Director Sam Taylor-Johnson
Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle
Rated MA
Score 2/6

Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.

Before I get to my review I have a small amount of housekeeping to take care of. For starters a message to Today show host Lisa Wilkinson and her recent review of 50 Shades of Grey where she called the movie “Domestic Violence dressed up as erotica”. Normally I try not to criticize other critics but I’m willing to make an exception here. Get your hand off it Wilkinson, any shortcomings that 50 Shades of Grey may have needs to be laid at the feet of Sam Taylor-Johnson somebody who was completely unqualified to direct this movie. Now to your “Domestic Violence dressed up as erotica” comment there is a big difference between Domestic Violence and BDSM, it’s a seven letter beginning with the letter C. Consent.
Now to the other review that I have problem with and that was by 2GB Radio Broadcaster and regular panellist on The Project, Mr Steve Price. How dare you go on to a national television show to review a movie, which you walked out on halfway through. Shame on you. Sure you admitted to it in your ‘review’ but the reviewing of a movie when you have only seen part of it, is the sort of thing a religious morals group would do when they are trying to have a movie banned. I hope you reimbursed the Ten Network any expenses that they may have paid for on your behalf while you were supposed to be reviewing this movie.

Now for the last piece of housekeeping, no I haven’t read any of the books in the trilogy and after watching this movie I can’t say that I have been inspired to go out and read them. This was not the best of movies, to be perfectly honest my interest was only kind of sparked after reading a review for it I came across on one of the Google Plus Communities I am a member of. Considering the disappointment there is for this movie I suppose we can just chalk this up as another example of where troubles have arisen from adapting source material from England for an American audience. Though in defense of America the source material they were using was not a masterpiece written by Shakespeare.
A question to the movie executives who green lit this project, considering the Twilight Fan-fiction origins of 50 Shades was Summit Entertainment approached to get involved with this? And with the similarities between Christian Grey and Edward Cullen was Robert Pattinson given the opportunity to audition for the role of Christian Grey?
Earlier I said that the blame for this lay at the feet of Sam Taylor-Johnson who I believe was unqualified to be in the director’s chair for 50 Shades of Grey. From what I have read of Taylor-Johnson’s filmography this was her second feature film, the previous being Nowhere Boy a bio-pic about the early life of John Lennon. The rest of the blame lays at the feet of Kelly Marcel who adapted the book into a screenplay, the last piece of work that I have seen written by her was Saving Mr Banks.
If you are planning on going to see this expecting to see award winning performances, you are going to be disappointed because let’s face it I’m sitting here writing a review for a piece of soft-core pornography and when was the last time a piece of soft-core pornography won an Academy Award for best movie? Seriously if somebody knows please tell me.