Fifty Shades of Grey Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Fifty Shades of Grey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 8, 2015

Sam Taylor-Johnson's blockbuster "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include a longer Unrated Version of the film; cast and crew interviews; behind the scenes footage; music videos; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Anastasia

Shy and innocent student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson, The Five-Year Engagement) interviews wealthy entrepreneur Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan, Racing Hearts) in his lavish office in downtown Seattle. Before the interview is over, the two realize that they are attracted to each other. Later on, Christian visits the hardware store where Anastasia works and invites her to have coffee with him. The date ends abruptly when she confesses to him that she is a hopeless romantic.

Soon after, the depressed Anastasia gets drunk in a bar and phones Christian. Like a true gentleman, he picks her up and then takes her back to his posh apartment. On the following morning, Christian shows Anastasia his secret playroom -- an intimidating BDSM dungeon -- and asks if she would like to be his submissive. If she does, she will have to sign a contract profiling her role as well as the soft and hard limits the two will have to respect while playing with his toys. Christian then gives Anastasia a taste of what’s to come if she signs his contract.

Intrigued but unsure if she is ready to commit to a risky relationship, Anastasia travels to Georgia to meet her mother and clear her head. Eventually, she tells the impatient Christian that she has made a decision.

Sam Taylor-Johnson’s adaptation E.L. James’ popular novel has earned more than $166 million at the domestic box office. Globally, the film has already generated more than $569 million for Universal Studios. These are very, very impressive numbers.

Most unfortunately, Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t an impressive film.

The bulk of it is scripted to appeal to viewers who have a soft spot for romantic tearjerkers. A young and beautiful girl meets a handsome bachelor with deep pockets and the two then fall madly in love. Well, almost -- because it turns out that the bachelor is far more interested in playing with his kinky toys and prefers not to sleep in the same bed with the girl his heart desires. As the girl tries to figure out what is wrong with Prince Charming, she slowly succumbs to the Dark Side. So there is a part of this film that is also scripted to appeal to viewers who have a soft spot for edgy romantic dramas. Only the edgy material is essentially limited to a series of cliched exchanges and a couple of sessions that will give folks familiar with the BDSM scene a serious headache.

The film’s biggest weakness, however, isn’t the questionable script, but the terrible acting. Simply put, there is zero chemistry between the two leads. For example, early on they frequently look annoyed with their debates and consistently overreact in ways that are strikingly unrealistic. (See the conversation in the coffee shop where Christian suddenly snaps and walks away). And when eventually the clothes fall off, the acting becomes flat-out unbearable.

At least occasionally the film is beautiful to look at. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (The Avengers, Godzilla) moves the camera very well and the different sets and decors are excellent.

The film is also complimented by an outstanding soundtrack featuring top tracks by The Weekend (“Earned It”), The Vaults (“One Last Night”), Skylar Grey (“I Know You”), and Annie Lennox (“I Put A Spell On You”), amongst others.

Taylor-Johnson directed the video for The Weekend’s track while shooting Fifty Shades of Grey on location in Los Angeles.

Fifty Shades of Grey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sam Taylor-Johnson's Fifty Shades of Grey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Shot with the Arri Alexa XT camera, the film looks exceptionally crisp, sharp, and vibrant. Despite the fact that light is frequently restricted or carefully subdued to enhance the sensual atmosphere, image depth is consistently impressive (see screencaptures #3, 5, and 13). Detail is outstanding. In fact, in select close-ups one could easily see facial pores and tiny pieces of fabric that are almost certainly lost on the DVD release of the film. Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Colors are very rich but natural, never appearing artificially boosted. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, I spotted a whiff of very light shimmering early into the film, but there are no serious encoding anomalies to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a fantastic presentation of Fifty Shades of Grey that is guaranteed to please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3/Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

Fifty Shades of Grey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, and French DTS 5.1. Also included is a DVS (Descriptive Video Service) Dolby Digital 2.0 track for the Theatrical Version of the film. Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles have been provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film has an active modern sound design that is handled very well by the lossless track. Indeed, depth, clarity, and especially separation are outstanding, making it very easy to identify even seemingly casual sounds and noises (see the bar sequence where Anastasia gets drunk and then calls Christian). The sexy soundtrack also benefits from the lossless treatment. The dialog is exceptionally crisp, clean, and very stable. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Fifty Shades of Grey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Versions - included on this release are two versions of Fifty Shades of Grey:
  
  1. Theatrical Version - 02.05.19/1080p/English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.
  2. Unrated Version - 02.08.29/1080p/English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.

• Tease of Fifty Shades Darker - a special preview of Fifty Shades Darker. (1 min).

• The World of Fifty Shades Darker - presented here are character profiles and cast and crew interviews with director Sam Taylor-Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Marcia Gay Harden, Dakota Johnson, set decorator Sandy Wasco, production designer David Wasco, executive producer Marcus Viscidi, and costume designer Mark Bridges, amongst others. In English, with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles.
  
  1. Christian Grey Profile. (3 min).
  2. Jamie Dornan Profile. (3 min).
  3. Christian's Apartment (9 min).
  4. Christian's Wardrobe (4 min).
  5. A Rich Man's Toys (3 min).
  6. All About Anna (3 min).
  7. Dakota Johnson Profile (3 min).
  8. Ana's World (5 min).
  9. Ana's Wardrobe (4 min).
  10. Eloise Mumford (3 min).
  11. Max Martini (2 min).
  12. Marcia Gay Harden (2 min).
  13. Luke Grimes (2 min).
  14. Jennifer Ehle (2 min).
  15. Victor Rasuk (2 min).
  16. Rita Ora (2 min).

• Behind the Shades - in this featurette, producer Dana Brunetti, producer/series creator/writer E.L. James, Dakota Johnson, and director Sam Taylor-Johnson, amongst others, discuss some of the unique themes in the book that inspired Fifty Shades of Grey, the script for the film, the shooting of the more explicit sequences, the different shooting locations in Vancouver, the costumes and art decoration seen in the film, etc. In English, with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles. (20 min).

• E.L. James & Fifty Shades - in this video interview, E.L. James explains how Fifty Shades of Grey came to exist, and discusses some of the key dilemmas Christian and Anastasia are presented with, the success and reception of her novel and the film, etc. In English, with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles. (6 min).

• Fifty Shades: The Pleasure of Pain - in this featurette, BDSM technical consultant Liam Helmer, director Sam Taylor-Johnson, Rita Ora, and Marcia Gay Harden, amongst others, discuss some of the BDSM themes/elements ("soft" and "hard" limits) in Fifty Shades of Grey. In English, with English, Spanish, and French subtitles. (9 min).

• Christian's Apartment: 360 Degree Set Tour - a large collection of stills for each of the areas listed below, which can be accessed from a fully interactive menu. (26 min).
  
  1. Living Room
  2. Dining Room
  3. Piano
  4. Kitchen
  5. Foyer
  6. Christian Bedroom
  7. Christian Bathroom
  8. Anastasia Bedroom
  9. Red Room

• Music Videos -
  
  1. Skylar Grey - "I Know You" (6 min).
  2. The Weekend - "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey"). (5 min).

• Fifty Shades: The Pleasure of Pain - raw footage from the shooting of the music video for The Weekend's "Earned It" in Los Angeles. Also included are comments from Abel Tesfaye and director Sam Taylor-Johnson. In English, with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles. (5 min).

Fifty Shades of Grey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have already seen Sam Taylor-Johnson's blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey and it happens to be one of your favorite films this year, then you will be very pleased with Universal's Blu-ray release. The technical presentation is excellent and the film looks terrific in high-definition. More importantly, in addition to the Theatrical Version, Universal have included a slightly longer Unrated Version of the film. If you have not seen Fifty Shades of Grey yet and are wondering whether it is something worth adding to your collection, my advise is to rent it first. RENT IT.