Starring: Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Carla Gugino, Scott Glenn, Jon Hamm, Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung
Written By: Zack Snyder
Directed By: Zack Snyder
Studio: Warner Bros
From Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) comes Sucker Punch, a visually exciting Fantasy world created by Baby Doll (Browning), as she tries to escape her dark realm of existence. Locked away like a Prisoner, Baby Doll looks to her fellow captives to break out and regain their freedom. Entertaining, and captivating yet the story falls a little flat for me.
Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket) plays Baby Doll, a girl who is framed for Murder at home and is sent away to a creepy, dark Mental Institution/Brothel where she is about to have a lobotomy in a few days. Struggling to stay with it, Baby Doll and her fellow captives try to explore ways of escaping this nightmare. In the “real world” Baby Doll along with Sweet Pea, Amber, Rocket and Blondie must distract the workers so they can steal items necessary for their escape. In order for the distractions to occur, Baby Doll must dance for everyone. Of course they don’t show that part, which I assume is sultry, but then cuts to a “Fantasy World” like The Matrix that Baby Doll and her captives are now in as they battle Zombie Soldiers, Massive Samurais, and Dragons.
Scott Glenn plays “Wise Man” as he is seen in the Fantasy World as different roles. He is there to give guidance and assistance to the girls as they face their next challenges. I bet David Carradine would have filled this role if he was still alive. As much as I enjoyed the battles in the fantasy world, I didn’t really get the whole point as to why they would cut there each time the girls would scramble and try to round up the pieces needed for their escape. I suppose it’s to go to that place in your mind where the real world won’t matter and you try to block out all the negative points in your life, but as far as a story it was not immediately clear either.
The soundtrack of the film was interesting. Featuring Emily Browning and other cast members, it’s all made up of cover songs like Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit and Eurythmics’s “Sweet Dreams.” The music played in the film acts like a trigger for the girls as they would be catapulted into their dream world. I thought the covers and mash ups were catchy and striking. Normally, I wouldn’t enjoy something like this but it meshed nicely in the film.
The extras featured are a look at the soundtrack as well as the Sucker Punch Animated Shorts. With Maximum Movie Mode, Director Zack Snyder takes you into the film with anecdotes, commentary, storyboards etc. The film itself looked amazing in High Definition. Visually stunning, your mind is just trying to process all the cool imagery on the screen. Overall though, I enjoyed the film, but felt a bit confused on what was going on in the real world and fantasy world.
Features:
-Maximum Movie Mode: Explore the Fantasy World – Director Zack Snyder hosts this over-two-hour expedition into Sucker Punch’s real and fantasy worlds, including director walk-ons, picture-in-picture commentary, storyboards, interactive galleries and more
-Original Sucker Punch Animated Shorts – Experience the jaw-dropping prequel stories of the movie’s 4 fantasy realms:
-Feudal Warriors
-The Trenches
-Dragon
-Distant Planet
-Sucker Punch: Behind The Soundtrack
-BD Live Enabled
-Digital Copy Of Feature Film
Video:
Widescreen 2.40:1 Color
Audio:
ENGLISH: DTS-HD MA 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French
Bottom Line: A visual spectacle with some fun action but the story lacked
Running Time: 127 mins
Rating: R
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: