At first I was a hater, especially when there was a Change.org campaign for the casting. I thought "This is ridiculous, and the fans have no lives." I still think that and refuse to read the books, but the movies get a perfect 5 star out of 5 from me. Keep reading...
The reason it gets that high a rating is because my expectations were low until Sam Taylor-Johnson was onboard. Rumors were flying it was more romantic than S&M. I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was 100% impressed the rumors were right. I loved Jamie Dornan on "Once Upon A Time" and was sad his character died too early. I'm also a Melanie Griffith/Don Johnson fan (want them back together SO bad) so by proxy I liked Dakota Johnson.
The execution of the movie was very tasteful. Yes there are "those scenes," but this movie is much more romantic drama than bondage. There's also an explanation why Christian Grey is into bondage. All in all the movie is SO GOOD! I liked it, but I also saw the Twilight connections.
Anastasia has a mom remarried living out of state. Anastasia & Christian both live in Washington. Anastasia is a brunette...but where she differs from Bella is that she's no fool for love. Ana is strong and knows her stuff. She's admirable and reacts in much the same way the audience does to some of the things Christian has planned out.
I highly recommend this movie. Unfortunately there's no Oscar worthy performances, but Dakota is the next big Leading Lady. Guaranteed.