A Beautiful, Mind Blowing Film That Deserves To Be Seen

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 2012)

Sucker Punch Review The film is based around a simple premise- a group of girls finding different clues in alternate realities to escape the mental facility. The film starts with Babydoll being institutionalised by her wicked stepfather after her mother dies. She is then submitted into an asylum where young girls are taken to be hidden away from the outside world. Every movie goer had different expectations for this movie. It had been hyped up for the past year and after watching the trailer, I myself was looking forward to this movie as well. If you were expecting a typical male action flick like '300' or 'Watchmen' then you couldn't be more wrong. At its core it's a story about women trying to escape the grasp of the evil males surrounding them. But don't think it's an easy watch: it's not. Sucker Punch is not happy nor bright, its overall tone very bleak and disturbing. There are numerous intense scenes, and a couple which will remain in your head long after the film is over. In contrast to the dark themes of this movie, there are also many positive themes, hope, courage, teamwork, love, risk and forgiveness. It appeals to me on many levels. Like 300 and Watchmen it is a visually stunning film, and it doesn't just rely on huge action set pieces to reel in the audience. It is well directed, has a good multi-layer plot and is a brilliant example of cinematography. I (as I'm sure you have) have read reviews for this film; you either love it, or hate it. People were dismissing it as stupid or degrading to women, but I don't care, it's a beautiful film. In terms of narrative style, this film is right up there with classics such as Memento and Inception. The film is blessed with amazing action scenes and brilliant CGI, and in a way it makes directors like James Cameron and Michael Bay look like amateurs. Sucker Punch wasn't Inception or The Matrix, and it wasn't trying to be. It asks many thought provoking questions People are being abused. What are you doing about it? Is reality a prison? Why are you here? Are you here to be "corrected" or to escape? Do you want to be free, or should you just shut up and let the guards continue to take advantage of you and the other prisoners? What will it take to escape? Are you willing to risk your life in the quest for freedom? Sucker Punch is mind numbingly brilliant; I can't put into words how much I enjoyed the film. You have to watch it with an open mind, and watch carefully, because the plot is multi layered and cleverer than you think it is. It's a fresh, haunting and mind blowing movie that MUST be seen. 9/10