Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile has great potential: a true crime story that continues to fascinate millions, the charming and convincing Zac Efron, and a stellar performance from Lily Collins. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite deliver.

Zac Efron as Ted is outstanding. He conveys Bundy’s brazen cockiness and humorous charm totally naturally, and even the most minuscule mannerisms demonstrate his attention to detail. Lily Collins, too, excels in her performance.

Extremely Wicked glosses over the fact that Bundy admitted to killing thirty women, and is thought to have an even higher tally. If you missed a couple of sentences near the end, you’d be forgiven for thinking that he was convicted of a kidnapping charge and double murder. Its narrative failings are somewhat saved by Efron, whose performance is frankly unmissable. The lack of exploration into the crimes themselves is not necessarily a bad thing, it spares gratuitous violence and allows us to focus on the manipulative character of Bundy and his effect on those around him. However, for the story to be successful in leaving a lasting impact without delving too deeply into the murders, it demands more personal exploration.

The film is based on Bundy’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer’s book, explaining the lack of gory details. Yet this perspective is totally lost. The narrative seems to come from neither victim nor murderer, it’s merely a sanitised retelling of his court cases. There is little insight into the crumbling of their relationship through prison walls, Elizabeth’s journey in finding new love, or her processing the devastation caused by the man she thought she knew and loved.

For a film that had the chance to tap into one of the world’s most manipulative minds and the story of utter confusion and betrayal that came with dating Bundy, it captures neither emotion nor fact. It’s hard for any story involving Ted Bundy to fail to shock, but ironically Extremely Wicked does just that.

Director: Joe Berlinger
Writers: Elizabeth Kendall (based on the book “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy” by), Michael Werwie
Stars: Lily Collins, Zac Efron, Angela Sarafyan
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