An intelligent film with a blockbuster feel

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2012)

It's important that you understand from the outset that this film is not about dragons, machine guns, katanas, mechs, demons, or zombie Nazis. Instead, it is first and foremost about a young woman's quest to return home from a terrible, cruel place, and overcoming terrible situations through will, introspection, and the power of the mind. This could have been a much darker movie, focusing on the insane asylum, and a bunch of crazy, disheveled, medicated chicks trying to escape...but Snyder and Shibuya found a much more imaginative and entertaining way to tell their story. As I said above, the movie isn't about dragons, machine guns, katanas, mechs, demons, or zombie Nazis...but if you can work those things into it, why wouldn't you? Why not infuse the flick with martial arts, bombs, a high-class-whorehouse theme, awesome special effects and camera work, and a cool soundtrack? Why not transform the girls into sexy, confident, dressed up ass-kickers?
I can see how the brilliance of this film can be lost on some viewers. If you go in expecting a blockbuster action flick, you may focus more on the great audio/visual aesthetics, and not pay attention to the little nuances and references in the script that are so critical to really appreciating the movie's intelligence.
I will concede, however, that the PG-13 rating, a few cliché lines, and the casting choices for the patients gave this movie an intended-for- teenage-girls feel at times. Also, character development is thin, except for Browning's character. According to IMDb, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, and Angelina Jolie were attached to this movie at some point. Too bad they didn't end up in this movie, because I feel that those three would have added credibility, veteran experience, and individual character beyond their roles.
Still, I was pretty impressed with Browning, who capably harnessed passion and non-verbal cues to convey the internal struggle that is so central to this film--I was completely captivated by her (and not just because she's extremely hot), but I didn't even realize until later that she didn't speak a line until about 20 minutes into the film, despite clearly being the centerpiece of all of those important, telling opening scenes. To that end, Gerard Plunkett was a very capable evil man of few words. Also, Scott Glenn was awesome in his David Carradine-like role of the Wise Man. The clear standout in this film, though, was Oscar Isaac. From low-budget, fast-talking hustler to ruthless, angry pimp, this guy was everything you could have wanted out of Blue Jones.
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