Review of Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) by Jake R — 18 Jul 2015

There's only so long one can shy away from discovering what all the hype is about, and I must say, I can only assume the book must have been some read to generate this much talk, as the film is relatively average.

Not having the patience or desire to get my head stuck into the book, I opted for the visual presentation, which could surely create a more gripping engagement with its audience through all the seduction, eroticism and sexual tension that was portrayed.

The relationship between the two lead roles was this movies greatest asset, the inquisitiveness and innocence of one, against the dominance and bluntness of another. Watching her sweet mind pick holes in this mans seemingly impenetrable need for control was intriguing, resulting in him slowly questioning his desires in the bedroom.

Could she shape him into the man she wants, or would he get his way as always - that was the question which I was tuning in to find out. The graphic nudity was not as arousing as the book may have portrayed, perhaps leaving some disappointed.

It was also very repetitive. The first encounter involved some sensual stripping of one another, but so did the second, and third, and fourth scenes. There was the odd moment of wham bam Thank you mam Inbetween, but it was certainly the verbal interaction that took the forefront over the physical side.

The conclusive scenes of ultimate punishment were somewhat anticlimactic after she received a couple of strikes with the belt but I like to think that that was just the lead up into the second film, rather than the poor ending of the first.

Yes I'm glad I've seen it, if purely for the fact that I can now join in every conversation women are having in the workplace or outside it. Most appear to have similar opinions to I by way of this being a minor let down, but in fairness, there's not much more this showing could have done without turning it into tasteless pornography.

It was well acted, well built up, and the dialogue between the leads gave this a great deal of credibility. There was clearly barriers to how far this film could actually go and it has possibly suffered from the over erotic literary content that has got women's expectations and juices flowing too freely.