Fifty Shades 3-Movie Collection 4K Review (Universal)

Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2015 erotic thriller directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Back to Black, A Million Little Pieces, Nowhere Boy, Hunters, and Destricted). It was written by Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks, Venom franchise, The Changeling, and Terra Nova). It’s based on the book series and produced by author E.L. James. It was produced by Michael De Luca (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, The Social Network, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Fright Night, Detroit Rock City, Blade, Boogie Nights, and In the Mouth of Madness). The budget was $40,000,000 and it grossed $569,651,467 worldwide at the box office!!!! Anastasia Steele (played by: Dakota Johnson from Fifty Shades Darker, The Social Network, Materialists, Splitsville, and Madame Web) is an inexperienced college student tasked with interviewing enigmatic billionaire Christian Grey (played by: Jamie Dornan from Fifty Shades Freed, Belfast, The Fall, Synchronic, and Robin Hood). What starts as business quickly becomes an unconventional romance. Swept up in Christian’s glamorous lifestyle, Ana soon finds another side to him as she discovers his secrets and explores her own dark desires. What results is a thrilling, all-consuming romance as Christian and Ana test the limits they will go to for their relationship!!!! Fifty Shades Darker is a 2017 romantic thriller directed by James Foley (Fifty Shades Freed, Glengarry Glen Ross, Fear, House of Cards, The Corruptor, and Confidence). It was written by Niall Leonard (Fifty Shades Freed, Air Force One Is Down, Wild at Heart, and Wire in the Blood). It’s based on the book series and produced by author E.L. James. It was produced by Michael De Luca (Shōgun, American Rust, Ricky Stanicky, The Kitchen, Under the Silver Lake, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Dracula Untold). The budget was $55,000,000 and it grossed $381,545,846!!!! When a wounded Christian Grey (played by: Jamie Dornan from Anthropoid, A Haunting in Venice, A Private War, and Fifty Shades of Grey) tries to entice a cautious Anastasia Steele (played by: Dakota Johnson from Fifty Shades of Grey, How to Be Single, Our Friend, Bad Times at the El Royale, Suspiria, and Black Mass) back into his life, she demands a brand new arrangement before she will give him another real chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple which includes Jack Hyde (played by: Eric Johnson from The Knick, Vikings, American Gods, Orphan Black, and Smallville) and Elena Lincoln (played by: Kim Basinger from L.A. Confidential, Cool World, Batman, The Nice Guys, and 9 ½ Weeks) are determined to destroy the couple’s hopes for a future together!!!! Fifty Shades Freed is a 2018 mystery romance film directed by James Foley (At Close Range, Two Bits, The Chamber, Who’s That Girl, Reckless, and Fifty Shades Darker). It was written by Niall Leonard (Silent Witness, Fifty Shades Darker, Monarch of the Glen, and Hornblower: Loyalty). It’s based on the book series and produced by author E.L. James. It was produced by Michael De Luca (The Mask, Deep Cover, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Ghost Rider franchise, Blow, Dark City, American History X, and Magnolia). The budget was $55,000,000 and it grossed $371,985,018 worldwide at the box office!!!! Newlyweds Christian (played by: Jamie Dornan from Heart of Stone, Untogether, Racing Hearts, Marie Antoinette, and The Tourist) and Anastasia Grey (played by: Dakota Johnson from Need for Speed, The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Five-Year Engagement, 21 Jump Street, and A Bigger Splash) as they navigate married life manage to balance intense passion with dangers from their past. Ana starts asserting her independence against Christian’s controlling nature. Her former boss Jack Hyde (played by: Eric Johnson from Legends of the Fall, Rookie Blue, Flash Gordon: A Modern Space Opera, Texas Rangers, and Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed) seeks revenge that ends in a dangerous kidnapping. Will they be able to survive this unexpected chaos???? The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is an interesting franchise. Each film very different from each other so it definitely offers variety when it comes to this overall world. I’ve never read the popular book series from author E.L. James but I remember hearing about it long before these all become big box office movies. It was directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson for the original and James Foley for the 2 sequels. I wasn’t really familiar with Taylor but I was already a fan of Foley’s previous work such projects as Glengarry Glen Ross, Fear, At Close Range, The Corruptor, Confidence, and The Chamber. The original script is the best from all of them. It’s the most developed and it has more to offer. It takes the origin story and it makes their relationship very interesting from the beginning. It has a solid balance of sex and romance to it. I personally wasn’t a big fan of the direction for Darker. It just seemed out of place, it almost felt like filler material. Freed added a fresh breath of air to the series and I think it tied up everything in a thrilling way. Generally, I honestly wouldn’t really be interested in something like this but I love Dakota Johnson so that’s what sold it for me. She’s great as Anastasia Steele, she’s the reason to explore this erotic trilogy. She gives 3 very brave performances in these features. She starts off as a closed off and nerdy student. She soon changes as she experiments more with her new partner Christian. She becomes her own woman as she gets deeper in their relationship. She stands up for herself and she sets her own boundaries when it’s all said and done. She looks amazing in all of these, she’s not shy at all to show off her body either. I never heard of Jamie Dornan until Fifty Shades of Grey blew up with the original one. He’s a better actor that he gets credit for, this is a different type of role for him despite it being the main one that he’s known for. He has adds plenty charisma and mystery to his Christian Grey character. He has strict rules and he’s not willing to switch them up for anyone. He keeps to himself and his personal life is very private. He can’t control himself with Anastasia Steele. She’s nothing like anyone he’s ever met and it slowly turns his existence upside down. He ends up becoming a better person because of it. Their relationship is complicated and it tests both of their patience. During all 3 films, it fully develops into a strong bond that can’t be broken. Their chemistry is excellent so it really drives the entire trilogy. I’ll be honest, I really wasn’t a fan of Eric Johnson as Jack Hyde in Fifty Shades Darker. It just felt like a throwaway villain to me. He was much better in Fifty Shades Freed. He had more motivation at this point and it just worked. He turned it into a decent thriller with his crazy actions. Johnson is very talented, he’s done all kinds of television over the years. The supporting cast includes Kim Basinger, Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River), Jennifer Ehle (Zero Dark Thirty), Eloise Mumford (Chicago Fire), Rita Ora (Southpaw), Victor Rasuk (Godzilla), Luke Grimes (American Sniper), Max Martini (Pacific Rim), Callum Keith Rennie (Californication), Bella Heathcote (The Neon Demon), Bruce Altman (Running Scared), Andrew Airlie (Reaper), Robinne Lee (Hitch), Amy Price-Francis (The Purge: Anarchy), Fay Masterson (Eyes Wide Shut), Arielle Kebbel (The Grudge 2), Brant Daugherty (Pretty Little Liars), Ashleigh LaThrop (The Kominsky Method), Tyler Hoechlin (Superman and Lois), and Hiro Kanagawa (Orphan: First Kill). 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey is the clear winner out of the series. It’s the most entertaining, it has a nice build up, and it comes together more natural than the rest of them. Kim Basinger is the best thing when it comes to the disappointing Fifty Shades Darker. It really drags and it doesn’t have a good flow to it. The humor doesn’t work and the drama doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t have much of a plot for this sequel and it tries to recreate some of the sexier moments from the previous but that’s all it really has going for it. Fifty Shades Freed tries not to repeat itself like it did with Darker. It goes for more of a suspense and tense approach. The couple is growing and they are learning that they can make things better by giving new ways a chance. Jack Hyde decides to put their connection to the test with his dark vengeance. Freed probably is the most relatable one to the general public and not just exclusively for women. Foley is allowed to be himself behind the camera for this. I never thought Darker had his style or skills to it. It tried to be a reboot of the first with slight alterations that just didn’t fit. The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has a good mix of romance, drama, sex, thrills, humor, and relationships. I’d recommend watching the original and then going from there to see if the others are worth your time to be completely real. They are all currently streaming on Netflix if you are curious about them!!!! Let’s discuss these high definition presentations and list the special features from Universal Pictures! These 2160p (2.40:1) transfers with HDR10 looks amazing on home video in 4K. All of these steamy features have sharp cinematography, excellent production design, and beautiful locations when it comes to the visuals. One of the coolest things is each film has an additional extended unrated version included on here. Fifty Shades of Grey is about 3 minutes and 20 seconds longer for that version. Fifty Shades Darker is 14 minutes and 20 seconds more than the theatrical. Fifty Shades Freed is 5 minutes longer than it’s original cut. So there’s multiple options when it comes to this franchise. It’s loaded with so much different audio which includes English: DTS:X, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English: DTS Headphone:X, French: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Japanese: DTS 5.1, Portuguese: DTS 5.1, and Spanish: DTS-HD HR 7.1 on all of the UHDs for this collection. The audio really shines for it’s passionate and thrilling scenarios. Plus the scores from the legendary Danny Elfman (Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Men in Black, Beetlejuice, Darkman, Spider-Man, Nightbreed, Red Dragon, and Justice League) sounds top notch on these home video releases. All of the dialogue is crisp, the romance is elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. They all have English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. The original also includes Japanese and Portuguese. As far as the extras goes. The original has the under a minute “Tease of Fifty Shades Darker”. It has the 52 minute “The World of Fifty Shades Darker” which broken down into 16 different segments. It has the 20 minute “Behind the Shades”. It has the 6 minute “E.L. James and Fifty Shades”. It has the 9 minute “Fifty Shades: The Pleasure of Pain”. It has the 26 minute “Christian’s Apartment: 360 Degree Set Tour” that’s broken down into 9 different segments. It has the 6 minute Skylar Grey “I Know You” music video. It has the 5 minute The Weekend “I Earned It” music video. It has the 5 minute “The Pleasure of Pain”. Darker has the under a minute “A Tease to Fifty Shades Freed”. It has almost 2 minutes of “Deleted Scenes”. It has the little over 3 minute “Writing Darker”. It has the almost 5 minute “A Darker Direction”. It has the almost 8 minute “Dark Reunion”. It has the almost 9 minute “New Threats”. It has the little over 6 minute “The Masquerade”. It has the little over 7 minute “Intimate with Darker”. Freed has a little over a minute “Deleted Scene”. It has the almost 33 minute “The Final Climax”. It has the 6 minute “Christian and Ana by Jamie and Dakota”. It has the little over 4 minute Liam Payne and Rita Ora “For You” music video. It has the almost 4 minute Hailee Steinfeld X Bloodpop “Capital Letters” music video. It has the little over 3 minute Julia Michaels “Heaven” music video. Each entry has all kinds of bonus material. This collection is packed with a nice variety. It has a slipcover, 3 UHDs, 3 Blu Rays, and digital codes for each movie. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com!!!!