Zack Synder seems to be able to do no wrong. From his smash hit 300, all the way to his latest animated feature – Legend of the Guardians, it seemed like everything he touched turned to gold. Unfortunately for Suckerpunch, it looks like he might be losing his touch.
Suckerpunch tells the story of a girl, Baby Doll (Emily Browning) that was sent away to a mental asylum and is due for a lobotomy in a few days. Trying to escape reality, she retreats into her own imagination where she has to overcome some obstacles in order to escape the asylum and that’s when the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur. Or in Zack Snyder’s own words: Alice in Wonderland with guns.
Suckerpunch is a peculiar movie. On one hand you have the serious issues of an abusive stepfather, a recently passed away mother, and a dead sister Baby Doll was accused of committing. On the other hand you have this fantastic world of dancers, robots, giant samurai and Nazi soldiers. If there was a phrase to describe the movie, it would be pretty much style without substance. The ending leaves you puzzled and feeling a bit cheated when you realize that things aren’t what they seem, and if you know Alice in Wonderland, you pretty much get the gist of the movie.
The characters play their roles well. Emily Browning does a fantastic job of playing the sweet, innocent Baby Doll who brings out the guns blazing when required and the rest of the supporting cast perform their roles as side characters without any problem. That being said, none of the characters show any versatility or outstanding traits – to summarize, it’s a bunch of pretty faces playing very generic roles.
The visuals in this movie are top notch. Not as much slo-mo action we’re all used to seeing in Snyder’s movies, but the worlds are very well done. I would love to see how the movie transitioned from concept to the final set. The bad guys look bad, special effects are great, and everything is just beautiful. No complaints here.
Overall the movie is pretty much an overused storyline that brings nothing new to the table, but it does so with plenty of style. If you’re up for babes, explosions, dragons, swords, robots, Nazis, and pretty much everything that gets the blood pumping – you’ll find it in this movie. Emily Browning currently takes the cake for cutest actress ever – she really looks like a baby doll albeit one who kicks ass. If you’re planning to watch Suckerpunch – don’t analyze it, and just go along for the ride. You’ll find it as enjoyable as I did. Suckerpunch gets 6/10.