Layer upon layer

Rating: 7/10 (1 April 2011)

They tell you in the ads that you wont be ready. That's probably true. This film is far more cerebral than the trailers might lead you to believe. But it's action packed and filled with beautiful women and some deep emotions to connect with everyone on some level. The more you get,the better the film. It blends elements of Manga, Sin City and Inception for starters and with a bleak but hopeful feeling sort of 1920-30-40 that I remember mostly from the video game Fallout, so if you were fans of any of these things Suckerpunch has something for you.
Visually stunning in lots of ways; from the Gothic comic book flavor of the "reality scenes" to the fantasy sections and then into the fantasy within the fantasy it keeps you on your toes mentally and visually.
A relatively simple plot is delivered in a complex way and forces you to hang on to the incredible coping mechanism Baby Doll creates in order to deal with her surroundings. From there she creates a mystical fantasy that transports you into her problem solving world that answers the problems she faces in the distant but harsh "real" world.
A fascinating ride for those who get it. If you were expecting a spoon feeding of a shoot'em up vengeance story from the cookie cutter plants in LA then you might miss the subtlety here, and be left wanting more. My 19 year son, who was with me, totally missed the point nd wanted more action and chicks with guns. I thought he fit the target demo pretty well. Go in with a open mind and connect everything to everything. It's all there if you are paying attention.
I loved it. It's up there on my list with Domino, Sin City, and Fight Club for getting more than you bargained for.