Great imagery, entertaining but dark

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2011)

Those familiar with director Zack Snyder's work (The 300, Watchmen) will have some idea of what to expect from Sucker Punch. But it's certainly a film that I found full of surprises as well. Snyder creates a hyper-reality full of stunning imagery, spectacular action, and compelling characters. Baby-Doll (Emily Browning) is a girl institutionalized by her brutal stepfather after the death of her mother. Once inside the asylum she quickly retreats into a fantasy world. Within this realm she develops a plan to escape, along with new friends played by Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung. The plans involves several quests within this fantasy world to collect the tools necessary for their escape – and spectacular (and violent) action sequences ensue. Sucker Punch has been panned by many critics but I think some of the criticism is a little unfair. The opening is quite brilliant, almost like a highly artistic music video, and at that point I thought I was really in for something special. However once the movie settles into the "quest" sequences it becomes a little repetitive (it's been compared to the levels of a video game), but I think the imagery and action dished up certainly makes up for it. I also found the finale compelling and unpredictable. I think the film will be a hit with young adults – it's a very cool film with an excellent soundtrack that will appeal as well. The performances of the five girls are all good, (although in my opinion Jena Malone is a standout), and the smaller roles are also solid. It's also quite a dark film, more so than I expected. Whilst the action is spectacular the overall tone is quite bleak, and I think this actually gives the film more substance. Whilst a normal action is film is quickly forgotten, Sucker Punch leaves you with a few emotive moments and striking images that linger with you after you've left the cinema.