The reviews for the highly-anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey movie are in.
Sam Taylor-Johnson's adaptation of E L James's erotic novel - more than two years in the making - opens in cinemas this Friday (February 13), starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele.
The critics have spoken and - unsurprisingly - they have been slipping a rich supply of sexual innuendos into their copy. Some are understated and subtle, while some may well make you gasp. We hope all of them bring you pleasure.
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1. "In a film full of flaws, Johnson is an undeniable bright spot."
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2. "A watered-down adaptation that's embarrassed to be wet, Fifty Shades of Grey is a sex-positive but hopelessly soft-core erotic drama that fails to be even a fraction as titillating as the EL James books that inspired it."
3. "Fifty Shades may not make you come, but you'll still be glad you went."
4. "Accept this genuinely sexy, somewhat silly, relatively timid romantic drama on its own escapist terms and you'll find sufficient pleasure."
5. "Things grow more compelling once Christian Grey whips out his nondisclosure agreement – along with a nice Pouilly-Fumé, naturally – and shows Ana his 'playroom', expertly outfitted with state-of-the-art S&M gear."
6. "Fifty Shades of Grey first look review: some pleasure, occasional pain."
7. "Dornan, a charismatic presence, largely nails (among other things) the combination of intense formality and playful lewdness that defines Christian Grey."
8. "Taylor-Johnson and [Kelly] Marcel reveal an unexpectedly deft and disarmingly irreverent touch, wisely grasping - more so, perhaps, than James and some of her more slap-happy readers."
9. "The usual gender-based double standard prevails: plenty of Johnson, but only a fleeting glimpse of johnson."
10. "Duly cushioned by the rhythmic thrusts and heaves of Danny Elfman's score."
11. "If Hollywood still has doubts about whether women can dominate at the box office, the steamy - if occasionally stilted - adaptation of EL James's S&M romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey should push them aside permanently."
12. "One of the things we've learned from [E L] James (besides proper paddling protocol) is that we take the pleasure with the pain."
13. "Credit goes to director Sam Taylor-Johnson and her screenwriter, Kelly Marcel, who've stripped the first book of its biggest flaws, while still honoring its essence."
14. "The Fifty Shades of Grey film is bound to please."
15. "Although the book's soft-X explicitness has been toned down to a hard R."
16. "When he takes Ana up in a magnificent glider, both characters let go."
17. "The Universal/Focus release looks set to flog the box office competition through Valentine's Day and beyond."
18. "The postcoital atmosphere at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City was warm despite the chilled temperatures, as fans emerged to say exactly what they loved about the movie..."
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
