Zack Snyder made his own Kryptonite en route to his “Superman” reboot.
“Sucker Punch,” co-written and directed by the hastily dubbed wunderkind, is a pretentious mess on a grand scale. It’s the kind of movie you’ll wish came with a volume control button and, even better, an “off” switch.
The film strives for “Inception”-level plotting but only manages to prove how hard such storytelling can be. Snyder trots out all his visual gimmicks, but without appealing characters and a coherent narrative the results are painful to behold.
It’s like a feature-length music video with under-dressed beauties who trigger your sympathy reflex, not your emotions.
“Sucker Punch” opens with a young woman (Emily Browning) cast into an insane asylum by her cruel stepfather (Gerard Plunkett). The sequence evokes memories of Snyder’s “Watchmen,” which also began with a bravura set piece sans dialogue.
The stunned woman is told she’ll be lobotomized in five days, but before that can happen the scenery abruptly changes to a whorehouse where scantily clad woman gather to dance for their male customers.
Browning’s character, quickly dubbed Babydoll, bonds with fellow captives Rocket (Jena Malone), Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung). The quintet desperately want to escape but lack the nerve. Babydoll doesn’t have the luxury of being patient, and she discovers a possible escape route.
Whenever she dances it opens up a fantasy realm the young women can enter. That leads to dizzying action pieces so dependent on CGI you’ll swear you’ve been deposited, “Tron” like, into an arcade game. The alternate universe’s one constant is a Zen-like figure played by Scott Glenn who offers the women guidance. Glenn also spouts some cliched dialogue along the way, but at least his lines represent a semblance of wisdom. The words coming out of the women’s mouths are just plain inane.
The film’s villain, a cad named Blue (Oscar Isaac, thoroughly underwhelming), may be onto their plan. But is he tough enough to beat back the rising tide of grrrl power?
“Sucker Punch” trots out a series of fantasy battles between the women and a gallery of sketchy types, from robot Nazis to ancient Asian warriors. Snyder is in his element here, but there’s nothing at stake in the clashes. The women appear invincible, so it’s only a matter of time before they emerge victorious. After a while, the skirmishes leave viewers either numb, exhausted, or both.
The female cast members grunt, groan and flash skin, but there’s nothing engaging or erotic about them. And why on Earth would Snyder make Babydoll’s dancing such an integral part of the story and then not show a step of it? We see Babydoll start to loll her head back and forth – and that’s pretty much it.
The story attempts to tackle a multitude of themes, from the power of the mind to the ability to master one’s destiny. But good luck teasing out those story strands. Snyder is far more interested in pushing the boundaries of modern special effects. If there’s ever been a better case against CGI wizardry let’s hope it never hits theaters.
“Sucker Punch” casts a pall over Snyder’s upcoming “Superman” reboot. The director proved he couldn’t hammer the unwieldy “Watchmen” comic series into narrative form, and that series only lasted a few issues. What luck will he have corralling an iconic property like the Man of Steel?
(Photo: Emily Browning plays Baby Doll, a young woman sent to an insane asylum in the new Zack Snyder fantasy “Sucker Punch.” Warner Bros.)
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s along the same lines I’ve been talking about this film. It’s flashy, but the invincibility of the women, the short pieces of action between the disappointing story and lack of emotional investment in the characters results in an uninteresting film with simple objectives. I’ve been comparing it to an adult version of a Dora the Explorer cartoon (get key, get knife, get fire, get map). Expectations were high, but was left feeling very disappointed.
I guess I saw this one coming, but I disagree in regards to ‘Watchmen.’ The film’s director’s cut really won me over.
I wished it would have been a great movie, but the rumors are proven to be true. So, I’m not surprised anymore to read all the reviews. Saw that coming too.
Also, I would argue that this film’s not being R-Rated was an early warning sign. Why not go all the way into intense ‘300′-level violence? Would have redeemed everything in my eyes.
“Bratz gone wild”? Harsh, man, harsh.
Still, yeah, I’m not exactly surprised; I figured it was something like this the first time I saw the ads.
What is the excellent Jenna Malone doing in this mess??? She usually sticks to indies and arthouse fare, with success.
Oof! Yes, the word is out on this…Krap, Krap, and more Krap.
I am deeply sorry for all you critics that were subjected to what clearly is inane Krap.
One note: What does it take, C. Toto, for you to become a “Rotten Tomatoes Top Critic”? Just asking, cuz’ you ain’t shabby.
Mike B. – Thanks for the kind words. I’m grateful to be a part of the RottenTomatoes.com universe as it is. Maybe someday they’ll teach me the secret handshake.
I loved this line from the review featured on the science-fiction blog io9:
“Sucker Punch is a message movie. If you like licking the goo out of a dormitory shower drain, you’re going to love the whack-a-mole subtlety of Snyder’s social critique.”
I found the movie to be enjoyable. The action set pieces were well done. The story was weak in places, and probably would have benefited from an R-rating rather than the PG-13. Hopefully when this comes out on Blu-Ray we will get to see the directors cut, as I found the DC of Watchmen to be much better than the theatrical release. Still, Sucker Punch made for a fun night at the movies.
It was a solid film but nothing brilliant … visually it’s arresting, story wise … not so much
I’m with Dustin of Wyoming. Weird to almost feel like Snyder knew he was holding something back for the director’s cut. Awesome soundtrack, too — damn! — especially Isaac/Gugino’s “Love Is the Drug” over the credits.
I saw it this afternoon, it lacked heart. It was a beautiful looking film though and the stylized action pieces would have been much better without the dreaded shakey cam. The CGI however is what made them so beautiful and magificent. I especially liked the samuri and dragon sequences.
I came away thinking the film had been heavily and dramatically edited. The way one particular scene was filmed at the end really looked like they had filmed one ending and then shot a completely different one later on. In anycase a lot about the ending just didn’t make sense or sit right with me.
Watched it Friday night and found it to be what I expected. If they had started the picture in a setting like that in the fantasy episodes then I would have been more forgiving. Instead they had a slow, unrealistic and simple script with weak characters.
I liked it. I don’t understand what people are complaining about story wise. Its a simple story but its also an action movie. Simplicity is nothing new in that genre. I think people were expecting a philosophical masterpiece and naturally were disappointed.
My only complaint is that it was not over the top enough, or at least not enough times. There are only 3 wild action sequences when they could have easily added more( but I assume the budget was prohibitive in that respect). I wanted something epic enough to get on DVD, yet it fell short. Great action with very impressive fight choreography(pistol+gun is rarely pulled off well), but very lame lesson that tries to get hammered into your head especially at the end.
SPOILER WARNING
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I had a big problem with the ending. Why didn’t they show Baby Doll’s face? If everything she did in the fantasy was something she was doing in reality then why the fantasy? Was Baby Doll really crazy? If she wasn’t crazy then she helped a crazy girl escape.