Sucker Punch” is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality
Running Time: 1 Hour & 50 Minutes
Cast:
Emily Browning-Baby Doll
Abbie Cornish-Sweet Pea
Jena Malone-Rocket
Vanessa Hudgens-Blondie
Jamie Chung-Amber
Oscar Isaac-Blue Jones
Carla Gugino-Dr. Vera Gorski
Scott Glenn-The Wise Man/The General/The Bus Driver
Jon Hamm-The Doctor/High Roller
Malcolm Scott-The Cook
Gerard Plunkett-Baby Doll’s Stepfather
Directed by Zack Snyder
Director Zack Snyder has quickly made a name for himself since his debut in 2004 with “Dawn of the Dead,” a remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 classic zombie film of the same name. He followed with two comic book adaptations in 2007 and 2009, Frank Miller’s “300” and Alan Moore’s “Watchmen.” He’s been locked in to helm the reboot of the next “Superman” film due in December, 2012, with Christopher Nolan as producer. Unfortunately, Snyder’s recent work leaves much to be desired. His first foray into animation, “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” adapted from Kathryn Lasky’s series of fantasy books of the same name, received mixed reviews and little audience attention. His latest, the action-fantasy “Sucker Punch” is right up Snyder’s alley with its images of skimpy-clad women wielding all sorts of weaponry. While “Sucker Punch” features some ridiculous action scenes and unique visuals, none of it amounts to anything as the story is a convoluted mess with virtually no character development. Shakespeare says it best in Macbeth: ‘It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’
In 1955, a 20-year old girl nicknamed Baby Doll (Emily Browning) is sent to the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane by her cruel stepfather after she attempts to kill him, but accidentally shoots her sister instead. The stepfather bribes a corrupt orderly named Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) to forge the signature of the asylum’s main therapist, Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino), and have Baby Doll undergo a trans-orbital lobotomy. With the Doctor (Jon Hamm) arriving in five days, Baby Doll retreats into a fantasy world where she imagines herself as a new arrival at a brothel/strip club run by Jones, with Gorski serving as the girls’ dance instructor. Set on escaping, Baby Doll befriends four other dancers, Amber (Jamie Chung), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Rocket (Jena Malone) and her older sister, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish). Their goal is to retrieve five items: a map, fire, a knife, a key, with the final item being unknown. Whenever Baby Doll dances, she again retreats into another fantasy world where she and her friends are dressed in skimpy, burlesque clothing wielding swords and assault rifles, battling all sorts of monsters. This world reflects their attempt to retrieve said items. Baby Doll, along with her friends, race against the clock to escape, as she has been sold to ‘the High Roller’ (also Jon Hamm), who will be arriving in five days.
I must say, Snyder certainly has quite the imagination (or should I say fetish) but he really can’t write worth a damn. “Sucker Punch” is what would happen if “Inception” was written by a horny thirteen-year-old boy. The story is a total mess and none of it ever makes sense or feels compelling because there’s no emotional risk involved. The girls themselves serve absolutely no purpose other than to look sexy wearing as little clothing as a PG-13 rating allows. Also, why is this film rated PG-13 when it so clearly wants to be rated R? With the exception of “Legend of the Guardians,” Snyder’s previous films have been rated R so I wonder what happened here. “Sucker Punch” strives for meaning with its themes of female empowerment, but it ends up half-baked and clashes with what we’re shown on-screen. So that just leaves the action scenes and while they’re visually impressive, it’s a given with a Snyder film. Dressed in a midriff-baring, Catholic school girl outfit and wielding a samurai sword, Baby Doll battles with giant mechanical samurai’s, with one of them firing a huge chain gun. Another has her and her friends mow down legions of German soldiers during World War II with a steampunk twist. There’s also a dragon that makes its lair in a gothic castle and a chase toward a speeding train carrying a bomb that’s headed for a nearby city. Each is more ridiculous than the last and it slows down frequently to show off the eye-candy. However, the music video vibe and the accompanying songs feel tacky and clichéd. What would’ve been the film’s saving grace ends up being dull because there’s never any sense of danger and by the time there is, I could not care less!
While the five actresses look sexy, none of them do any actual acting. Emily Browning sports the same glazed-over expression with her flat dialogue delivery. Jena Malone fares better as the ‘tough chick’ but only Abbie Cornish’s performance comes close to being three-dimensional, providing some semblance of drama. Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung end up doing very little except as window-dressing. As the villain, Oscar Isaac excels at playing a slimy sleaze-ball. Carla Gugino spends much of the film sporting a heavy Russian accent and Jon Hamm only appears in two scenes that amount to absolutely nothing. Finally, there’s Scott Glenn in an Obi-Wan Kenobi role as the Wise Man, sprouting such golden nuggets of wisdom such as, ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.’
“Sucker Punch” was released on March 25, 2011 and has received highly negative reviews, with 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Snyder’s worst-reviewed film. Critics noted that it’s ‘technically impressive and loaded with eye-catching images, but without characters or a plot to support them, all of [the film’s] visual thrills are for naught.’ Although it has a huge marketing push, the film failed to garner much attention at the box office, with a middling $19 million debut and coming in second place to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.” With only $24 million domestic, it’ll have to make up its $82 million production budget through foreign grosses. Snyder has also promised an R-rated director’s cut when it releases on Blu-Ray and DVD. “Sucker Punch” is a gigantic failure for Snyder and represents everything that’s wrong with Hollywood film-making today where the visuals have become the story without actually having a story. The action will thrill hormone-raging boys but with little of substance, the film is a dull, lifeless, incomprehensible affair that’s a waste of everyone’s talent (including Snyder’s) and time. Come on, Snyder, I know you can do better than this. Makes us proud in “Superman”!
Final Rating: 2 out of 5
“Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us…and at the same time sings that we’ll never die? Who teaches us what’s real…and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and what we’ll die to defend? Who chains us…and who holds the key that can set us free? It’s you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight!”
Check Out the Trailer:
