Zac Efron Saves Netflix's New Ted Bundy Flick
While it certainly is not a deep movie with philosophical roots, there is more than enough entertainment to keep you interested.
Netflix has been capitalizing on one of the most wicked killers of our time, Ted Bundy. It began with the docuseries "Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes," and followed with a trailer for the new film, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," starring Zac Efron as the infamous killer.
Directed by Joe Berlinger, "Extremely" (what I will refer to the film for the rest of this article) is based around the life of Ted Bundy beginning with time surrounding when he was caught by police. It then addresses the psyche not only of Bundy himself but of all those he interacted with. Then, the film gives a dramatized inside look at the trial and everything that happened. I have had a relatively good experience with Netflix's original films, with movies such as "Roma," "The Dirt," and "Bird Box," and I also had a relatively good one with this film as well.
One of my favorite films of all time is a true crime film, David Fincher's "Zodiac." Not only did "Zodiac" explore the crimes of the killer that was never caught, but there was also an underlying message about obsession and putting too many eggs into one basket. While "Extremely" is certainly entertaining all the way through, there does not seem to be an underlying message that we can take away and learn from. Due to this, the deep, philosophical appeal of the film suffers.
In terms of other gripes I might have about the film, if you watched the docuseries released, you will understand that there are some discrepancies between the actual happenings of the case, and what is depicted in the film. I wish that these liberties would not have been taken due to the fact that it adds to the reality and education purposes of the film when every fact of the case is transferred onto the screen unaltered.
However, what saves the entire film is Zac Efron's performance. I would say Efron is present in about 90% of the film, and whenever he is on the screen, he just owns it. The ability to adapt to a character as Efron did is really unparalleled when compared to the portrayals of other infamous killers, including Jeremy Renner's performance as Jeffrey Dahmer. It is incredibly hard to describe Efron's performance other than just saying he is Ted Bundy for the entire film's runtime, and that alone is grounds for giving this a watch if you a fancy a good true crime film.
Simply due to the fact that this film is readily available on Netflix, I'd recommend giving it a watch. While it certainly is not a deep movie with philosophical roots, there is more than enough entertainment to keep you interested and immerse you into the psychologically disturbing universe of Ted Bundy. Give it a watch next time you fire up Netflix.
My 10 Favorite YouTubers
They can all teach you something
I've fallen down into the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Lately, I've been finding the videos on YouTube much more entertaining than anything on Netflix or Hulu. There are so many videos out there about literally everything. Some of my favorite videos are murder mysteries or unsolved crime videos. But I also love watching movie commentaries or anything funny. If you like YouTube as much as I do, I highly recommend checking out these YouTubers.
1. Hailey Reese
Hailey is such a light in this world. Even though she talks about paranormal things which can oftentimes be scary, she always brings light and love to the video. Her videos are so informational and spooky. They're so fun to watch and interesting to think about. She is one of the soul siblings, and you will understand what I mean by that if you watch her channel. Also, you get to be a Reese's Peaces, what a cool name!
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall does a lot of different kinds of videos, but some of my favorite ones that she does are the True Crime videos. Many of the stories are sad or disturbing, but she does a fantastic job of being respectful of the families who lost a loved one as well as the person who is deceased. These stories really bring into perspective how messed up people in this world can be, but at the same time the beauty of our humanity and that there are good people in the world.
3. Dylan Is In Trouble
Ah, Dyan. Where to begin. He does a lot of movie commentaries. He has done commentaries on everything from kids movies, rom-coms, horror, and thriller. He apparently went to film school and so he actually analyzes the movies in a critical way. He always points out plot holes and cliches and makes it so entertaining to watch. He also shows the movie as he's watching it, so it's like you get to watch it without actually spending the hour and a half watching it. He's so entertaining to watch and makes me laugh every time, even if it's a serious movie. One of my favorite things is that he calls his followers "troublemakers" and as someone who rarely ever gets into trouble, I like it.
4. Jon Solo
If you're someone who loves Disney movies and fairytales, this channel is for you. Jon goes into the origin stories of various Disney movies, heroes, villains, and other fairytale creatures. It's amazing the amount of research he does in order to find and explain the origins of some of our favorite characters.
5. tiffanyferg
I'm a bit new to her channel, but she covers a range of topics that I think are very important. She talks about beauty standards, the college scandal, minimalism, mental health, and college struggles. As someone who is finishing college and still learning about myself, I really appreciate her analysis of these topics and the advice that she gives.
6. Brandi TV
Brandi is too funny. While I don't condone doing drugs, she does really funny "makeup" tutorials. I feel like I always cry from laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when she does a makeup tutorial for Ursula from the Little Mermaid. So funny. She is such a sweetheart and a pure soul.
7. Loey Lane
Loey is another light in this world. She talks about paranormal things, reads scary viral stories, body positivity, and her own personal experiences. Her makeup is always on point and brings so much light to sometimes dark topics. She is one of the soul siblings too!
8. The Try Guys
Do I even have to give an explanation for these guys? They try everything, and it's hilarious to watch them. My favorite series of theirs is when Keith eats everything on the menu from different fast food places. And they don't waste the food so that's a plus!
9. Alex Myers
Alex is another great YouTuber who does movie and Tv show commentaries, but he animates himself and his dog into the videos. It's very interesting to see, especially because sometimes he will talk about his own personal experiences and its very relatable. Also, his dog is super cute!
10. AndrewTMI
Last but not least, we have Andrew. I love how totally open and honest he is. He is very relatable and honestly hilarious. He is dramatic and that just makes his channel so entertaining. He is the last member of the soul siblings. When Hailey, Loey, and Andrew are together some real spooky stuff happens and it's some of the most entertaining videos to watch.
If you haven't heard of any of these YouTubers, please check them out. They are so great at entertaining and presenting facts. Even though I haven't met any of them, they all seem like really great, genuine people.