The Fifty Shades movies make major changes from the eponymous books by author E.L. James. In 2015, the Twilight fan fiction turned novel Fifty Shades of Grey was released on the big screen, followed by two sequels in 2017 and 2018. All three films were successful at the box office but critically panned. The Fifty Shades movies are some of the most controversial movies that have come out in recent years due to their explicit sexual content, their inaccurate portrayal of BDSM, and the dangerous romanticization of an arguably abusive relationship.

Despite this, the movies are much better than the books they are based on – not just because the books are poorly written. The Fifty Shades movies make many changes, big and small, that positively impact the overall narrative. Some of the changes even minimize the more overtly problematic elements of the Fifty Shades books.

15

The Fifty Shades Books Have Much More Sex

Ana And Christian Have Sex Constantly In Kinkier Ways

The biggest change between the Fifty Shades books and movies is the sheer amount of sex and the degree of BDSM explored. In the books, almost every other scene involves Christian and Ana having sex, earning them the label “smut.” This works for the books, but movies need a much more plot and less sex so that theaters can show them. As such, the movies cut down the number of sex scenes and show much less intense depictions of BDSM. While this might have been disappointing for fans of the book, it ultimately allowed for more character development and plot.

14

Ana’s “Inner Goddess” Doesn’t Appear In The Movies

The “Inner Goddess” Would Have Hurt the Fifty Shades Movies

One of the most irritating parts of the Fifty Shades books is the repetitive writing, specifically the references to Ana’s “inner goddess.” She is meant to represent Ana’s uninhibited impulses, but there’s little personality to the character other than being horny. Simply put, the “inner goddess” has no purpose in the books. Still, she is maddeningly referenced in all of them. Luckily, the movie scrapped the “inner goddess” completely rather than spoon-feeding the audience Ana’s libido through voiceover. Instead, the character’s conflicted emotions and sex drive are shown through Dakota Johnson’s mannerisms and vocal tone, a more effective choice onscreen.

13

The Fifty Shades Of Grey Book Contract Is More Thorough Than The Movie Version

The Fifty Shades Book Contract Includes Sections Like Approved Foods, Clothing, and Personal Hygeine/Beauty

The Fifty Shades of Grey movie includes the BDSM contract that Christian gives Ana as a major feature but truncates it and removes some of the legalese. Ana also spends less time researching all the terms and expectations related to being a submissive. This makes the document seem more like a general BDSM contract.

However, what Christian presents to Ana in the book is much more similar to a Total Power Exchange (TPE) BDSM contract. This kind of contract gives the dominant control over everything from bathroom privileges to sex acts. TPEs are contentious in the BDSM community because they can quickly lead to abuse hiding behind the facade of kink.

12

The Contract Negotiation Scene Occurs Differently In The Book

The Book Negotiations Take Place Over Multiple Days

In the movie Fifty Shades of Grey, Ana and Christian don’t discuss the contract outside their meeting. They meet up in one of his conference rooms, sitting at opposite ends of a comically long table for two people. They go through every part of the contract all at once. This is vastly different from the E.L. James book.

After Ana reads the contract, they communicate about Ana’s issues with some of the points over email. Then, they meet up at a restaurant to discuss the contract further. However, she becomes overwhelmed and leaves, waiting to discuss the soft limits another day. This more drawn-out version of their negotiation was likely condensed for narrative purposes, allowing audiences to get the gist without it taking too long.

11

Christian Is Obsessed With Ana’s Eating And Exercising In The Fifty Shades Of Grey Book

Christian’s Obsession With Ana’s Eating And Exercising Is Dangerous

A highly disturbing part of the Fifty Shades of Grey book is Christian Grey’s obsession with Ana’s eating and exercising. He includes clauses about her eating only foods from a prescribed list and not snacking ever. He also demands that she work with a personal trainer for half the week, with the trainer giving him progress reports.

Though he agrees to take out the food restrictions, he still berates her eating habits on a regular basis. Pretty much every time they eat a meal together across all the books, he harasses her about what and how much she consumes. Ultimately, it’s positive that the movie chose to minimize these harmful ideals, only briefly mentioning them when she refuses to agree to the food clause.

10

The Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Removes Ana’s Crying

Ana Constantly Cries In The Fifty Shades Of Grey Book

The first movie rarely shows Ana crying, but a major feature of the Fifty Shades of Grey book is the fact that she bawls after almost every interaction with Christian, sexual or not. It’s established earlier in the series that she doesn’t often cry. This dichotomy points to the mental distress and abuse that she faces throughout the story in the name of “love”.

By removing this aspect of Ana’s character, the movies paint Christian and Ana’s relationship in a happier light. She might feel unsure about submission, but it doesn’t cause her to constantly question why she isn’t good enough for him. The change seems insidious, since the movie still portrays a highly abusive and manipulative relationship.

9

Christian Has A Closer Relationship With “Mrs. Robinson” In The Books

Christian And Elena, AKA “Mrs. Robinson,” Have A Disturbingly Close Friendship

In the Fifty Shades movies, Ana learns that his mother’s friend, whom Ana calls Mrs. Robinson, introduced Christian to BDSM through repeated sexual assault. The woman groomed and abused him from the age of 15 to 21. Christian has a continued friendship with Mrs. Robinson, but they aren’t as close as they are in the books. In the books, Ana learns that they have a business together, and Christian meets with her to talk on a regular basis. He tells her all about his emotions, past, and relationships in a way that he only otherwise does with his therapist.

8

Christian Goes To Therapy In The Fifty Shades Books

Christian’s Therapist Dr. Flynn Is Removed Entirely From The Movies

One of the most perplexing changes in the Fifty Shades movies is that they took out Christian going to therapy. In the books, Christian’s therapist, Dr. Flynn, is mentioned and shown multiple times. Christian tells Ana that some of the conversations they’re having are uncomfortable because he only talks this way with two people – Dr. Flynn and Mrs. Robinson.

It’s a shame that they didn’t include this. Men are societally expected to tough it out rather than get help, and the writers adapting the story had the chance to show a man in power willingly going to therapy for his trauma and mental health.

7

Christian Doesn’t Charm Ana’s Dad At Graduation In The Movie

Christian And Ray Bond Over Fishing

Most of the scenes changed in Fifty Shades of Grey relate to sex, but a peculiar change happens after the graduation ceremony. In the book, Christian meets Ana’s dad, who’s hard to impress. However, he charms him by discussing fishing, which Christian knows Ray likes. Instead of this, the movie shows Christian and Ray meeting very briefly. Kate says that Christian is Ana’s boyfriend, and Ray asks how long they’ve known one another. That’s the extent of their interaction. Since Ana and Christian get married in Fifty Shades Freed, it seems silly to leave out the connection between the men.

6

The Movie Minimizes Christian’s Manipulative And Stalker Behavior

Christian Is Much More Overtly Toxic In The Fifty Shades Books

There’s no doubt that Christian stalks Ana in the Fifty Shades movies. After all, he shows up uninvited at her work, her bar, and her apartment. Despite all these instances, the stalking and manipulation are so much worse in the Fifty Shades books. He uses threatening and controlling language before she even verbally agrees to BDSM. He does all the aforementioned actions as well as lovebombs her by sending a laptop, first edition books, a Blackberry phone, and a car to her. The phone is given so that he can reach her at all times.

He finds her address without asking. He isolates her from her friends and family and harasses her for not replying to his incessant emails and texts. In Fifty Shades Darker, he buys the publishing house where she works, taking away one of her only forms of autonomy. When a dance with Ana is auctioned off at the masquerade ball, Christian also pays $100,000 just so that she can’t dance with anyone else.

5

The Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Erases Ana’s Internship

Ana Doesn’t Work At SIP In Fifty Shades Of Grey

In the second half of the Fifty Shades of Grey book, Ana gets an internship working at a publishing house called Seatle Independent Publishing. This gives her the chance to work in her dream field of work. However, Christian continually pesters her by emailing her and texting her at work, expecting a response right away. This never appears in the movie.

In fact, Ana is not shown to have a job after graduation in the first movie. Though this change might seem like a necessary change to condense the story, it actually is a detriment to the movie because Ana has no life outside of Christian by the end of Fifty Shades of Grey. Her entire autonomy has been stripped from her.

4

Christian Intentionally Gets Ana Drunk To Coerce Her In The Fifty Shades of Grey Book

A Disturbing Scene Of Coercion Doesn’t Appear In the Movies

E.L. James wrote a scene in the Fifty Shades of Grey book after Ana’s graduation where Christian intentionally gets Ana drunk on champagne so that she’ll be honest with him because he says she overthinks everything and is “reticent” – as if that’s a bad thing. He thinks she’s more honest when she’s inebriated. This not only denies her any privacy in her thoughts but also draws into question any of the things she consented to while in this state. A drunk person cannot consent.

The fact that Christian thought it was okay to ply her with alcohol to get what he wanted shows that he doesn’t really care about her. While it’s positive that the movie removed this more egregious act of manipulation, it makes the other forms of manipulation included in the movie less noticeable.

3

Kate Doesn’t Find Out About The Contract In The Fifty Shades Darker Movie

Kate Flips Out When She Learns About The BDSM Contract In The Book

In the Fifty Shades movies, Kate plays a relatively small role, only showing up occasionally because of her relationship with Eliot. However, she has a big role in the books. A major moment of contention between the Fifty Shades characters Ana and Kate occurs when Kate learns about the BDSM contract. Kate rightfully blows up on Ana and Christian about how absurd and manipulative the contract is. (Not BDSM. This specific contract.)

This causes Christian to burn the contract in front of them, as if that’s a normal thing to do when a person’s innocent. Then, Kate backs down when she learns they’re engaged. Instead of this dramatic scene, Kate remains blissfully ignorant throughout the movies.

2

Ana Watches Christian’s Interaction With Leila In The Fifty Shades Darker Book

Ana Leaves For Hours In The Fifty Shades Darker Movie

In both the Fifty Shades Darker book and movie, Christian forces Ana to leave him alone with his mentally unstable former submissive, Leila, after she lies in wait at Ana’s apartment. However, what happens after she leaves differs between the movie and the book. In the movie, she walks around for hours. In the book, she goes across the street with Ethan – Kate’s brother, who is completely removed from the movies – to a café where they watch everything that occurs between Christian and Leila. She sees Dr. Flynn arrive with other professionals in order to escort Leila to a hospital.

1

The Fight Between Christian And Ana Is Bigger In The Fifty Shades Freed Book

The Fifty Shades Freed Fight Lasts Multiple Days

In Fifty Shades Freed, Ana and Christian have a fight about Ana getting pregnant and Christian having contact with Mrs. Robinson. In the movie, Christian quickly comes to the conclusion that something must be really wrong because Ana withdraws money from the bank, which coincides with Hyde’s release. However, the fight is so much bigger and more significant in the book.

The pair spend many days apart. Then, Ana threatens to leave Christian, and he retaliates by asking her whether their relationship was all about money. Because Christian truly believes she wants to go, he agrees to stop fighting for her. Ultimately, Christian only figures out what’s going on in the Fifty Shades Freed book when he learns about Jack Hyde getting released on bail.