A Missed Opportunity

Rating: 6/10 (15 February 2016)

I read the book and was interested to see how they would adapt it into a film that was both true to the book and would appeal to the mass market. The filmmakers may have been attempting to do both, but in trying to please everyone they seem to have fallen short on all accounts.
Noticeable right from the opening scene is the fact that Christian Grey is shown with his shirt off, something that does not happen in the book. He does not remove his shirt. It's actually a plot device almost totally ignored in the movie, though not that large of a deal this appears to set the tone for the movie being at odds with the book.
The casting choice in this movie was the most talked about thing in Hollywood and I can't help but feel as though for all the hype they did a terrible job. Dornan does a decent job inhabiting the character, but his voice doesn't. He doesn't appear to possess the magnetism that Grey is supposed to. Dakota Johnson is just terrible. There is nothing much I can say positive for her performance. The worst part about their sharing a screen is the fact that the chemistry doesn't feel real. The whole thing feels forced and rushed. So much emphasis is placed on innuendo it can hardly be called subtle.
The soundtrack feels like a parade of high up celebrities and though it has some excellent songs feels distracting. More orchestra to emphasize what's happening on scene and less radio pop.
As for one of the more talked about parts. The want to receive an R rating and therefore be able to market to a broader audience is understandable however the sex scene were tepid at best. A poor display of any BDSM knowledge. (The first book does not dive into anything too deep BDSM related, but the movie does a poor job displaying even the light work) and lastly the Hollywood double standard of nudity is ever present. Dakota spends a fair amount of screen time fully nude and yet no full frontal from the main male cast. Now contracts aside for the movie and the subject matter it seems a bit shy.
The movie doesn't deserve a 1,2, or 3 star. Those people are just judging because they don't like the trendiness of the material. This is a missed opportunity however because the material was there to make a great movie and instead they missed the mark.