With “Avengers: Endgame” continuing to break almost every box office record known to man and being shown on almost every screen theaters have, most studios wisely decided not to release many new titles against the box office juggernaut that is the last Avengers movie (with the original Avengers at least). So with that being said, there wasn’t many options in the theaters this week so my girlfriend and I decided to sit this week out and just watch something at home. Instead of hitting up my film library, we both remembered that Netflix just released the new movie about Ted Bundy starring Zac Efron. Everyone seems to be talking about this movie on social media so I will share my thoughts on “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”.
The film follows Ted Bundy as he is arrested and sent to trial for murder because he matched the description of a serial killer the police had been searching for. Most of the film is told through his time on trial and it only briefly reflects on his life outside of prison and court. For the moments depicted outside of court and prison, Ted Bundy’s relationship with Elizabeth Kendall is explored and shows Bundy as actually loving Liz. Rarely are any of the crimes depicted (except for one at the very end) and the film almost tries to present Ted Bundy from the view point a jury might have seen him through, where his guilt rests on the trial as opposed to the audience being shown he is the murderer.
The movie was directed by Joe Berlinger who is famous for his documentary films. In fact, the popular Ted Bundy documentary “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” was also directed by Berlinger and this films serves as a sort of companion piece. Much of what was discussed in the documentary was depicted in the movie.
The film was decent but wasn’t as captivating as I thought it would be. A movie focused on one of the most prolific serial killers of our time should depict more than court drama and family life in my opinion. I appreciated the approach but sometimes movies follow formulas for a reason and you have to do something captivating if you are going to change it up but making the film boring at times isn’t the best route.
For a Netflix movie, this was probably a cut above most (no pun intended), but it’s still a rather average film as a whole. I would say the one thing that actually elevates this film is it’s cast. Zac Efron actually delivers an uncharacteristic performance as the charming but off Ted Bundy. I am not a big Zac Efron fan but he actually delivered a killer performance (okay, pun intended there). The film has a pretty solid supporting cast with the biggest highlight being John Malkovich as the judge who ultimately delivers his execution sentence. The same praise can not be given to Lily Collins as Bundy’s girlfriend Liz. Collins just doesn’t seem to click in this film and her acting, while serviceable to the film, also doesn’t add much. Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” also shows up as the prosecutor in the state of Florida. I personally felt Parsons was a bit distracting in the role but my girlfriend felt he did a good job.
The film was based on the book “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy” written by Ted Bundy’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall which detailed Liz’s relationship with the serial killer. It is a classic case of the truth being stranger than fiction.
The film does have some charm apart from it’s cast. At times, the film does manage to derive some humor surrounding the gruesome situation. It also briefly manages to tackle the absurdity surrounding so many women being attracted to Ted Bundy even after finding out he was a murderer. The movie is also blessed with a fantastic soundtrack featuring many classic oldies.
“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” isn’t a perfect film and it is easy to see why it found a home on Netflix as opposed to the multiplex. The film is worth watching for Zac Efron’s performance alone. Sadly, there isn’t much else to set this film apart from other average movies.
Grade: C+
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