Sucker Punch

I’m starting to think that I should impose some sort of budgetary limit to the movies I review for The C Word.  This is the second movie in a row that has some pretty serious cash behind it - $85 million may not be on the level of Rango, but damn, that is a lot of money.  That is almost 3 times the amount it cost to make District 9 and I didn’t even review that!  But I can justify this, I swear!  After all, is it really the budget that makes a cult movie? No.  It is the lack of interest from the general population that marks a potential cult movie, and Sucker Punch has that in spades!  Therefore, it has a right to be here.  So there.

Anyone who has seen the trailer for Sucker Punch is aware that it is pretty much random collection of things geek love blowing each other up for 110 minutes or so.  The question then becomes: is that actually interesting for a full 110 minutes?  And the answer?  Kind of.  I think I can best summarise by saying that I want to like it more than I actually did.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!!!!

The first question to ask yourself is: Did you like Zack Snyder’s other movies?  If you had even the vaguest feelings that they were not substantial enough you are probably in trouble.  Zack Snyder is often criticized for being all style and no substance, and while I do not think that is necessarily true for his other movies, it is most definitely the case for Sucker Punch (and 300, if anything that movie is even more hollow).  Fortunately for me, I like Snyder’s style enough that Sucker Punch was still worthwhile.
It is hard to define exactly what Sucker Punch is trying to be.  The plot is very similar to Brazil and Pan’s Labyrinth, although in terms of execution it kept making me think of Scott Pilgrim Versus The World.  The structure of both movies is clearly inspired by video games, but Scott Pilgrim does a much better job of turning level based gameplay in to a cohesive narrative structure.  I think that is actually Sucker Punch’s biggest problem: the fantasy bits (levels) are really cool, but there is nothing compelling that links them together.  The actual story, and even the “real-life” goals being represented by the fantasy sequences, are a just so pedestrian that it can be hard to let yourself get carried away by the movie.  I mean, sure it is cool to watch scantily clad girls fighting steam-punk Nazi zombies, but the entire time you are still aware that all that is really happening is one girl photocopies a map while another dances.  The fact that the fantasy sequences are so fucking awesome ends up just emphasizing how lame the “real” events are.
Sucker Punch aims high, setting out to take the viewer on a fantastical journey through the subconscious, exploring what it truly means to be free, but it doesn’t quite get there.  If you want an insightful reflection on those themes go watch Brazil and Pan’s Labyrinth.   All three movies end up at a similar place, but only one gives you half-naked babes fighting orcs and dragons in a WWII bomber.  Take your pick.

C

originally posted Mar. 31 2011

www.squirrelsofdoom.com