’50 Shades’: What critics are saying?
The highly anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation opened last week. And if you’re keen to know what the verdict is, here’s what the critics are saying.
Keep in mind that critics and general moviegoers share different tastes, so if there’s a really harsh comment, don’t take their word for it.
We scoured critic website Rotten Tomatoes, and here’s what professional critics are saying:
“… had James been overruled more often Fifty Shades of Grey could have been something genuinely extraordinary: an adult blockbuster in every sense.” – Emma Dibdin, Digital Spy
“I’m shocked – shocked, do you hear me?!? – that the film version of E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey is such a dull, decorous affair, about as erotic as an ad for Pottery Barn. Strictly intended for gluttons for punishment-by boredom.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“Fifty Shades of Grey is by no means a masterpiece. Yet there are moments where it rises above the material thanks to the lovely Dakota Johnson who is luminous, and a director that helps paint a very pretty picture.” – JimmyO, JoBlo’s Movie Emporium
“Fifty Shades of Grey is an entertaining, witty, and yes occasionally sexy fable of female assertiveness disguised as a tale of submission.” – Scott Mendelson, Forbes
“There’s undoubtedly more nudity than in a standard 21st Century Hollywood movie, but it’s less explicit and less passionate than what Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone got up to in Basic Instinct more than 20 years ago.” – Nicholas Barber, BBC.com
“The movie Fifty Shades of Grey is considerably better written than the book. It is also sort of classy-looking, in a generic, TV-ad-for-bath-oil way.” – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
“"Fifty Shades of Grey" might not be a good movie – O.K., it’s a terrible movie – but it might nonetheless be a movie that feels good to see, whether you squirm or giggle or roll your eyes or just sit still and take your punishment.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times
“Johnson has a great knack with comedy, salting silly lines with witty humor, and giving ridiculous moments just the right roll of the eyes.” – Alynda Wheat, People Magazine
“It has an impressive performance from Dakota Johnson (daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, granddaughter of Tippi Hedren.) But it doesn’t really feel like a date movie.” – Philippa Hawker , Sydney Morning Herald
“It proves that age-old saw that great books rarely make great films, whereas barely-literate junk can turn into something ripe and even electric on screen.” – Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
“Fifty Shades of Grey is not the lame, hot-and-bothered fantasy romance many, including myself, thought it would be. It’s got wit and humor and a modest intelligence about human behavior that, say, the Twilight movies never had.” – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
“Sitting through the turgid and tedious S&M melodrama that is Fifty Shades of Grey may feel like its own form of torture.” – Claudia Puig, USA Today
“Glossy, well cast, and a consistent hoot until it becomes a serious drag.” – Justin Chang, Variety
“Aiming to please, the filmmakers submit without hesitation to the bold yet hokey source material, with leads Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson breathing a crucial third dimension into cutout characters.” – Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
Rotten Tomatoes has the film currently sitting on 30% (which is subject to change) with an average rating of 4.3 out of 10 with the following consensus: "While creatively better endowed than its print counterpart, Fifty Shades of Grey is a less than satisfying experience on the screen."
