Here is two reviews from people who went to the LA premiere

Does the Fifty Shades Darker Movie Live Up to the Book?: A Fan Review from the World Premiere (SPOILERS)

Is Christian and Ana's Second Big-Screen Romp Worth the Wait?

Note: This post contains spoilers from the premiere of Fifty Shades Darker, the film adaptation of E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey sequel of the same name.When a popular book gets made into a movie, every reader wants to know what stayed and what didn’t make the cut. What characters don’t have their moment in the sun? What iconic scenes are brought to life and which ones lay on the cutting room floor? What locations are too complicated or expensive to film and which are absolutely vital to the success of the movie?

I was privileged to attend the Fifty Shades Darker Hollywood premiere as the plus one of my friend Lish Fish aka @50shadesgirlPDX. I will attempt to answer all the questions I posed above in this book to movie recap. If you’re curious about anything else, please ask me in the comments section.

Fifty Shades Darker has been described as a love story within a thriller and it lived up on both counts. Christian Grey wants Anastasia Steele back in his life and there’s nothing he won’t do, no changes he won’t make, to get her back. Difference number one: there’s no romantic sunset helicopter ride to Portland in Christian’s chopper so that Ana can get to José’s gallery opening: Ana never leaves Seattle. Christian shows up at the show and persuades a not-very-reluctant Ana to have dinner with him. This slight variation is a pattern that continues through Darker: although the details and scenes don’t always match up 100% with the book, the essence of Christian and Ana’s relationship moving forward is true to E.L. James’ vision. That is surely not at all surprising, since James’ husband, screenwriter and novelist Niall Leonard, wrote the script.

Under the deft, brisk direction of James Foley, Darker was far less angsty than Fifty Shades of Grey without losing any of its highly-anticipated heat. I lost track of how many times Christian Grey lost his shirt. The clean-cut, buttoned-down businessman morphs into an intense, gorgeous hunk who never loses his sexy scruff. Will Jamie Dornan do to razors what Clark Gable did to undershirts in It Happened One Night, Fifty Shades Darker indulges the female gaze innumerable times: Ana watching Christian exercise is worth the price of admission. The sexy pool game didn’t make it to the screen but I bet it will be an outtake on the DVD.

Ana and Christian spar and sizzle, while they contend with Leila, Christian’s sub turned stalker; Jack, Ana’s handsy boss at SIP; and Mrs. Robinson, Christian’s BDSM mentor Elena. None of those people, however, put a dent in their lovemaking. Their intimate encounters are often initiated by a sexually open and curious Ana. Silver balls, spreaders, cuffs, and blindfolds are some of the props and they serve to make Ana and Christian’s love-making sensuous, sultry, and satisfying. Christian’s need to control Ana is part of their past, not their present and future.

One vignette that really illustrated the difference between the book and the movie was how Ana and Christian handled Jack’s sketchy invitation to accompany him to New York City. Christian is super clear on how worried he is about Jack’s reputation—he offers to take Ana to New York himself. But unlike the book, Christian leaves the decision to Ana, who tells Jack she has a scheduling conflict. Jack isn’t happy when Ana declines to join him and he tells her so in some very salty language. There were more than a few F-bombs from the lead characters, in keeping with some of the issues they were dealing with.

Fifty Shades Darker, title notwithstanding, is so much warmer than Fifty Shades of Grey. Christian Grey is playful and relaxed, smiling and laughing, even while he and Ana work through the issues that bedeviled them in the past. Nelson Coates’s art direction is stunning—billionaire Christian Grey’s Escala apartment reflects the happiness of his new life. The Danish word hygge (pronounced hue-gah) comes to mind. Hygge is “a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, every day moments more meaningful, beautiful or special.” Even on a gorgeous sailing ship or whirling through a fabulously decorated masquerade ball, Christian and Ana are laser focused on each other and the blissful world they’re building together.

Last week I had the chance to see Fifty Shades Darker at the LA Premier and it was amazing! It was fun, sexy and followed the story beautifully.

Thanks to screenwriter Niall Leonard and Director James Foley, the film had a great flow. Yes, there was stuff cut from the book, but the movie kept true to the heart of the story and had all the integral parts of the story you’ll be looking for. The film addressed some issues in the first movie and these were all improvements for the series. Like many of the cast have said, the film does focus on Christian growing and letting go, and Ana taking control of her sex life. The come together so much more in this film, like they do in the book. Their chemistry is great, and they really balanced each other out as characters.

Jamie Dornan:

Whatever you thought of Jamie in Fifty Shades of Grey, he is amazing in Darker. He really embraced the character of Christian this time and I’m even more in love than I was before. He’s sexy, funny and vulnerable as Christian Grey.

Sex Scenes:

OMG, they were so sexy and erotic. I was shocked how far they were able to go and it was all good stuff. I can’t wait to see the stuff they had to cut from the film to keep the R-rating.

Suspense:

There was perfect integration of Leila. For those who don’t know the story, there’s just enough peaks of her to get you to wonder (at least I think so) who she is and what will happen. For those of us who know, she’s great. Then the integration of Mrs. Robinson and Jack is perfect. They are so much fun to hate.

There were a few moments that I thought went by quickly, but I feel that way during most movies, so I think that’s par for the course. They did hit all the important aspects of the scene, but I think I wanted more time to savor and absorb the scene. Anyway, it makes me more excited to see the film again and again. Also, the film is beautiful, from costumes to the sets. You’ll feel submerged into the film.

Oh, and you MUST stay until the end of the credits! MUST!

If you want a spoiler review, I’ll be posting a podcast that was recorded after we watched the film this week.