50 Shades of dullness

Rating: 1/10 (21 February 2015)

Undoubtedly the most hyped film of the year so far with much anticipation from the millions who've already read the book, and those with 'singular' interests. There are so many poor qualities in the film, it has little or no redeeming features.
The cinematography looks fine, but the film lacks substance. Many other reviews will point out the flaws, but the main problem is I wasn't able to engage with the story or the characters. The exercise seems to have been just to fling parts of the book on the screen and see if it sticks. The film is always choppy, with many unanswered points left dangling - but the sex scenes are introduced to distract the audience from these discrepancies. If the sex scenes were actually good, it would probably have worked - unfortunately they aren't. Many films have dealt with this subject in a far more engaging manner (Last Tango in Paris, which engages through excellent performances).
Yet, the demographic it is aimed at will all flock to see this film, despite what any reviews say - they want to see Christian Grey brought to life. Personally, I could see someone like a young Pierce Brosnan doing a far better job, who would possess something that might be alluring to Miss Steele - charisma. Jamie Dornan lacks this quality, as does the film overall.
It is a boring film that will make so much money. On the plus side, it will help fund other, more interesting and engaging films.