistress Elena Lincoln AKA Mrs. Robinson. When Christian comes home drunk and passes out, Ana sees a text from her and she is livid. She spends the night in the red room and the next day she lets Christian have it.
Dakota Johnson owned that scene and I was thoroughly impressed. When Ana told Christian “you need to grow the fuck up” oooh wee did that line stick! I remember every woman in the movie theatre cheering. It was a great scene and still a favorite.
Other Thoughts
- EL James’s cameo in Fifty Shades Freed was quick but it was perfect. Try to spot her.
- Tyler Hoechlin was a perfect Boyce Fox.
- Brant Daugherty as Ana’s security guard Sawyer. That is all.
- What kind of security guards have guns but nothing to restrain an intruder?
- I wish the scene with the little boy giving Christian the rock while he and Ana were on their honeymoon had been left in. It showcased his feelings about having children of his own.
- Liz was salty as fuck about Anas promotion.
- Jamie Dornan nailed that scene when Christian rushes home after Ana is almost kidnapped by Jack.
- Ana, if Christian calls you Anastasia before taking you to the red room, that’s probably not a good sign of things to come…
- I love the Aspen trip because it involves Christians siblings and Anas friends. It’s so much fun.
- The ice cream scene wasn’t as sexy as I thought it would be. I could have done without the closeup of Ana licking Christians hair near his pubic region.
- Also, sex on the kitchen table where everybody eats? I sure hope they cleaned it.
- As much as I loved the fight in the club scene, it wasn’t needed in the film so I understand why they cut it out.
- Ana’s red room flashback while she’s in her office was perfectly done and still super sexy.
- Ana, if you’re going to sleep in the red room, take the bed, not the couch, and bring a bigger blanket.
- Ana told Sawyer that she would be leaving for work in 20 minutes. It only took her 20 minutes to get showered, dressed, and to blow dry her hair? not to mention she was in the middle of fighting with Christian. Really? who guessed that time?
- On a sadder note, I can’t watch the honeymoon in Paris without thinking about the 2016 terror attack that took place in Nice, France because filming was still underway at that time.
Would you like to see this movie? Feel free to comment with us in the comments below!
Fifty Shades Freed is available to stream on Peacock.
