Movie Review | Fifty Shades of Grey [R-Rated Version] | I Was Expecting More

The DVD for Fifty Shades of Grey was released yesterday, May 8th 2015, and I borrowed it from my friend Aaron.

I want to make clear that I watched the Rated R DVD version of the movie, not the Blu-Ray or Theatrical version, so I've probably seen a more tame version of the movie than most people probably have.

To be honest, I really wish I could watch the Theatrical version so that I can see the alternate ending and the teaser for Fifty Shades Darker, but I don't have a Blu-Ray player.

Here's their summary of the movie:

The Worldwide phenomenon comes to life in Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in the iconic roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Ana is an inexperienced college student tasked with interviewing enigmatic billionaire Christian Grey. But what starts as business quickly becomes an unconventional romance. Swept up in Christian's glamorous lifestyle, Ana soons finds another side to him as she discovers his secrets and explores her own dark desires. What results is a thrilling, all-consuming romance as Christian and Ana test the limits they will go to for their relationship.

I think the best way to watch this movie is to either not have read the book, or having read it a while before watching the movie. If you read the book right before watching the movie, all you'll be thinking about is the comparisions between the two. I read the book a while ago, so things weren't that fresh in my mind about what happens, so I was able to enjoy the movie a bit better since I wasn't trying to compare the two.

Even though I enjoyed the movie, I didn't feel as emotionally connected to it as I did with the book. I felt that the movie was emotionally flat. I didn't really feel all that much from the characters. I don't know if it was just me or the actors just really weren't into it all that much and didn't bring the right amount of emotion to their acting.

The prevalent emotion I felt from this movie while watching it was awkwardness. There were so many scenes where the interactions between Ana and Christian felt awkward and maybe a little forced. Honestly, I was laughing during this movie more than anything else.

I'm really glad that the left out Ana's internal dialogue and just let events play out. I was never a fan of some of Ana's inner thoughts in the books, so I'm just relieved that they didn't include a voice over.

When it came to the sex scenes I felt that they weren't as intense as they were in the book. In the book, each sex scene between Ana and Christian had this intense feeling that left me riveted and I just didn't feel it. Especially the punishment scene. That is probably the most intense scene in the book and it broke my heart. I don't think those feelings and actions from the characters were brought over to the movie that well. That's was probably for safety and rating purposes among other stuff.

Now before I say anything about the controversial abuse statements people have been making, I just want to say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that, so I expect you all to respect mine, please.

I was expecting the scenes with the bondage and whipping and all that to be a lot worse with all that people were saying about it after the movie came out in theaters. I don't know, maybe it is in the Theatrical version of the movie, but in the R Rated version, I thought those scenes were rather tame compared to how they were in the books. It seemed, I don't know, lighter than I thought it'd be. So from the version I watched, I don't really see the abuse in what they were doing, especially since it was consensual. Now if he were really beating on her, then I could totally understand, but I just didn't see it in this version of the movie.

There is a love story between Ana and Christian, but I don't think the movie focused enough on it. I think the way they made the movie, it focused more on the sex and setting up the sexual relationship between Ana and Christian, instead of the love that begins to develop between them. I think that is one reason why a lot of people think that this series is just about sex. It's not. If they make the other books into movies, I really hope they put more emphasis on their love for each other.

The soundtrack for this movie was spot on, though. It was sensual and really set the mood for the story. I loved the music in Fifty Shades of Grey.

I also really liked all the sets and locations. I thought that they really worked in bringing the world of the book alive. Charlie Tango was cool, too.

If I'm going to be honest, I think it would have been better to leave this series as books. Just as Ana was expecting more from Christian, I was expecting more from this movie. If they make the other books into movies (I've heard conflicting rumors), I hope that they are better that Fifty Shades of Grey. The next books are even more emotional and intense, and I want to see and feel that. So here's to hoping.

I'd probably give Fifty Shade of Grey a 3 out of 5. I liked this movie, but I didn't love it.