Wish it had been better

Rating: 3/10 (16 February 2015)

Coming from a guy who is into the scene (switch), I will admit that yes, I have read the books. Taken for what they are, a non-realistic approach to the BDSM scene and just a romance novel, they are decent. Not the best, but not the worst I've read.
Now let's move onto the movie. The acting was bad, the chemistry of the actors was bad, and ffs, why did they end the movie when they did? This was a bad decision.
Now, let's move onto the other thing, the subject of the movie: The entire idea that this movie/series promotes abuse to women is ridiculous. If anyone disagrees, well, you're an idiot... want to know why? The entire argument that BDSM promotes violence against women (or domestic abuse - see below), well.. you must not know that there are dominate women, and submissive men? Ever think of that? Derp derp. There is one good thing that came out of this movie, the quote, "Most of it is in your head".
You can't have pleasure and pain? There are degrees of pain, yes, and some people are more tolerant than others. However, there is a chemical reaction that happens in your brain when you start mixing the two. Being on the submissive side, the adrenalin and endorphin rush you get out of it is, to put it simply, amazing. The lesson here is to keep an open mind, and to not knock it if you haven't tried it (with someone experienced).
One word of advice to couples that want to try it, don't start with ropes for bonding, especially if you don't know wtf you're doing, as you can seriously injure your partner. Take classes, preferably live ones, go to munches, find people in the scene, etc. One thing that is overlooked as well (even in the scene): Learn first aid. As a precaution, you never know what might go wrong. A knot too tight, a sprain, choking on something (such as wine, like in this POS movie), etc.. Just be safe. Safe, sane, and consensual are the rules in this game.
As far as how it's played out in the movie/series, I agree that he moved too fast, too soon, especially when your partner has no experience in the scene, let alone in sex in general. Christian Grey is NOT a role model for dominates, at all. This was a huge oversight by the author of the books; but again, this was a romance novel, not an actual depiction of BDSM.
If you're looking for a good romance movie that involves BDSM, I would recommend Secretary rather than this.