I wanted a lobotomy after seeing this

Rating: 1/10 (23 June 2011)

Sucker Punch is yet another plot less, stretched out music video posing as a film for 'kids.' How this managed to garner a PG13 rating disturbs me. All this film manages to achieve is showing young women that you can 'handle' the most gruelling sexual and physical tortures by zoning out and regressing to your 'happy place' while they're happening- and in your happy place, you will still remain a sexualised caricature of yourself.
*Clichéd imagery of mental institutions. Seriously, do we really need to see the pastiche of yet another too dark to make anything out, run down asylum where all the orderlies are bad men who want to fondle the inmates and all the women are uncaring evil crones? It's like the Snyder got given a handbook for Most Successful Scary Settings For Films for his 13th birthday, read the first page and got cracking on his 'inspiration board.'
* All of the male roles are sexually and physically violent, manipulative, capitalistic, greedy and opportunistic- there is not one redeeming male role who could give a counter argument to this disturbing portrait. Oh except for the man who exists in 'Baby Doll's' dream state- the only older character, who flips from faux Japanese Zen master to Army Drill Sergeant in different 'dreams', but who maintains consistently the role of sage adviser (even as a hokey bus driver in the end). This character is castrated from the above mentioned 'typically male' characteristics by his age bracket- through being older he has been rendered symbolically impotent and therefore he ceases to be sexually or physically threatening to the young women and can go about doling out his fantastic wisdom as he fancies- to which of course, the ecstatic girls listen and obey attentively. Why would a girl who had been attempted raped and abused by multiple men choose a male apparition in her dream state to be her spiritual adviser? That is not only not believable, but also highly insulting. Did the male writer's even consider this? Here's one of his witticisms:
'Don't ever write a check with your mouth you can't cash with your ass.'
Interesting advice to a band of girls' trying to escape sexual exploitation.
* The disturbingly young appearance of the female lead is horrifying. The writers clumsily make a point of mentioning the character of 'Baby Doll' is 20 (on her asylum admittance forms), because if they hadn't, you could swear she wasn't a day over 12. She barely speaks throughout the entirety of the film, and her overly puffy lips and stupid doe eyes reduce her 'acting' to that of an animated Bratz doll.
For a very good portion of the film this character does not utter a single word, even while watching her step father rape her younger sister, or watching an ally being shot point blank in the head, or stabbed in the chest (yes, that's right folks, if you're into watching young girls in corsets and fish nets being murdered then this film is for you!)- where are her screams for help? Why is this 'heroine' silent? The girls never use their voices, their intelligence to get themselves out of trouble- the writers' allow them two tools- exploiting themselves as sexual objects, and weapons- lots and lots of weapons. Here is a news flash to writers out there: IF YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE TO RELY ON A TRUCKLOAD OF MAGICALLY NEVER ENDING WEAPONS, THEY ARE NOT STRONG.
*We have, steam punk zombie Nazis , warlocks and some further faceless, medieval soldiers in one dream sequence involving a dragon.
The girls NEVER defeat anyone human. Even in her fantasy Baby Doll is not strong enough to defeat a man. The fight scene participants have to be reduced to mutant or re-animated men to be defeated. No 'men' we're killed in this film. Not one.
* The costumes are repulsive. The majority of the time the girls appear in corsets and fishnets, and I'm not even going to bother going into why this is a problem, because if you can't figure it out for yourself then I'm guessing you probably really enjoyed this film and got a bit moist in the nether regions over it.
* The only female role holding a position of authority is a strip instructor who aids the men by training the girls to be sex slaves. She never displays intelligence, and is similarly over-sexed and powerless as the girls.
* In the end the female lead is lobotomised anyway. This makes the message of the film confusing and insulting. Actually, just confusing. What was the point of all this?
* The music is absolute dirge
* There is one token black guy, who plays an orderly at the very end. This film is overall, very 'white' and the only two indistinctly ethnic looking characters are shot point blank, while the white girls get to live.
I hope this film stops at least one unsuspecting girl seeing this disgusting film. I wish I never had- just more men with big money and even bigger egos craftily finding ways to put you down, while appearing like they're empowering you- while you get more confused and powerless, and they get more certain and powerful. Girls, in your dreams you aren't a stripper. End. of. discussion.