“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” Movie Review

I can’t watch another serial killer being romanticized.

That’s what I was thinking as I prepared myself to press play on director Joe Berlinger’s film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. An adaptation of a true story, the film portrays famous serial killer Ted Bundy, (played by the dangerously handsome Zac Effron) through a different set of eyes than many documentaries, movies, and even articles have. While the gruesome nature of the serial killer’s crimes are often taken advantage of by filmmakers as a way to hold an audience’s fancy, Berlinger focuses on who Bundy was as a person, particularly in his long term relationship with girlfriend Liz Kendall (Lily Collins). The story is told partially through Kendall’s perspective, with scenes flashing back to memories of her, her daughter Emily, and Ted as a happy family. As the allegations against Bundy start racking up, Liz is thrown into a turmoil of guilt, horror, fear, and confusion as she tries to reconcile the killer with the man she loved, and probably still does. In taking this approach, the makers of the movie tell an interesting story, yet also manage to explain a new, possibly more important part of Bundy’s story: why so many girls walked him to his car, accepted a ride home — came to him willingly. Effron’s mimicry of Bundy’s personality makes it much easier to understand why so many girls at first thought he was safe. The only problem with that is, you almost forget that he’s a killer at all. Though I appreciated the deliberate lack of gore and sensationalization, the accounts of Bundy’s crimes are kept to the courtrooms of his trials; and in these, he serves as his own lawyer, strutting around the room with confidence, intelligence, charm, wit, and the overall demeanor of an innocent man. The only times when he is shown to get angry are times that might me anger too. If the police seemed to be disregarding the concept of innocent until proven guilty, wouldn’t most people shout a bit? Rather than simply demonstrating how Bundy was able to deceive so many around him, the makers of this movie just bring the man that so many papers idolized into the present. This could have had a shocking effect if we were drawn in and then exposed to his monstrous side; we might marvel at how he tricked us, too. However, the movie falls short of ending on that note. Not to mention, the memories with Liz were all shown in happy, montage style shots. The two side of Bundy seem completely irreconcilable. Sweet family man and horrific killer. You subconsciously begin to think that no man with such horrifying tendencies could ever lead a completely normal life — and he didn’t. His treatment of Liz’z daughter, Emily, bordered on sexual abuse at times. But the directors don’t include that, which makes it nearly impossible for the audience to see those so-important glimpses of Bundy’s uncontainable dark side. Because of this, the second half of the movie falls fairly flat, as you begin to wonder “what’s the point?” While the content is parts of a story, it’s pieced together more like a documentary, and the combination is far from riveting. Why on earth, then, would I give it four stars? Because the characters are worth watching. Collins’ poignant portrayal of Liz’s struggle might be hard to outdo, but the man playing her new boyfriend, Haley Joel Osment, develops himself so well as a three dimensional character that it’s almost unbelievable he’s in such a typically trope role. Meanwhile, Ted’s later wife (whom he marries while in prison) Carole Ann Boone (Kaya Scodelario), is a perfect foil for Liz, giving backbone to an already powerful performance. Lastly, actor John Malcovitch, playing the judge at Bundy’s trial, serves as the most vital device for what recognition of Bundy’s inhumanity that there is. His measured yet profound responses to Bundy’s behavior and crimes do an excellent job of invoking a contagious tone of shock. The movie as a whole is anything but predictable, and though it’s more riveting through information than story, it’s worth watching.