Rebekah's Voice: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

I was so shocked when I heard that this was being made into a movie. My first question was, “Is it going to be a porno?” I just didn’t see how it was going to be possible otherwise. Then I thought that it could possibly work if they combined all three books into one movie. When I found out that wasn’t the case either, I was even more confused. There was SO MUCH sex in the books, and when I say “so much”, I mean… an abundance!

Let me start out by saying that in order to properly enjoy the movie, you NEED to read the book! Their whirlwind love affair will seem rushed and not make any sense without the extra details you get from the book; thoughts, feelings, etcetera. I really liked the story that incorporated the whole trilogy, but it was as if the plot got drowned out by the numerous amount of loooong sex scenes. After a while, I found myself skimming over those heated scenes – except for pausing at somewhat interesting parts – so I could get back to the story. The story was good too, but it was as if it was one long story that they chopped into 3 parts to make three different books. The first book doesn’t stand alone well at all, and that’s what people are left with for possibly a year until the next movie comes out.

Now to the movie itself. The beginning was somewhat strange. It was as if they wanted no deviations from the script, and it felt very monotone as it moved its way through the storyline chapter by chapter. There was no flow and the characters felt like two actors playing a part. Neither one of them convinced me that they were truly the character they were playing. It wasn’t until around the middle of the movie (yes, when the “intimate” scenes started), that I could finally start to see a connection. And they were some heated scenes, let me tell you. When they were in the Red Room of Pain, I found myself shifting in my seat and fidgeting with the neckline of my shirt. After that, the movie started to flow a little easier. Once again, reading the book helps fill in the blanks that come from watching the movie alone.

Then there is the part that I really don’t like about it. The ending! They ended the movie exactly how they ended the book, and I hated it both times. It felt unfinished… incomplete, and it is because the other two books are needed to finish the storyline. Except shouldn’t each book have a small obstacle to overcome, even in a continuing series? The first book, and movie as well, started a conflict then ended in the middle of said conflict No small resolve in the midst of a major conflict, nothing. It’s not a cliffhanger to me, since I know how everything turns out, but it still pissed me off all the same.

Overall, I say that if you haven’t read the book, you would just be wasting your time to go see the movie. You will walk out feeling confused and wonder what the purpose of it all was supposed to be. If you have read the book, I’d say there’s no harm in going to see how Hollywood interpreted it for us. It’s not a bad movie. I can even go so far as to say that I liked it. Except I strongly believe it’s because I had some semblance of what was really going on. After all the reading, aren’t you feeling a tad bit…