Zac Efron is so naturalistically seductive in his portrayal of Ted Bundy that it’s near-tragic that his performance is not featured in a better film.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile attempts to depict the infamous serial killer through the eyes of his longtime girlfriend, Liz Kendall (portrayed with empathy and commitment by Lily Collins).
Instead of offering an intimate portrait of the madman’s private life, however, the film makes the mistake of trying to depict an enormous amount of already well-documented detail about Bundy’s crimes in under two hours. Unfortunately, this leaves little room for developing Kendall’s character or her experiences with Bundy. It’s hard to feel anything for her as a result.
Simply reflecting facts about Bundy through Kendall’s eyes doesn’t give them any new insight. Focusing on the smaller, human moments of Bundy’s and Kendall’s relationship could have made for a far more revealing and involving film. Instead, its most interesting aspects are told in mere flashes, and its primary focus ultimately becomes something we’ve already seen and heard many times before.
GRADE: C
