Tastefully filmed

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2015)

Millions of women and a sizeable proportion of the BDSM community would have been on the edge of their seats awaiting this movie's release - I would have imagined? The 'mommy porn' novel sold in the multi-millions and the box office receipts will justify sequels 2 & 3, so why the lacklustre ratings here on IMDb?? Secretary scores 7.1 and is broadly similar in theme?
I thought this film did justice to the book and perhaps even elevated it to a higher level? Whereas EL James has been lambasted for her literary failings (perhaps unfairly?) the screenwriters here have refined the dialog perfectly.
Christian had Ana googling "submissive" to learn more about what he was expecting from her. Had she typed in BDSM she may well have run a mile in the opposite direction! The whole BDSM spectrum ranges from 'playful' spanking to scarier elements of skin stretching, mutilation, genital piercing, real torture and - very probably - non-consensual 'play'.
The 'play' in this movie is broadly left of centre in this spectrum. Clearly, Christian would be aghast at the thought of hurting or harming his beloved Anastasia - hence the safe-words to terminate any session? I doubt whether he inflicted a punishment "as bad as it gets" as Ana had requested as he had some scary looking bull-whips amongst his 'toys' which would definitely have had our poor Ana running several miles in the other direction!
The only nit I would pick from the novel to film screenplay was the thoughtful gift that Ana had bought for the man who had everything? The book had her giving him a helicopter model of his beloved charlie tango chopper? Why was this changed to a glider? Granted, the glider scenes on screen were more dramatic...
Sequels 2 & 3 would seem to be in the planning stage according to IMDb? The challenge for the money-men and film-makers will be the prequel?? How does a 21 year old young man coming out of a submissive relationship become the head of his own billionaire empire in a mere 6 years??