50 Shades of Grey is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. And with reason. The book raised hell in its cultural depiction of the BDSM lifestyle and scandalous and salacious sex between the quiet Anastasia Steele and the rich, sexy Christian Grey. In the movie adaptation, Jamie Dornan plays the elusive, mysterious Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson stars as the film’s main protagonist.
I managed to score some extremely valuable VIP passes to a screener so for Her Campus I’m sharing a review of the movie as a whole. In its entirety, the movie is three out of five stars on a good day. Subtract half a star for the painfully uncomfortable first hour of the movie, and you get a two and a half star movie, and here is why, excluding the controversial issue on whether or not this franchise accurately shows the BDSM lifestyle.
The film seems to move very quickly, and then very slowly which is a bit jolting. Next, there are a lot of clichés. For example, for most of the movie, everything on set is in scales of grey. There are some awkward exchanges between Christian and Anastasia that made the whole theater laugh, because they were uncomfortable. I am not quite sure if it was supposed to be this way, but there are many lines during the movie, or actions, were the gut reaction is to laugh from feeling uncomfortable (and not because of the kinky sex).
The cinematography and directing is on par. The picture is great, and has the feeling of something taking place in Seattle, Wa. The score is even better, with great music to offset some of the more uncomfortable scenes and some of the more interesting ones. The ending leaves the audience knowing that there will be a part two. I won’t spoil the ending, but most of the audience left in annoyance and/or anger.
So, what do I say about this movie? Well, for me, I’m glad I got free tickets, because I wouldn’t want to pay to see it. But, it was a funny two hours and although I was hiding behind my shirt for half of the movie, it was still a great way to spend a night with a friend. My say? It’s either a hit or a miss depending on your personality.