Sucker Punch (2011)

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone

IMDB Page

So I have to admit: I'm no fan of Zach Snyder. I didn't really enjoy 300, and I couldn't finish Watchmen. The Dawn of the Dead remake was enjoyable, but not what I'd consider one of my favorites. This, combined with mixed reviews from friends, prevented me from going to see Sucker Punch while it was in theaters. Even after it arrived from Netflix, it say around for a while until I forced myself to watch it. So you've probably gathered this by now: I'm not a huge fan of Snyder's work. But the surprising thing is, while it wasn't what I'd consider a great movie, I found it pretty fun to watch. 

Sucker Punch follows the story of Baby Doll (Emily Browing). Her family is torn apart by the death of her mother. After being framed for the additional death of her sister, she is sent to a mental institute for women. Which turns out to be a brothel... Or something. Anyways, Babydoll and her comrades come up with a plan to escape from their prison. In order to execute their plan, they need to obtain a few objects that will aid them; like a map to find their way out, a key to unlock doors, etc.

This is where suckerpunch turns from a Life Time made for TV movie into a kickass over the top action flick: Each one of these objectives is represented by some crazy fantasy mission. Like a trench battle fighting steampunk nazi-zombie robots. Or a quest to steal a crystal from a firebreathing dragon. You get the idea.

                          Steampunk-nazi-robot-zombies. Also what Zack Snyder calls "subtlety".

Suckerpunch's best feature is probably its dense visuals. The fantasy scenes are always visually beautiful. The battle scenes also kick some serious ass. While there is definitely some very heavy use of CGI in these parts, it doesn't take away from the impact of the scenes. It actually helps with the campy, comic book style of whats going on. I found my self excited for what the next sequence would be, and disappointed when I knew they were all over.

But besides the visuals and stunning action sequences, there are quite a few flaws. The biggest being that the film probably won't appeal to a whole wide range of people. If you're not someone who likes this style of film, you'll most likely end up with a headache before its over.

"We're sorry about your migraine.. Perhaps more explosions will make you feel better?" 

Another flaw that bothers me, the biggest thing that keeps me from really liking Snyder's movies, is that it tries way too damn hard to be cool. It seems that literally every five minutes there is another slow motion montage of the action happening on screen. It feels like the film is just constantly reminding you "Hey. Look over here. See this? Steampunk-nazi-robot-zombies. Yeah. That's cool, huh? Look. You don't understand how freaking cool this is. Look. Look again. Look in slow motion. Isn't this hip? The kids are gonna love me. You old folks? You have no idea, cause you're lame. Guess what else? Freaking dragons. Look. Look at the damn dragon in slow motion. Look. Are you looking? Isn't it cool? Here's some more slow motion." 

If Suckerpunch were a person, it would be one of these guys. 

The acting was also another low point. By no means was it terrible, it just seemed flat compared to the outrageous-ness of all the action going on. Take the main character, Baby doll. She has the same facial expression for what feels like 90% of the movie. 

Zack Snyder calls this "consistency". 

Bottom Line: 6/10: Its a fun, no-brain-needed action flick, not much else. I may just be biased against Snyder, I'll admit that, but I found the same flaws here that I found in his other stuff. Suckerpunch has some pleasing visuals and impressive action sequences. It lacks in the character and story departments. And there is just way too many slow motion sequences.