Feels pretty flat throughout

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2015)

Let me assure long time readers of my IMDb user comments that I didn't pay to see this movie - I waited until I could get the Blu- ray from my local library for free. And I certainly wasn't wanting to watch it from a serious viewpoint - I had heard from some sources that it was unintentionally funny. Sad to say, though there was indeed some dopey dialogue and situations, there isn't much unintended humor to be found here. That's not to say that the movie is pretty good, however. There are many problems to be found with this story, but I think the biggest was that I simply couldn't believe that this particular female protagonist would fall for the charms (and kinks) of the character of Christian Grey. At least how it's portrayed here - her being seduced happens WAY fast. Just as flawed is that the movie doesn't seem to have a point or moral - the movie ends in a way that had me thinking, "Just what was the purpose of what I saw?" Oh, I guess the filmmakers were trying simply to be erotic and kinky, but to be honest, I didn't find the sex, nudity, and kinks terribly erotic - they come across as too staged and unnatural. (And women viewers will probably also object to the fact that there's not much male nudity on display here.) The one bit of merit to be found in the movie is that director Sam Taylor-Johnson does capture the cold and gloom of Seattle pretty well, and that does add some effective atmosphere in the background.