To Start Off:
50 Shades is a trilogy written by the lovely author E.L. James, starring the favorites between many moms (and not-moms), Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Among reading about the opinions of others on the trilogy, I have opted out to read it myself instead of reading The Book Thief like I am supposed to be doing. Before any hatred or disagreements are spewed, I would like to remind everyone that this trilogy was admittedly written in regards to the author's own personal fantasies.
The Characters
It's hard to complain. Perhaps they aren't ideal, but they're quite believable (if you choose to forget Ana's ever-present inner goddess) and are supported with an impressive amount of background. For example, when stating that Christian was "Fifty Shades of Fucked-Up," reasons as to why he was were scattered throughout the novels.
The Porn
Let us just say that after you get pass chapter seven of the first book, there will be sex on just about every other page. (Perhaps that's why these books have been called "mommy porn"?) Some of it is good porn, some of it is not. The less admired scenes are usually because they weren't hot enough and contained too much description. Too bad. Hey, at least the books weren't porn without a plot!
The Plot
The plot of each book varies a little, but they're apparent. In the first book, it's getting to know small parts of Christian (that whether or not intended to, made him seem like a control freak and almost terrifying to be around) that ended up scaring Ana away. She should have never suggested seeing how bad the punishments could be.
The Faults
There are certain assets of these books that irritate me, though I can't really get mad at some of them. One of the few is the dialogue format. It's highly unnerving, but doesn't take too much attention off of the actual story. In second place are the typos. It's great that I know what the word was supposed to be, but it's irritating nonetheless. Lastly, the book is close to fantasy. I am fully aware that there are some messed-up relationships out there that could coincide with one of Ana and Christian's, but certain aspects of their relationship causes need for psychological attention.
The Film
The adaptation of 50 Shades is currently being scripted and filmed, and with the little teasers of the movie, it seems like it's going to be worth the while. There are some unpopular opinions that feel like it'll be worse than the books, but then again, there are movies like the Twilight Saga (not to say that I didn't enjoy them). Perhaps it isn't the most ideal Valentine's movie, but has great eye candy (Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, yum). I'm willing to give it a shot.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
In all, I feel like the books are good enough that they can hold my attention for hours a time. Though unrealistic at moments, it creates a scenery that plenty of women (not including me) wish for: sex at almost all hours of the day. Christian Grey may be Fifty Shades of Fucked-Up, but he's Fifty Shades of Panty Dropper.