vanilla movie with too much sugar!

Rating: 5/10 (24 February 2015)

I went to see this having read all the books years ago. From the very first scene as everyone else had said the acting does feel very staggered and rigid. I did stay the length of the movie and although the acting didn't get any better I understood what the producers we're possibly trying to achieve with the movie itself.
To begin with, if you've read the books do not go into the movie with expectations on what its going to be like as it will not meet those expectations. The movie is more suited for someone who hasn't read the books and knows nothing about Christian Grey. As I had read the books I expected the building of the characters to be similar and the relationship to be more drawn out. It's not and this is definitely disappointing. What I did realise is they only have one and a half hours to make it work so had to leave out what I believe are crucial relationship building points. The other thing which I thought was dull was the scripting as this is exactly out of the book. If you have read the books, inevitably you will compare the movie to the book and sadly will be let down.
Jamie Dornan, I feel does a pretty reasonable job at Christian however if you've seen him in crime series The Fall you may get a chuckle out of certain scenes like seeing him jogging. Dakota on the other hand, sadly let's the film down. I don't believe her skills were good enough to convey the chemistry felt between the two and subsequently there were a lot of awkward eye contact scenes like the final moments of Days of Our Lives or the Young and the Restless. She had the look, yes, but not the sexiness or sophistication of the book version Anastasia.
Of course there are lots of nude scenes however its just boobs and bottom occasionally the slight glimpse of something lower. But that's it. The sex scenes are by no means over the top nor do they look controversial or promote violence against women. It's just more toys and fetishes.
Finally the way the movie ends leaves much to be desired. Obviously they are going for making all four books into movies as the ending just leaves you hanging.
All in all its a good attempt to replicate a book however stops short due to Dakota's innocence and the fact that in the 1.5hr time frame you just can't get ask the crucial plot points covered. Worth seeing if you haven't read the books or want to see what the hype is about but if you're an avid movie watcher after greatness on all levels then you should give it a miss.