Extremely Wicked, Shockingly, Evil and Vile follows the crimes of of the infamous Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) from the perspective of his girlfriend (Lily Collins) who was in denial of his crimes for years.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly, Evil and Vile – which is by the way one of the most obnoxious and long-winded titles in movie history – is extremely disappointing.
Instead embracing an opportunity to share this true crime take from a fresh perspective, this rendition felt like an unsettling yet glossy documentary. Unsettling mostly because the story frames Bundy as someone we should sympathize with, which I’m assuming was director, Joe Berlinger’s intentions – to seduce viewers similarly to how Bundy seduced so many. But nothing new or visionary really came from this film.
What keeps you engaged is Zac Efron’s performance. He is captivating, capturing Bundy’s sociopathic charm, manipulative mannerisms and shrewdness. If it weren’t for Efron, I think this movie would have been a failure.
I’m sure there were good intentions, but this was just extremely disappointingly, shockingly dull and vile.
Final Thoughts: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly, Evil and Vile is a disappointing missed opportunity.
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