A defence for ambition in filmmaking

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2017)

There has never been a better example of the need to have as little prior knowledge before watching a film as an indispensable requirement to enjoy said film.
Firstly, try for a moment to imagine having heard none of Zack Snyder's ridiculous notion that Sucker Punch is an empowering feminist work; it increased the scrutiny regarding the plot devices he used, which led to all those who rightly deemed that revenge rape story lines are completely unrelated to female empowerment. When just viewed as a story on its own, then I feel most fail to see the balance (or at least as close as you can get to that concept given Snyder's aesthetic) Sucker Punch achieves in addressing topics of abuse in all kinds without shying away from the consequences and without exploiting the acts themselves to generate interest. In short, I had no problems with the story or in the way it was portrayed.
In addition, a lot of viewers have complained about the covers of some of their favourite songs, ranging from the Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams, Björk's Army of Me, Queen's We Will Rock You the Pixies' Where is my mind and the The Beatles' Tomorrow never knows. I for one hold no strong feelings for the original versions of these songs (would even go as far as to say those last two are better than their original versions, mainly because I dislike the Pixies and Beatles) and was pleasantly surprised by the apt selection of accompanying tracks to the varied action sequences.
Lastly, I saw the director's cut, which is mandatory for an ambitious and indulgent film such as Sucker Punch; if you go hard, than go all the way (the closest comparison I have in this regard is the overly absurd 功夫 (Kung Fu Hustle)). Maybe this version is more clear and understandable than the theatric version as I had no problem discerning the plot and all the thematic subtexts in one sitting.
I do have the feeling at times I was watching an extended in-game cut scene, but I did not mind it at all, because this lend itself to exploring a range of video game staples, namely Nazi Zombies (thanks Call of Duty: World at War) and a variety of Japanese anime tropes (especially the excessive panty flashing in the first action sequence).
If I had to summarise, I immediately accepted Snyder's intend with Sucker Punch and he had me intrigued from start to finish. Blame my soft spot for convoluted and pretentious story lines that thrive solely on minimal information delivery, because I quite liked the ending as well