Fifty Shades of Grey. Since the release of the trailer, I swore up and down I would never watch this movie. Mostly because I kept reading that the BDSM practices shown in the movie are not safe, and if viewers attempted to replicate them, someone would get hurt; but also because I'm not a fan of looking at my own breasts, much less someone else's for two hours. And yet, there I was, RA on duty on a Friday night, sitting in my pajamas at five o'clock in the afternoon because I couldn't leave the dorm. I'm not sure how, but curiosity finally killed the cat. I found the movie online (if I was gonna watch it, I wasn't going to let them make money from me), and I watched it.
My thoughts are so jumbled, I'm not even sure where to start. It was certainly different than I imagined, but I don't know if that's in a good way or a bad way. I also can't figure out if I liked it or not- I liked parts of it but I really disliked other parts. The BDSM is a perfect example. So many times it crosses the line into abuse, specifically with when Christian "punishes" Anastasia in the end. However, it's more than just that one scene that blurs into possible abuse. He extends his control to all aspects of her life, not just in the bedroom: giving her lists of what she can eat, constantly spying on her, getting angry even if she rolls her eyes. I'm certainly no expert on BDSM practices, but that doesn't sound even remotely common to me.
Overall I really really liked the character of Anastasia. She was a lot more than I expected. I went into the movie assuming she would be just this simple wide-eyed little girl who just went along with Mr. Grey's every command. But her intelligence and complexity was really refreshing, and the fact that she challenged him and didn't let him get away with shit was not only more realistic, but also more entertaining to watch, since it provided conflict. I totally understand how someone could get sucked into a situation like that. A beautiful and mysterious billionaire wants you and takes an interest in you and when he does help you lose your virginity, he does it gently and kindly and shows you respect. Of course you would be at least willing to give his "interests" a try. But what I don't entirely understand about Ana, is that at times, she liked it.
Christian is just confusing. The majority of the movie, he pissed me off. The way he just showed up when Anastasia was visiting her mom, the way he had to control everything, the way he was just so wishy-washy. He kept saying over and over that "that's just how I am" about the punishing and the desire to hit and not letting her touch him and not wanting to sleep in the same bed, but she tried really hard to adapt to his world and try new things for him, but he was so self-absorbed, that he never even attempted to return the favor and just try to act like a normal boyfriend. If you don't like being touched, but your girlfriend, who is going out of her way to try new things for you tries to touch your face or hug you, just let her. Its not that hard. Grit your teeth and fake a smile if you have to. Furthermore, the way their relationship was based solely on sex, and the fact that he didn't even want to try to be normal, really makes it seem like the only thing he thought she was good for was f*cking. She was his little sex toy, and that it. Yes, they're made up people, but it pisses me off.
On the other hand though, it was obvious that Ana was changing him. That he did things with her that he had never done with any other girl. And it all came across exceedingly genuine. So in that respect, I guess maybe he was trying to be better? Those couple instances that he "tried," though seemed more like accidents, or slip ups, or even just cons to get her to sign his stupid contract.
I don't know when the next movie is set to come out, nor do I care at this moment in time. This one just seemed so much like a movie that middle-aged stay at home moms with mediocre husbands and no sex life get together to watch, and giggle, and fantasize over like school-girls. So, as for now, I won't be seeing the next one. But if I get stuck inside on a Friday night again, apparently all bets are off.
