Is Fifty Shades Of Grey Bad? Why The Movie's Rotten Tomatoes Score Is So Low

Fifty Shades Of Grey is one of the most controversial movies from the 2010s, and as such, it has a very low Rotten Tomatoes score, but is it truly deserving of it? In 2015, E. L. James’ 2011 novel Fifty Shades of Grey was adapted into a movie, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. The Fifty Shades of Grey novel had already faced criticism due to its literary qualities, inspiration from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, and its inaccurate depiction of BDSM, but that didn’t stop it from becoming a pop culture phenomenon and getting a film adaptation.

Fifty Shades of Grey tells the story of Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), a college graduate who meets young business magnate Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), with whom she starts a relationship, though not exactly as she expected. Grey is into BDSM and has strict rules on how their relationship should be carried out, pushing Anastasia beyond her limits and making her question what she truly wants. Fifty Shades Of Grey was a box office success, making way for two sequels (adapted from James’ book continuations), but its critical reception continues to be negative.

Fifty Shades Of Grey’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Explained

The Fifty Shades Of Grey Trilogy Debuted With A Low Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Fifty Shades of Grey movie adaptation was as controversial as the book, though, arguably, even more given certain elements unique to the film. At the time of writing, Fifty Shades of Grey has a 25% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 41% audience score. Critics mostly went after Fifty Shades of Grey’s screenplay, pacing, and performances, pointing out the lack of chemistry between Johnson and Dornan as one of the movie’s biggest flaws, which, along with its “laughable” dialogue, made it hard for the audience to care for or relate to Anastasia and/or Christian.

Fifty Shades of Grey didn’t do much to develop its characters, and even by the end of it, after everything they went through together and individually, they’re still not defined enough, making viewers wonder what was the point of everything they just watched. The many red flags in the character of Christian Grey and Anastasia’s inability to see them also earned a lot of criticism. Some critics even compared the movie to the melodramatic tone of soap operas, while others had an issue with the movie not being as explicit as the marketing campaign led them to believe.

Less harsh and negative reviews praised the cinematography and score of Fifty Shades of Grey, and many found Johnson’s performance to be a strength, though there wasn’t much she could do with a badly written script. Some critics also praised the direction of Sam Taylor-Johnson, especially as this was her second film (the first one being 2009’s Nowhere Boy). While many critics called it boring, others found it entertaining despite its many flaws and an improvement on the book.

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Fifty Shades Of Grey Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play

The Fifty Shades of Grey movie soundtrack includes songs made especially for the 2015 romance title, one of which was nominated for an Oscar.

Does Fifty Shades Of Grey Deserve Its Low RT Score?

Fifty Shades Of Grey Certainly Has Many Flaws

Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t a perfect movie or book, and the latter’s literary quality is certainly questionable, but the movie manages to bring the novel’s essence to the big screen while also making necessary adjustments and fixing some elements that wouldn’t have worked in the movie – however, that doesn’t mean the movie is perfect or that it fixed everything that’s wrong with the novel. Fifty Shades of Grey carried the bad reputation of its source material, behind-the-scenes drama between its main actors, and a misleading marketing campaign, which, ultimately, contributed to its negative reception.

However, Fifty Shades of Grey serves its main purpose: to entertain the audience. Fifty Shades of Grey looked to appeal to fans of the book and succeeded, and for those unfamiliar or uninterested in the novel, it has enough (mostly unintentional) funny moments to keep them engaged. Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t made to be seen as a groundbreaking erotic movie (especially as the novel failed to be so and inaccurately represented BDSM), and it simply exists to entertain its target audience. Fifty Shades of Grey doesn’t deserve a high Rotten Tomatoes score, but it doesn’t deserve the low score it got, either.

How Fifty Shades Of Grey’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compares To The Sequels

The Fifty Shades Of Grey Trilogy Wasn’t The Critics’ Favorites

Unfortunately, the sequels of Fifty Shades of Grey didn’t do anything to save its reputation. The second movie, Fifty Shades Darker, was released two years later, now with James Foley as director. Fifty Shades Darker saw Anastasia and Christian resuming their relationship under new terms, while shadowy figures from Christian’s past threaten their relationship. Fifty Shades Darker has an 11% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 48% audience score, with critics pointing out the lack of chemistry between the main actors and an even worse script than the first movie’s.

The following year, the third and final movie was released. Titled Fifty Shades Freed, it follows Anastasia and Christian now as a married couple, but their relationship is once more threatened by sinister events that come to light. Fifty Shades Freed also has an 11% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 38% audience score, with critics calling it a dissatisfying conclusion to an underwhelming trilogy. The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy will carry a bad reputation for years, and it’s unlikely it will be better received as years go by.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Based on the book by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey is the first film in the trilogy that follows naive literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), whose life changes upon meeting the complicated and tormented billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dorman). Drawn to each other, the two start a romantic relationship where Steele uncovers Grey’s secrets – and explores her own personal desires.

Director

Sam Taylor-Johnson

Release Date

February 13, 2015

Cast

Jennifer Ehle , Dakota Johnson , Jamie Dorman , Marcia Gay Harden , Eloise Mumford , Victor Rasuk , Luke Grimes , Rita Ora

Runtime

125 Minutes