Video game, but not entirely brainless

Rating: Null/10 (1 April 2011)

This may be how things work in the creation of this CGI-intense action flick. Someone designs four video games first, featuring a group of hot sexy amazons fighting their way through an assortment of mostly faceless enemies, from orcs to Nazis to everything imaginable in between. Then, around these games, you construct the movie plot.
Be that as it may, the plot so constructed is not entirely brainless. First, think "Girl Interrupted" (1999). Prelude to the asylum however is a familiar evil step-father story the details of which I'll spare you with. Anyway, our protagonist Baby Doll (that's the names with which she is known) ends up in the asylum where she promptly forms and alliance with four girls in a quest to escape: a pair of sisters Sweet Pea and Rocket, plus two almost mandatory minority roles Blondie (ironically, Latin) and Amber (a little less ironically, Asian). I'll come to them later.
Here's where we see some cleverness, as there are two levels of imagination (or hallucination, if you prefer that), which leads you to wonder if that is Inception inspired. The cleverness is in that the first level is subject to two interpretations one of which obviously is Baby Doll's own imagination. The other is that the asylum actually uses theatrical therapy, so what happens here could be reality i.e. what is being played out on stage. What happens here is that the asylum is in fact a secret high class entertainment club with all the girls as dancers. Regardless of which interpretation, the story is the same – Baby Doll, taking over form the existing leader Sweet Pea, plans the escape quest which requires them to first acquire four objects: a map, a fire starter (lighter in this case), a knife and key.
The plot line leading into the CGI video sequences is idiotically simple but functional. When certain music is turn on and Baby Doll begins to dance, it is so mesmerizing to the audience that the other girls can go about acquiring these objects. We never see her dance though, because that is when the CGI video sequences are brought up, as something going through her mind while she dances. The story enfolds with predictable predictabilities including betrayals, deaths, sacrifices etc. The final "twist", if you can call it that, is where you find out (if you have not already done so) who the voice over narration you heard in the very beginning really is. That, of course, you have seen in other movies.
For a flick of this genre, the cast is not shabby at all. In the customary "wise man" role is veteran Scott Glenn who needs no introduction. Playing the chief villain is Oscar Isaac who recently turned in an eye-catching performance as Prince John, then later King John, in "Robin Hood" (2010). The 5 girls have their credentials. Vanessa Hudgens (Blondie) is High-School-Musical-famous. Jamie Chung (Amber) was seen recently in genre flicks "Dragonball" and "Sorority row". Jena Malone (Rocket) with a short hair style that looks suspiciously like an effort to invoke a Meg Ryan persona, would be remembered by "Pride and prejudice" (2005) as Lydia Bennet, the sister with most youthful spirit. Abbie Cornish's (Sweet Pea) outstanding performance as Fanny Brawne in Jane Campion's "Bright star" (2008) has caused critics to unanimously acclaimed her as the new Kate Winslet. No such demand on her acting abilities in this movie. Last but not least, in the lead role is Emily Browning, who held her own in "Lemony Snicker's a serious of unfortunate events" (2004) acting against the likes of Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep, at the age of 16.