Sucker Punch, which has been rated PG-13, has the plot within the plot within the plot. It is a fantasy world within a fantasy world within a fantasy world. It is a mess on many levels and is a fairly hard film to review. There is a main plot very loosely dispersed throughout the movie, but it is so muddled by the other layers that it is very hard to tell what is actually going on.
Sucker Punch is all about how a girl named Baby Doll, who has been lobotomised due to her stepfather's greed and how she escapes from the asylum. Snyder, who helmed such techno-thrill adventures as Watchmen, lets his imagination run riot again in this ultra-violent potboiler that unravels like an expensive video game. He has worked extra hard to insert high outlook into every single. His brain is geared towards directing and visuals.
The mother of Baby Doll (Emily Browning) dies leaving behind her estate to her two daughters in 1955. But Baby Doll is institutionalized by her stepfather at the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane after accidentally shooting her sister while trying to prevent him from molesting them. He even bribes asylum’s orderly Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) to lobotomise her before she reveals the reality. She has five days before the Doctor (John Hamm) arrives to lobotomize her. She befriends Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung) in the asylum. How she escapes from there along with them with the advice of Wise Man (Scott Glenn) will form the rest of the story.
Zack Snyder has been in his characterisation and has given enough scope to explore its strength. Although all character looks like an angel does not appear to be in real wold, each has its own strength and credibility to make the audience sit back and watch the movie till its end. The director is also successful in tapping out the right kind of acting from all the actors like Emily Browning, Oscar Isaa, John Hamm, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Scott Glenn.
Sucker Punch has sound technical elements Larry Fong's cinematography is excellent. The plot is just something that is there to explain the visuals in the same way that a video game and the camera never stops moving. There is never a scene without multiple things going on and it is hard to follow. It is like watching the world through the eyes of a hyper-active kid. Tyler Bates and Marius de Vries' music is mind(less)blowing. William Hoy's editing is also commendable.
Overall, Sucker Punch is a fantasy world. It is a video game and has massive fights, which do look great. Moreover, it has a message that each human being has some tools, but he/she has to decide what is worth fighting for. All the character and scenes are symbolic. It is a mindblowing entertainment and Snyder is to be commended for attempting to do something totally original. It is a visual feast.
Producer: Zack Snyder
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac
Music: Tyler Bates and Marius de Vries
Scriptwriter: Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya
Download All Images as Single File
