‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Banned in Malaysia

Fifty Shades of Grey has been banned in Malaysia after censors in the conservative country condemned the erotic film as more like “pornography than a movie”.

The film, which stars Jamie Dornan as a bondage-obsessed businessman and Dakota Johnson as his young lover, had been due to premiere in Malaysia on February 12, but it will now not be shown in country after it was deemed unfit for local audiences.

Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, Chairman of the Malaysian Film Censorship Board, tells local website Thestar.com, “It is more like pornography than a movie… The board made a decision in view of the film containing scenes that are not of natural sexual content. The content is more sadistic, featuring scenes of a woman being tied to a bed and whipped.”

British film censors have given the movie a strict 18 rating, meaning anyone under that age is banned from seeing the film, while their U.S. counterparts were more lenient – 17 year olds will be able to attend screenings in America upon its release later this month.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures