Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile Review

In the Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, the film decides to focus more on Bundy's charisma than his violent crimes. People who share a room with the handsome and cold killer are left mesmerized by him, courtrooms fill with swooning groupies, his long-time girlfriend struggles to find the killer beneath the caring lover and father that she knows while media outlets are left seduced by his actions and blandishments. However, the emotion and intrigue that director Joe Berlinger puts into Ted Bundy’s aura is never truly relatable for an audience that already knows what he did. Resulting in a film that fails to become as captivating as the man that it’s about.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is not the first Ted Bundy related project that Joe Berlinger has helmed. His documentary, Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, takes an in depth look into the story of Bundy and his crimes. Yet Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile never decides to challenge or give insights on anything new, and more so presents Bundy as he would have wanted to be seen. Although moments of the fictional retelling perfectly emulate the actual dialogue, outfits and locations, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is never completely engaging, with many of its scenes falling flat in comparison to the chilling real footage.

Based off of Liz Klopfer’s memoir The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy and named after the remarks made by Judge Edward Cowart, the man who sentenced Bundy to death, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile chronicles the events of Ted Bundy through the perspective of his girlfriend Liz Kendall. When Ted is arrested, Liz refuses to believe that he’s guilty of the crimes. However, it doesn’t take long for the constant denial to take a toll on Liz, and as more evidence, accusations and bodies arise, she slowly must come to terms with the truth about the man she loves.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile’s biggest issue comes from its ambiguous narrative. Liz Kendall is poised to be the main character before being reduced to merely a spectator in the courtroom drama that the film quickly turns into, giving her an arc that feels weak and unrewarding. The film also suffers from how it perceives Bundy, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is constantly hesitant to show Bundy’s violent acts, never doing enough to make him feel as twisted as the films title suggests. This constant indecisiveness results in a lack of meaning and an ending that feels shallow and forced in.

What does stand out in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is its leading man. Zac Efron as Ted Bundy is captivating, his striking looks and wit give a believable life to the character, and his performance carries Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile for much of its 108-minute runtime. Moody lighting from cinematographer Brandon Trost as well as a memorable performance from a sombre John Malkovich are also worth mentioning.

However, the films strong acting cannot save Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile from a lack of purpose and direction. There are aspects of the film that are entertaining, but rarely do they ever culminate together to make an impactful narrative.

Zac Efron’s performance as Ted Bundy helps distract from the disjointed narrative of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile

Produced By: Netflix
Runtime: 108 minutes
Rating: R