Sci-Fi Guilty Pleasure which could have been much better

Rating: 3/10 (4 July 2011)

Zack Snyder's latest venture is surely something to look at. It seems that he did an internet poll for gamers, sci-fi fans, geeks etc and then made the movie tailor-made for them. Its got steam-punk, ninja warriors, dragons, planes and last but not the least babes. Action is just breathtaking in some scenes. For a gamer like me there are hints of Mortal Combat and Unreal Tournament and everything else I wanted.
Story idea is decent. The main protagonist is Baby Doll who is a mental patient in a facility. But she imagines it as a kind of sleazy club where girls dance for the customers and then the customers can use those girls. And when she starts dancing she imagines it as elaborate fight scenes in a different world. So it is a fantasy with in a fantasy, and the three layers overlap.
Now for the cons. The only thing missing is a strong connection between the actors and the audience. We see them going through the motions but we never root for them. We just love some action scenes and the rest seems like background noise. Sucker Punch works more in parts rather than as a whole. And the disappointment you feel is more because of missed opportunities. With a better script and better actors it could have become a sci-fi classic. Instead it is just a summer blockbuster.