I saw Sucker Punch this week. There was a lot of build up for me, as I had heard about this movie quite a while ago and it had my interest from the start.
On my way to work, I happened to hear a movie critic on the morning show I listen to. He said it was a video game movie for adolescent boys. Unfortunately, I think this was meant in a negative way. His review prompted me to go online to read a few more of the reviews. Rotten Tomatoes scored it 20%. That's brutal! Still, I firmly believe in making my own opinion and it is out of character for me to look at movie reviews before going to a movie anyway.
I will start by saying I am one of the few people who liked the movie. Why? Because I am a man who likes: a giant orc samurai wielding a mini-gun, WWII Nazi steampunk zombie armies, fire breathing dragons, & assault rifle wielding kickass girls. Add a very dark story, loud 70's & 80's anthems, & liberal use of slow motion and you have Sucker Punch. I figured the visual effects would be amazing and they didn't disappoint. But I was hoping that there would be some sort of story thrown in there. There is. This was a movie that had me thinking afterward, how do I interpret what I just witnessed?
The plot it fairly straight forward, but there is the fact that the storyteller is in a mental institution and facing a frontal lobotomy. How much do you trust the unreliable narrator? The narrative is confusing. There are effectively 3 levels of reality. The black & white world the movie starts in, a brothel that Babydoll goes to once within the mental institution, and the fantasy world where the Matrixy action scenes take place. The lines between these worlds becomes crossed at the end of the movie. The editing makes for various interpretations of the story. My interpretation of the story is that Sucker Punch is about the main character's transition from reality to a new reality or world that will be based in her mind due to her "procedure".
My criticisms? Due to the nature of the plot there are throwaway and under developed characters. Admittedly, my version of the story may be completely different than what the director/writers intended. During my journey, the main character effectively lives on as a different character in her mind. I think this is the hardest concept to accept. You become totally invested in the main character Babydoll and in the end she becomes the less developed character Sweet Pea.
At the same time, it is the very faults of Sucker Punch that make me like it. I don't really know how to accept the story. Some points are not clear or spoon fed to you. Were these plot holes intended or due to editing or my faulty memory? I can't wait for the DVD to come out, so that I can see the deleted scenes, and hear the commentary of what the director intended. Maybe I just need to see the movie again? Either way, I liked Sucker Punch. I cannot recommend it to everyone. Clearly, it is a polarizing movie by the reviews. But I am recommending that you go in with an open mind.
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