I'm going to start this review with a brief story on how I came to know of Sucker Punch. In the summer of 2009, while staying in a hostel in Vancouver, I was told I had the opportunity to go on a tour of the city's Film Studios. What was described to me was two huge warehouses that were home to the productions of various flicks, including some up and coming blockbusters. "How can I say no?", I thought. So off I ventured with a patient friend of mine, as I frantically searched the supposed area for any sign of a public tour of the lot. Instead, I encountered a bemused security guard, who told me no such tour existed, following that with a quick "please leave". As I began my journey home, defeated, I bumped into a woman whom appeared to be working on the lot. Knowing I would not get in, I asked what was currently being filmed. She told me that Zack Snyder, director of 300, Dawn Of The Dead and Watchmen, was making a film called Sucker Punch. "It's Alice In Wonderland with machine guns", she said. It was at this point that my geeky heart skipped a beat. Flash forward almost 2 years and Sucker Punch has finally been released. Did the film live up to that little tagline?
Yes and no. Yes, in that it's an absolute visual feast. No, because it's full of horrible performances, sketchy pacing and a leaky script. But firstly, the positives. Zack Snyder's career thus far is made up of one remake, two comic book adaptations and one children's animation. So with Sucker Punch, we get to see a world that he has created entirely himself. Every character, every set piece, every tiny little detail. His strength has always been his eye for action, so this was a chance to really get everything on screen. Every sequence he's ever dreamed up, he seems to have squeezed in here. In it's 110 minutes, we see the girl's of Sucker Punch fight Nazi-Zombie hybrids, bi-planes, robots, giant Samurai, Dragons and hoards of misshapen medieval soldiers. There is some truly original stuff in here, as well as some very exciting, pulse racing action.
Before I mention anything else, I must stress that I sincerely applaud Snyder for what he's tried here. No one film has come before this that you can easily compare it to. Perhaps Inception meets Alice In Wonderland crossed with 300 and Girl, Interrupted. Sucker Punch will seduce you with it's visuals, each scene brings a new altered realm like nothing you've ever seen. Unfortunately, while it's so aesthetically pleasing, at it's core it's an empty whirlwind of action.
The cast includes some greats, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm and Oscar Isaac, all manage to keep their head above water with the script they're given. It's terrible then that the core group (the incarcerated girls) are all awful. Emily Browning (A Series Of Unfortunate Events) leads the film as Baby Doll, the wrongfully institutionalized sex-pot who concocts the escape plan. It's strange then that throughout it's entirety, Baby Doll is given between 30-40 lines of dialogue, each one delivered with the energy of a Valium addict. Sure, the girls are great to stare at (and stare at them you will), but in the end it starts to feel as if the only direction Snyder gave them was "stand there, look good and say nothing".
There have been claims that the film is completely misogynistic in it's portrayal of women as nothing more than 'chicks with guns'. This is bullshit. The cast is made up of attractive young women that spend 90 minutes shooting weapons in skimpy outfits, but if they could in fact actually act, we wouldn't just be staring at them. Somewhere in there, Snyder does explore the idea of female empowerment in a male dominated environment. It's just that he's employed actresses that are incapable of showing us these ideas. There are glimpses, but every time we get a sense the film is trying to say something, it's quickly outshone by more fantastical sequences.
In the end, Sucker Punch is a big, bright, beautiful mess. It looks incredible and it's attention to detail will have you pouring over every frame. But with poor acting and a wasteful script, it's a shame we can't watch Sucker Punch on mute.
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Emily Browning, Scott Glenn, Jena Malone
Running Time: 110 minutes
Certificate: 12A IRE/ 12A UK
Released: April 1st, 2011
Yes and no. Yes, in that it's an absolute visual feast. No, because it's full of horrible performances, sketchy pacing and a leaky script. But firstly, the positives. Zack Snyder's career thus far is made up of one remake, two comic book adaptations and one children's animation. So with Sucker Punch, we get to see a world that he has created entirely himself. Every character, every set piece, every tiny little detail. His strength has always been his eye for action, so this was a chance to really get everything on screen. Every sequence he's ever dreamed up, he seems to have squeezed in here. In it's 110 minutes, we see the girl's of Sucker Punch fight Nazi-Zombie hybrids, bi-planes, robots, giant Samurai, Dragons and hoards of misshapen medieval soldiers. There is some truly original stuff in here, as well as some very exciting, pulse racing action.
Before I mention anything else, I must stress that I sincerely applaud Snyder for what he's tried here. No one film has come before this that you can easily compare it to. Perhaps Inception meets Alice In Wonderland crossed with 300 and Girl, Interrupted. Sucker Punch will seduce you with it's visuals, each scene brings a new altered realm like nothing you've ever seen. Unfortunately, while it's so aesthetically pleasing, at it's core it's an empty whirlwind of action.
The cast includes some greats, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm and Oscar Isaac, all manage to keep their head above water with the script they're given. It's terrible then that the core group (the incarcerated girls) are all awful. Emily Browning (A Series Of Unfortunate Events) leads the film as Baby Doll, the wrongfully institutionalized sex-pot who concocts the escape plan. It's strange then that throughout it's entirety, Baby Doll is given between 30-40 lines of dialogue, each one delivered with the energy of a Valium addict. Sure, the girls are great to stare at (and stare at them you will), but in the end it starts to feel as if the only direction Snyder gave them was "stand there, look good and say nothing".
There have been claims that the film is completely misogynistic in it's portrayal of women as nothing more than 'chicks with guns'. This is bullshit. The cast is made up of attractive young women that spend 90 minutes shooting weapons in skimpy outfits, but if they could in fact actually act, we wouldn't just be staring at them. Somewhere in there, Snyder does explore the idea of female empowerment in a male dominated environment. It's just that he's employed actresses that are incapable of showing us these ideas. There are glimpses, but every time we get a sense the film is trying to say something, it's quickly outshone by more fantastical sequences.
In the end, Sucker Punch is a big, bright, beautiful mess. It looks incredible and it's attention to detail will have you pouring over every frame. But with poor acting and a wasteful script, it's a shame we can't watch Sucker Punch on mute.
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Emily Browning, Scott Glenn, Jena Malone
Running Time: 110 minutes
Certificate: 12A IRE/ 12A UK
Released: April 1st, 2011
