Ali Plumb reviews Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Zac Efron stars as America’s most notorious serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (so-called because of the speech given by the judge at his sentencing).

This film tells the story of how he committed horrific crimes from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily Collins) who for years refused to believe the truth about him.

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Pros:

• Simply put: Zac Efron. What makes this film so interesting is the casting of everyone’s High School Musical sweetheart as the attractive, winning and appallingly deceitful Ted Bundy, a man who used his good looks and charm to murder women across the US in the ‘70s. As a viewer, you know Ted Bundy is an extremely wicked human being, but with Zac Efron playing him, you start to understand why so many at the time refused to see what was right in front of them. When someone possesses this sort of innate charisma, there’s a “halo effect” that makes him look spotless despite what’s apparently obvious. Efron can do his regular Bad Neighbours, Dirty Grandpa, Baywatch roles in his sleep now, but this is a very interesting acting challenge and one that Efron is more than capable of accomplishing. Fingers crossed more roles like theis are on the way for him.
• The actual Ted Bundy story is a truly amazing one. For whatever reason, the key moments have faded from the public consciousness. The film serves as a fascinating reminder of what he did, and what he very nearly got away with. To give specific examples would "spoil" the story for newcomers, but just as an idea of what to expect, you’ll learn that back in Bundy’s time, the US States’ police departments weren’t that well connected, so by simply going to a different part of the country, Bundy managed to deftly evade detectives. Looking back now, it’s truly unbelievable, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
• The filmmakers made a purposeful decision not to show Efron’s Bundy committing violent acts. This film is from Kloepfer’s perspective, and as such it wants you to understand how his long-term partner, like so much of the rest of the country, could have been so utterly duped. In this way, the movie doesn’t feel gratuitous or gory.

Cons:

• While a lot of the Bundy scenes are interestingly handled, Lily Collins’ Elizabeth Kloepfer isn’t so lucky. The film just can’t get a proper handle on her, and her sequences are often on-the-nose, unimaginative and poor. You feel at times as if the movie has been seduced by Efron’s Bundy, leaving its second lead very much on the sidelines.
• There’s a key problem at this film’s heart: it doesn’t want to sensationalise or glamorise Ted Bundy… and yet it does. Casting Zac Efron will do that. We might need more hints at his potential villainy, instead of the documentary-like sheen director Joe Berlinger gives the whole affair. It’s too clean, too pretty, too polished.
• If you know the Ted Bundy story already, there isn’t much new insight here. It’s not a Wikipedia page come to life, but it lacks that dirt under its fingernails you want to really justify a watch for a true crime fan.

Three word review: Efron does well.