Sucker Punch Review

During the last few days, I went with a group of friends to go see the action-fantasy film Sucker Punch. Since the debut of the first trailer, I have been excited to see the movie and counted the days until the release date. Finally the day came and I journeyed to the theater, preparing for an epic to be blessed upon my eyes.

The film is directed by Zack Snyder, who is known for creating the epics 300 and Watchmen. The cast for the film includes Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jamie Chung. Sucker Punch was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters at midnight on March 25, 2011.

First Impressions

As stated before, I've been wanting to see this film since its trailer first debuted. A movie about five girls armed with guns and swords fighting samurai, soldiers, orcs, robots, and dragons is a recipe for "greatest film ever" to any guy, and as for me I was no different. Even though our group went with the regular viewing instead of the IMAX, we were enveloped by the action scenes that Sucker Punch brought us.

Plot

The film opens with a scene about the protagonist, who goes by the name of Baby Doll (Emily Browning), and her sister mourning over the death of their mother. The stepfather does not seem to be affected by the loss and goes on to read the will of the mother, only to be enraged when he learns that the mother leaves everything to her two daughters. In a fit of rage he attacks the two daughters, which causes Baby Doll to threaten the stepfather with a gun after he attempts to molest the youngest sister. Baby Doll fires the gun and misses the stepfather, but the bullet ricochets and hits the younger sister. Baby Doll then flees after the event which causes the stepfather to call the police and have the protagonist arrested. Baby Doll is then taken to an insane asylum. As Baby Doll is being shown around, we are introduced to two of the main characters: Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) and Rocket (Jena Malone). The last two girls, Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung) are introduced shortly after during a dancing routine. This is where I'm gonna stop talking about the storyline itself because I do not want to spoil the movie for anyone who wants to go see it. The film is about the five girls trying to escape the asylum, needing to gather five things that would assist them in their escape. To get these objects, Baby Doll must distract the workers of the asylum with her dance. This dance causes her to go into a dream-like world that is filled with action and danger. In this world, Baby Doll imagines her and the other girls on a mission to retrieve the object that corresponds to the object they are trying to get in the real-world. The five objects are a map, fire, knife, a key, and the fifth object is a mystery.

Visuals

The first thing anyone would probably notice in the film are the visual effects being used. As stated before, the director of this film also did the films 300 and Watchmen. If you have watched either of the two films mentioned, then you should be able to spot the same effects that were used. The beginning of the film is presented in a dark, melancholy manner as we witness our protagonist mourn for the death of her mother and the abusive stepfather attempt to molest the two girls. The alternative worlds are presented in a dream-like state, with a dark atmosphere to fit the chaotic world. The visual effects are very well done and adds more liveliness to the movie.

Audio

I will not lie to you. From the beginning of the movie to the credits, you will hear music almost non-stop. It's not a bad thing though, the music is very enjoyable. Music plays a very important part in the film, as it's what causes the girls to dance and go into their fantasy world. The combined dance beats and grunge-like feel of rock helps create the mood of the film. As stated, I enjoyed the music that was used in the movie. You'll catch yourself singing along to some of the more popular songs that were used, such as a mash-up with Queen's "We Will Rock You".

Final Thoughts

From what I understand, Sucker Punch is one of those movies that fall under the category of "You will either love it or hate it". Some of them have very good reasons, such as they feel as if the movie had plot holes in it. Others just look at it and say, "This movie looks stupid, so it's going to be stupid". I personally enjoyed this film, and I would love to have it in my collection when it is released on DVD and Blu-Ray. Although I do admit that there are a few things that could of been improved, the overall production of the film was astounding and I give it a thumbs up.