Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch

Director – Zach Snyder
Writer – Zach Snyder
Starring – Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jena Malone

I should warn you that the critics didn’t like this movie at all. They felt suckered possibly…or punched. Neither leaves you happy and those folks definitely weren’t jovial.

Having said that…I very much enjoyed the film.
A bunch even.

The difference is that I didn’t expect any far reaching plot or in depth discoveries about myself as a human being. Let’s look at the constituent parts…

Zach Snyder brought us 300 and Watchmen. Two visually stunning movies…but in both cases the story is already written. 300 is a brutal and heroic tale from history while Watchmen is a morality play of the best sort…but a comic book that left little need for interpretation.
Perhaps Mr Snyder needs to work on his writing, but as for directing he has a talent for the grand and the beautiful. This movie is definitely both of those things, with overwhelming fight scenes that the critics will tell you were unbelievable and over the top.

The story is about an abused girl sent to a mental institution by her greedy stepfather. She escapes to a fantasy world to deal with the horrors of her situation. There is plenty in that setup to allow a viewer to ask for something…anything deep and meaningful. So I can’t really blame the critics when they are disappointed…but honestly…

Emily Browning is a newcomer. I can’t tell you that she did a poor job, but she won’t be nominated for an Oscar either.
Vanessa Hudgens is here not because she’s an action star…but because she’s a pretty face that some of you will recognize.

So what exactly is this film?

This movie is hot chicks battling dragons, robots, orcs, and Nazis…
Nazis!
With crazy explosions, guns, weapons, and lap dances…
Sexy sexy lap dances.
And let me tell you folks…that’s all I expected. Hot chicks, crazy battles, and explosions.
I was not disappointed in the slightest.

I can tell you that I really liked the way they bounced between imagination and reality, that at times it was a little bit confusing but not enough for me to mind. I appreciated that they grabbed you right at the very beginning and threw you straight into the movie. I didn’t like the gimmick they used to actually begin the crazy fight scenes…but eh…I don’t have a good alternative to offer so eh…

Whatever…you know what to expect now. I’m ranking it fairly high, number 4 for the year…but you also know what I was looking for. Keep that in mind.


- fierce as any dragon