Just like most best-selling books being turned into movies to cash in on the success of an authors visions, Fifty Shades of Grey is not any different. E.L. James crafted a three part erotica series that starts with Fifty Shades of Grey which has sold 100 million copies since its release in 2012.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) has taken this popular book and dazzled some of Hollywood into the story and brought the world Hollywood's vision of the first installment of the Fifty Shades franchise which opened on Valentine’s Day weekend.
The story follows Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) from their unexpected meeting through their not-so-typical relationship. Ana, who is a student majoring in English Lit, agrees to fill in for her sick roommate to interview prominent businessman Christian for the campus paper. From the moment she enters Grey Enterprises, her life is never the same. Christian who is devilishly handsome, rich, and powerful is oddly drawn to Ana and she to him. Though Ana is sexually inexperienced she feels magnetized to the sexual world of Christian Grey. She dives into a world where Christian’s taste for sex is unlike no other. His sexual passions are a meld of pleasure and pain.
As Ana delves into this new found world that she is drawn to and is also nervous about, she starts to learn the many “shades” of whom Christian is. Not just the kinkier side, but also the warm and broken sides. Christian never allowed himself to have a typical relationship. Since he was introduced to this world that he is now teaching Ana about, he treated relationships like a business deal where they could enjoy one another sexually and explore the depths of which their sexual appetite would go. He explains to Ana that he is the “dominant” and she is the “submissive” and that she is to let go of control along with her sexual inhibitions as his “submissive." Christian has a contract to which Ana must read and sign before he shows her that side of him, only problem is Ana is reluctant in signing right away. She feels she needs to understand first hand before signing and pushes Christian to show her. Not understanding completely the hold Ana is starting to have over him, he does not stick to what he is accustomed to and begins to let her into his world without her name on that dotted line.
There is not too much to sum up in the description of how great or poor the supporting cast is, being there is not enough story build up around them yet. However, the lead actors are where it’s at. Dornan brings a soft contrast to the ever-hard Christian Grey making his character completely likeable and watchable. Johnson steals the movie making it her vehicle to make a name for herself, though it does not hurt being the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. The actress exuded more confidence into her performance than what the book version of Ana really portrays which is a plus for moviegoers. Johnson makes Ana funnier and less timid which makes for a more interesting character.
The ending of the film seems to leave you with a blend of two emotions: disappointed and aroused, which is exactly what is necessary to make you come back for more.
Many were expecting to see more sex when comparing the movie to the book, but one must remember that this is only an R-rated film. Most importantly, the film stays mostly true to its book counterpart and at the end of the day the story is what the author intended it to be, a really good love story.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com