A great movie in disguise.

Rating: 7/10 (24 March 2011)

While the trailer for this movie emphasizes a similarity to the action female performances of Charlie's Angels and includes computer-generated imagery to attract fans of fast paced action scenes, the movie itself goes into a deeper story line, brilliantly illustrating a key message of Buddhist philosophy. Unfortunately the appreciation of this message is likely to lost on the majority of audiences.
We begin with the main character, Baby Doll, who as a child looses everything she knew and loved, and is thrust into a harsh reality that effects so many abused children. She is forced to live with a step-father who we are led to realize treats her as a sex toy. This is not illustrated graphically, but rather by having the camera focus on the button of her clothing being thrust onto the floor.
Having decided to take a stand against her abuser, Baby Doll grabs a gun to shoot her step father. Unfortunately, as is often the case in such abusive reality, the abused is not able to finish the act and is instead further punished. Indeed, Baby Doll is not strong enough to stand up for herself, a point that is dealt with later.
Unable to control Baby Doll, the step father takes the child to the Lennox House for the mentally insane in Brattleboro, Vermont. The perceived reality of such institutions abusing their clients is brought to life in this film, where the patients are inducted into a life of bringing pleasures to high paying clients.
Realizing that this is not the reality she wishes to continue, Baby Doll is able to transfer herself to a sub reality in which she is given instructions on how she can alter her reality. Here begins her search for five items: map, fire , knife, key, the fifth item being a mystery. She is told to begin her journey, and reminded that it will set her free. While the user of the five items is instrumental to setting her free, it is the the fifth item which brings a powerful message to this movie.
For each of the items, the film transfers us to a dream world in which CGI is used to create an action packed scenes. While these dream worlds clearly illustrate Baby Dolls transformation from an individual who finds themselves to be helpless to one full of confidence, they could have just as easily been left out of the film. The serve only to attract audiences to the film.
In the end we find that Baby Doll is able to change herself, and in so doing changes her reality. The only question that remains is what reality will Baby Doll choose for herself. As the Buddhist's philosophy goes, only through deep insight can we truly change our reality to ensure happiness for ourselves and those we love.
The film answers the question of which reality Baby Doll will choose in the end, and does so brilliantly. I was extremely hesitant to view this movie based on my distaste for CGI action packed movies. True to my distaste I found the scenes to be rather mundane, fortunately they only took up about 20 minutes of the film. The ability of the director to end the film as he did makes this movie worth watching.