Sucker Punch, a review

Sucker Punch, a review

I think I should be honest with you readers: I'm tired of Zack Snyder.

The slo-mo, the green screen effects and yes, even the slow, though occasionally delightful music videos.

"But Burnout!" you say. "Why do you insist on liking Michael Bay films when Zack Snyder's clearly a better director?"

And there's a perfectly good explanation for that.

You see, Michael Bay is a bad director. This was a man recruited for the 'Got Milk?' commercials and seeing him do films has pretty much consistent. The thing is, he's such a lousy director it's almost humorous trying to stumble over big concepts that his films are either so brain-dead or hilarious to the point of laughing.

But Zack Snyder has potential. I see his films and I can see moments of greatness leaking out. He understands themes, big concepts and even some greater events. He has the potential to make great films but doesn't make great films, instead catering to a niche audience.

You know how they say there's a skinny person trying to escape a fat person? Well, I believe there's a good director trying to escape out of Zack Snyder.

I've had an up and down relationship with his films. I do believe 300 existed for a reason (well, other than being an instant meme.), and that was to experiment with how far can a person go with adapting a comic book with a new style. Watchmen had great moments, but felt totally off in terms of tone. (But you don't have to take my word for it! Just ask my good friend, HailtotheChimp.) Then, with something like Guardians of Ga'Hoole, I felt that he had found his groove, effectively making a 90 minute film that emotionally sustained itself. It was a great improvement for him.

But, is he going to resort to old tricks again? Let's find out in this review of "Sucker Punch"!

When a young girl attempts to shoot her step-father but instead kills her sister, she is stricken with grief. Her step-father, not wanting anyone to know about his unsavory tastes, sends her to a mental institution for a not quite legal lobotomy. In 5 days, the girl will not even remember her name. With that, she slips into a dream state being only referred to as "Baby Doll".

Sucker Punch is a dream within a dream. After being shown a brief glimpse of reality, the majority of the film takes place in 'Baby Doll's psyche. Rather than a mental institution, she's in a burlesque house where the men feel her up and the 'High Roller' will come and take her virginity.

Her plan is to trick the men who want her by dancing sensually, in which she slips into another dream state, imaging her plan to escape becomes a reality.

I was actually surprised by some parts of the film, mainly the ones recording the escape. It does delve into silly moments, sure, but the girl's motivation to escape is genuine. It does get confusing at moments, but when the final moments appear, the audience is able to piece together all the loose ends.

The film's selling point, and in my opinion, greatest weakness, are the fantasy moments when Baby Doll is dancing and slips into imagination. The action scenes are a tad bit self-indulgent, and they sometimes get caught in their own world, almost forgetting the situation at hand.

Ultimately, I did enjoy Sucker Punch. However, I do realize it will not sit well for an older audience. As for mind bending films, I prefer something akin to Inception or Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. As for the video game elements, Scott Pilgrim holds the prize. But, I will say that as far as films about imagination go, it involved me much more than last year's Alice in Wonderland.

See it at a Matinee!