By: Riley Head ~Staff Writer~

The second installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, Fifty Shades Darker, was released over the weekend to poor reviews. Fifty Shades Darker is based on the series of novels by E.L. James.

The film follows the love story of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. The first film introduced us to their passion and left fans on a cliffhanger. Excitement for its release has been steadily building with the release of several trailers that feature some of the movie’s steamier scenes.

This film has also been marketed as more of a thriller, with allusions to a stalker and even death threats.

The movie pulled in $46.8 million in its opening weekend, second only to The Lego Batman Movie. The second movie adaptation of the franchise saw lower opening weekend numbers than the first film, most likely due to the first movie’s release on Valentine’s Day. Fifty Shades Darker expected a large boost in numbers for the holiday.

The second film in the franchise was supervised much more heavily by James, the novel’s author, leading to a closer adaption from paper to screen. Fans can expect to see more of James’ influence in the second film in response to criticism over her lack of input in the first film.

Despite the increased involvement, some critics claim that scenes critical to the plot and character development between Christian and Ana in the book have still been left out of the movie.

Critics have also been slamming Jamie Dornan for his depiction of Christian Grey. While rumors of terrible chemistry with co-star Dakota Johnson have been dismissed, fans and critics alike have been disappointed again with Dornan’s subpar acting.

The actor was accused of being extremely robotic in the first movie, and similar criticism has started back up almost immediately following the release of the new installment.

Poor acting can cause awkwardness in any film, but in one filled with as many intimate and passionate moments as Fifty Shades Darker, any lack of enthusiasm will surely lead to some uncomfortable and even awkward laugh-filled moments for viewers.