Trying to review objectively...it's a long one!

Rating: 7/10 (8 March 2015)

OK, so I will start by saying I HATED the books - the plot was threadbare, the writing simply atrocious...the list goes on. However, one thing I did say was that, if handled properly, it could translate better into film. Obviously the subject matter is a very adult love story, so I was nervous to see how they played it out, but here's what I thought. (I've ticked spoiler because I know some people haven't read the books and/or seen the film, so better safe than sorry)
Firstly, I had the soundtrack on pre-order, purely and simply because I liked what I heard. I could get a feel for how certain songs or moments would look on screen and even correctly guessed that Salted Wound was going to be used for their first proper sex scene. I liked that it was understated for the most part - the only scene I didn't like it was the Helicopter scene with the Ellie Goulding lyrics that changed for the release I have on itunes. It seemed a little overpowering.
When it comes down to the cast, I was pleasantly surprised by Dakota as Anastasia. Ana is a character I half wanted to slap for most of the books, and Dakota brought her to life pretty well because the feeling was still there (although a lot of the more irritating scenes in the novel were cut from the film, and I was less annoyed at the film because - thank god - no mention of the inner goddess!). I knew Jamie would be a good fit for Christian purely off his previous work and the trailers released before the film. He isn't physically what i'd go for (I prefer taller and stockier, so Jamie's head on Charlie Hunnam's body would have been perfect for me) but he acts the part well. My only criticism is that his accent does waver a little bit in certain scenes. With that being said, it didn't totally ruin the film for me.
The supporting cast, I feel, got the roughest end of the stick when it came to cuts - very little elaboration on Kate and Elliot, Mia, Mrs Robinson, Leila (no mention at all) etc. The way they plugged Rita Ora as Mia I was expecting much more than the fleeting screen time she got...but then again that FOUL wig would have got on my nerves. Definite "Sack the stylist" moment there and I hope it's improved upon if they go through with the sequels.
The dialogue is cringe-worthy in places and you can see that the author had a virtual stranglehold on the script. The hardware store scene when Christian shops for things (unbeknown to Ana) for his playroom could have used a total rewrite as i'm pretty sure nobody speaks like that in real life. I did like how they all but eradicated "Laters, Baby" and even mocked it slightly though in the scene where (SPOILER) Christian and Ana walk in on Kate and Elliot.
The film itself seemed very stylish and sleek to me - i'm no expert but the way it was directed worked well for me. I haven't seen Twilight but my friend I went with has, and she did make the comparison, but preferred 50 Shades. Probably because vampires are a bit more unrealistic than gazillionaire dominants, which leads me nicely to my next point...
The sex scenes. Those of you who wanted to see more - there's websites for that and I will happily point you in the right direction. Those of you who thought it was too much - what the hell did you expect?! I usually find sex scenes a bit awkward to watch in cinema, but not this. Obviously it helped that everyone knew to expect it (I hope), but I thought it was actually really well shot. Very tasteful, showing just the right amount. I'm glad they cut (spoiler?) the tampon scene though because that would have put me off my nachos.
When it comes to cut scenes, there were some I felt could have made it in somewhere - stuff like Ana getting a job. That said, I can see why they cut most of them out (especially the tampon scene!) and the film does flow well enough without them to justify it. The cuts do seem to expose the lack of storyline in parts, but let's be real here, it's still got more storyline than Magic Mike. The cuts also remove any doubt as to Ana's consenting to sexual activity, which I think had to be done otherwise there'd be outcry. I still see people criticising the scene in her apartment, but thinking about it logically (SPOILER), Elliot helped them move in, so all Christian had to do was ask him where the apartment was and get Kate to let him in. In fact, he probably already knew - remember the champagne and the helicopter balloon? Personally, I don't think it's too creepy.
To sum up - Yes, I would buy the DVD. Yes, I'd see the sequels. Yes, I was right when I said it would work better on film as I enjoyed the film a damn sight more than the books. Hopefully the sequel will lead on in the same vein but with a little bit of rewriting here and there to improve dialogue. The next two books delve a little deeper so it will be interesting to see how they're handled by the film.