Explosive fighting scenes, a captivating storyline and great acting. Or not. Don’t be suckered into “Sucker Punch” by the trailer. In reality, it doesn’t pack a punch but rather a hefty slap in the face for even going to see it.
After losing her mother, shooting her sister and being taken to a mental institution by her abusive step-father, Baby Doll (Emily Browning) plots an escape before her fatal date with the doctor for a lobotomy. After teaming up with others in the institute it’s expected that they won’t leave without running in to some problems. With five people trying to escape, not all of them do.
Baby Doll uses her imagination to transport herself to a different place each time she closes her eyes to dance. Each time she does, a certain object is needed to be obtained to help them all escape and what happens in real life is reflected in her imaginary world.
However, the way this is done is far from realistic and you have to question what was going through Zack Snyder’s mind when directing the film. Snyder has produced greats such as “Watchmen” and “300” but he got it very wrong in this film.
After a while, you could tell that the slow-motion fighting sequences were coming and after watching Browning close her eyes once again, you felt that there was far too much repetition.
As for the other actors, they were mediocre. Vanessa Hudgens (Blondie) may have been given some weapons, but her acting hasn’t come very far since her “High School Musical” days. Abbie Cornish (Sweet Pea) made a decent performance in “Limitless”, but it was far from it in this film. Jena Malone (Rocket) and Jamie Chung (Amber) were nothing spectacular either.
Some of the scenes were quite mature given that it was rated a 12A film, no 12-year-old should be taken to see it given that a rape was suggested and murders are committed.
The trailer may have made you want to go and see this film, but you’re better off saving your money. It’s a repetitive film that will bore you until the end where it then confuses people. Even if you follow the storyline, the choppy nature of the real world and the imaginary world is enough to make you wonder what is actually going on.