If you are a family member of mine or someone wanting to hire me, please do not continue reading.
As someone who has yet to watch “Fifty Shades of Grey” or “Fifty Shades Darker,” I didn’t know what to expect when sitting in the Perkins Rowe theatre in Baton Rouge waiting for “Fifty Shades Freed” to start. What I thought was going to be a cheesy, surface-level movie turned into something much more.
As I sat there waiting, many commercials for movies that I thought I’d much rather see flickered. I knew there must be some reason that so many people – yes people, not just middle-aged women – loved the erotic franchise. So, I ate my popcorn and braced for what was to come.
Anastasia Grey’s voice is somewhat nauseating at first. She speaks in a raspy, whisper-like tone that sounds like any promotional video you’d find on the adulterous dating website Ashley Madison. That aside, the character’s actress Dakota Johnson isn’t terrible, so her voice becomes bearable.
Christian Grey, her controlling yet extremely successful husband surprisingly plays a minuscule role. Yes, he is the reason that the movie is considered erotic — he has a sexual torture dungeon — but we never get to know the real Christian. Instead, we are left with nothing but glimpses of his past and how he became successful, which is another puzzle. What does the Grey company do? Because they sure don’t give us much insight in this movie.
According to Forbes, Christian Grey is the eighth most successful fictional character, making him worth $2 billion. His business is basically a manufacturer of eco-friendly technology, or at least something close to that.
Christian’s wealth is integral to the movie. Because of his economic standing, he is a target for many. This gives the movie drama even though the BDSM element is dramatic enough. The Greys’ escape a near-death experiences almost every 20 minutes, which definitely makes the kinky scenes even kinkier.
Speaking of kink, try about seven sex scenes in a two-hour movie. It only took about 30 seconds for the first sex scene of the movie – each sex scene is longer than the last, or at least feels that way when you’re watching it next to complete strangers. However, after a few of the scenes, you start to become desensitized and appreciate the beauty in it. It is clear that the Greys love each other and their times together in their “playroom.”
Sex aside, the movie has its flaws, like the lack of details surrounding Christian or the inconsistent plot and character development. But, that’s the beauty of the trilogy. It doesn’t have to make sense. I doubt many watch “Fifty Shades” for its plot or cinematography because the movie isn’t supposed to make you want to begin your screenwriting career. It’s supposed to be an escape from the real world and lead us into the luxurious, sexual fantasy world of the Greys. And it does a perfect job at that.
