Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,468
Written 3/4/18
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Buy it... if you reliably appreciate cheap electronic action and
suspense no matter how mundane or underdeveloped, because the vaguely
melodic character portions of this score leave practically no
impression.
Avoid it... if you had high hopes that Danny Elfman would resurrect
his stylishly engaging musical personality of Fifty Shades of
Grey that was diminished in Fifty Shades Darker, as each
entry's music has yielded less stimulation than the one before.
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| Elfman |
Fifty Shades Freed: (Danny Elfman) It doesn't seem
to matter how soundly critics thrash the tawdry movies inspired by the
already questionable E.L. James "Fifty Shades" novels; audiences
continue to forgive the absolute idiocy of the plots and, for the third
and supposedly final installment, Fifty Shades Freed in 2018,
they afforded the franchise hundreds of millions of dollars in
additional profits. The story of this entry attempts to satisfy
everything the predominantly female audience fantasizes about:
commitment, marriage, children, and naughty sexual deviancy sprinkled in
between. Not only does Fifty Shades Freed continue exploring the
kinkiness of bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, and
sadomasochism, but it furthers the previous story's push into mediocre
action as well. The two leading newlyweds, Ana and Christian, return to
the gloominess of Seattle to face old foes, thwarting kidnappings and
extortion in between scenes of unrepentant physical pleasures not
sanctioned by most churches. If not for the nudity and BDSM, this kind
of schlock would be best suited for the realm of television. At least
the accelerated production of this movie, shot back-to-back with the
prior year's Fifty Shades Darker, theoretically concludes the
suffering for everyone not enamored with the cheap narrative excuse to
push the psychology of sex. Composer Danny Elfman continues his work for
the franchise and remains one of the more notably accomplished artists
involved. Certainly, the veteran composer must realize the hideousness
of these productions, and one can hope that he remains attached to them
as mere means to solidify protests against him from the evil forces of
organized religion in America. These projects have always been
collaborations between Elfman and David Buckley, some of the concept's
more memorable music actually the work of the ghostwriter. Their music
transitioned from enticingly erotic in Fifty Shades of Grey to
indecisively mundane in Fifty Shades Darker, the stylish appeal
of the first score's personality largely lost as the plotlines delved
into action-oriented intrigue rather than the intimate discoveries of
the characters' competing interpersonal goals. By the time of Fifty
Shades Freed, the kink factor has largely gone flaccid, and Elfman
is left supplying ambient music to conversational and suspense scenes
while continuing to dodge extensive song placements.
Those who appreciate Elfman's music for these films
will be looking for two features of
Fifty Shades Freed: continued
rhythmically potent eroticism and the development of the concept's
themes towards some natural conclusion. Listeners, unfortunately,
encounter neither here. Nor can they expect to hear truly competent
action material for the final third of the movie, for the ensemble of
performers is largely the same as in the previous two scores. This means
a constricted soundscape of strings and woodwinds built for intimacy,
not hostage-taking and gunfire. The suspense and action sequences in
Fifty Shades Freed are really poorly handled, the generic
electronic and chopping string passages in "Ransom" and "Rescue"
resembling the cheapest of James Newton Howard mannerisms for the
espionage genre. The latter cue actually sounds like a poor man's
imitation of "Chase Across DC" from Howard's
Salt, lacking any of
the percussive or string intensity of the source of inspiration. The
portions of the score dealing with jealousy and possible manipulation
are met with nondescript thumping of electric bass and meandering piano
lines that occasionally perform one of the score's two lingering main
themes. The identities for Ana and Christian are present and referenced
quite frequently in the non-action cues, but their performances often
serve in a secondary position to other lines, and their solo renditions
are tepid and lacking the catharsis of development one would expect for
any couple experiencing such taxing events in their luxurious lives. The
lack of sultry style is particularly disappointing, absolutely nothing
in this score conjuring an atmosphere of convincing sexual tension. The
only exception may be "Blueprints," a playfully snazzy little rhythmic
cue with cute female vocal effects suggesting another possible love
interest for Christian. Those seeking fuller expressions of the two main
themes will have hopes raised with their reprises in "Freed," but the
remainder of the score only offers fragments of the ideas, typically on
piano. The half-heartedness of the thematic expression reflects the
minimalistic approach familiar to the composer's writing for
Tulip
Fever at about the same time; the music is non-offensive but
inconsequential on album, leaving you searching for passion that is
simply absent from the work. It is disappointing to declare that
Elfman's "Fifty Shades" scores have become less interesting with each
sordid encounter, but it's safe to continue recommending
Fifty Shades
of Grey as the only score album of the series worth exploring. That
and the nipple clamps and butt plugs, of course.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.12
(in 95 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.26
(in 154,830 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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