Summary

• The Fifty Shades trilogy was a controversial but blockbuster hit despite negative reviews and criticism from the BDSM community.
• Although criticized for portraying abusive behavior, the movies grossed over $1 billion and were financially successful.
• While each installment faced negative reception, the franchise capitalized on its steamy scenes and flocked audiences to theaters.

Starting with Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic Fifty Shades trilogy was not without its controversies, but which of the movies is the best? Springing from the mind of author E.L. James, the Fifty Shades trilogy centers on the relationship between billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), and a naive literature student named Anastasia (Dakota Johnson). Like the books that inspired them, the movies took the world by storm and managed to be certified blockbuster hits despite their overwhelmingly bad reviews. The movies boasted star power and glamour that helped elevate the steamy books into must-see movies for curious audiences.

In addition to the critics who panned the film and moralists who wanted it banned, the Fifty Shades movies also drew the ire of the BDSM community because of their negative depiction of their lifestyle. The main issue with the trilogy was that it equated consensual BDSM activity to Christian Grey's borderline abusive behavior, and it was an overall inaccurate look at alternative sexual communities. Nevertheless, the Fifty Shades trilogy passed $1 billion at the box office and became some of the highest-grossing films of their respective years.

3 Fifty Shades Freed (2018)

Closing out the trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed sees Christian and Anastasia's newfound marital bliss threatened by the arrival of a dark figure from their past. While it delivered the usual steamy scenes that put butts in the seats from the start, Fifty Shades Freed was nevertheless picked apart by critics on an even larger scale than its predecessors (via Rotten Tomatoes).

The character of Christian Grey fully entered villain status as he weaponized his sex life with Anastasia as a measure of revenge, further angering the BDSM community, and the script was downright laughable. Though Fifty Shades Freed was another big moneymaker, it mercifully concluded the Fifty Shades movie franchise.

The Fifty Shades trilogy originated as fanfiction inspired by the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer.

2 Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

Though the Fifty Shades trilogy made changes from the books, the second installment was left largely intact. In Fifty Shades Darker, Anastasia and Christian give their love affair another chance as he attempts to "go vanilla" in order to stay together. The sequel drew much of the same criticism as the original (via Rotten Tomatoes), and though there were over-the-top moments, it was mostly subdued.

The film lacked narrative thrust and mostly meandered from one plot point to the next with occasional sexual encounters to provide interest in the story. Despite all that, Fifty Shades Darker's box office take was enough to guarantee the cinematic trilogy would continue.

1 Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)

Four years after the publication of E.L. James's best-selling original, Fifty Shades of Grey captured the popular appeal of the first novel on the big screen. The adaptation follows Anastasia Steele, who after conducting an interview with the eccentric billionaire for her college paper, begins an affair with Christian Grey.

Grossing over half a billion dollars (via Box Office Mojo), Fifty Shades of Grey was one of the biggest hits of 2015. On the other hand, critics picked apart the film's flimsy script (via Rotten Tomatoes), and members of the BDSM community were quick to point out that Christian Grey's approach to sex was mostly abusive.

Though the film was far from a masterpiece, director Sam Taylor-Johnson's cinematic approach elevated the deficient script, and the Weeknd scored an Oscar nomination for his original song "Earned It." Unlike the movies that followed it, Fifty Shades of Grey has a quicker pace, rarely becomes dull, and its characters are slightly more fleshed out than their flat depictions in the proceeding installments. In the end, the erotic elements from the books were carried over, and that was what inspired audiences to flock to the theater in droves for all three of the Fifty Shades movies.