Aly Soto | rawr reviews
So, I finally watched “50 Shades of Grey.”
It was exactly how I pictured it, a basic, badly written romance with pointless sex scenes thrown in. I had to keep my hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing out loud at the entire thing.
This was the kind of bad cinema I viewed for the sole purpose of making fun of it, which was why it was hard to write a serious review about it. I’ll discuss parts of the movie, such as the acting, the soundtrack, etc., but I won’t go into BDSM. That’s for viewers to look into on their own time.
I’ll start with the story. College senior Anastasia (Ana) Steele fills in for her sick friend by doing an interview with Christian Grey, a self-proclaimed dominant who doesn’t do romance. Seeing that it’s the only way to be with him, Ana agrees to be his submissive, finding out in the end that she can neither be in nor wants the kind of relationship Christian is trying to push on her.
The story originating from Twilight fanfiction doesn’t bother me. If you think about it, a lot of popular literature has been inspired by other works of fiction. However, I can obviously see the connections between this piece and the story it was based off of. This tells me the movie and books are not only un-original, but also uninspired. I can easily replace each and every character in the movie with their counterparts from the Twilight series. Essentially, I’m just watching an R-rated version of Edward and Bella.
Some may argue it’s a completely different story because there aren’t any vampires in it, but ask anyone whose job it is to extensively analyze literature, and they will tell you the vampire element often stands as a symbol for sex. The sex scenes and sexual innuendoes present throughout the film just replaced the sparkly skin and the thirst for blood known to fans of Stephenie Meyer. I could spend time complaining about other plot points, but then again, the story was never meant to be taken seriously, so I won’t judge it too harshly.
As for the acting, I felt like the casting was so-so. Dakota Johnson did a decent job portraying Anastasia. I’ve seen her in other movies, and while I can’t say she’s a great actor, I’ve never had anything to complain about her either. I always try to consider not only the actor’s talent, but the script and direction they were given as well whenever I evaluate a performance. I think Dakota would have been better in the movie if the script, or even the story, were better written.
The actors who played side characters such as Kate Kavanagh (Eloise Mumford ) and Grace Trevelyan Grey (Marcia Gay Harden) also did nicely. I didn’t find anything to complain about them and felt they were well cast.
Jamie Dornan on the other hand was an effort to watch and not cringe. You could see the tension in his acting, as if he was struggling to get through each scene. After watching his performance, I can see why he wasn’t the first choice for Christian Grey.
Set design and costumes where pretty much what I expected. I felt they fit the style and mood of the book, but were unrealistic in some areas. Dream all you want, there is no way two recent college graduates could afford an apartment like Ana’s and Kate’s in Seattle unless you have a lot of money. Then again, as I stated before, this story was never meant to be realistic.
The soundtrack is actually worth looking into. Some of the music I wouldn’t have picked for the movie, but they’re still good tracks to listen to nonetheless. Beyoncé made a few contributions, and she’s always been a personal favorite of mine.
In the end though, I can’t tell you whether this movie is good or not. “Fifty Shades of Grey” is one of those movies that depends on the reason for seeing it. Anyone viewing it as a fan of the series will probably like it. The characters may not be as pictured in the book, but I’m confident fans will at least be satisfied.
Anyone seeing it as someone who wants to find and point out every piece of evidence that the film is encouraging abusive relationships will obviously hate it. I can see where the concern is coming from and can’t say I’m not relieved at the ending. I will suggest everyone does some research on the differences between BDSM and domestic violence, as it is important to know the differences and how to spot them.
If however, someone is like me and loves to make fun of bad writing, below-average acting and cheesy scenes, I think it’s worth it to check it out once and rent it when it comes out on DVD. Make sure to have friends who share the same sense of humor, and have fun sharing laughs between bowls of popcorn.