Watch Fifty Shades of Grey online: Child-friendly version of soft porn film uploaded to YouTube

A version of the hotly anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey film has already appeared online, however it might not be the version that many fans had been hoping for.

YouTube user Mcsevencz uploaded more than two hours of varying shades of grey to the video-sharing platform, much to the amusement of YouTube users.

The video has already received almost half a million views since it was uploaded on Valentine's Day and has been 'liked' more than 9,000 times by viewers.

The film, based on the novel by E. L. James, is yet to appear online but is expected to be released through popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and iTunes later this year.

Since its theatrical release on 13 February Fifty Shades of Grey has already been setting box office records in the US.

The $40m production tells the story of a college student, played by Dakota Johnson, who meets a billionaire playboy with a penchant for submission and safe words.

"We worked to make this film accessible to the widest audience possible," said Nick Carpou, Universal's president of domestic distribution.

"The campaign was carefully crafted to highlight the quality of the production value and to heighten the romantic aspect of the storyline and the interpersonal relationship at its heart."

The production value of the version that appeared on YouTube over the weekend may not be up to Hollywood standards but it should be safe from the ire of religious groups, who have criticised the film by saying that it degrades women and endorses sexual violence.