Don't be a Sucker, Give it a Punch

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2011)

Let's be honest with the critics, if any of them liked a movie like this they would be fired. Unfortunately these days they give the same old repeat romantic comedy a higher rating than a masterpiece such as this. Also unfortunately, because of the bad hype, the movie isn't doing so well, which means we may not get another great cinematic adventure anytime soon. When the critics started bashing it, I was a little concerned and hesitant to see it. However, when I finally made it to the movies, I was FAR from disappointed.
Is this movie any good? YES. Maybe I'm biased by being a huge Zach Snyder fan, but he works his genius in this one just as he did with 300, Watchmen, and Dawn of the Dead. Okay, the screenplay is no Social Network, and there will be no Oscar nominated actors (especially after what the critics did to this movie), but that is not what Zach Snyder is all about, and that's not what made him such a breakout director in the first place. He combines absolutely amazing visual effects with Booming music (an amazing soundtrack by the way, it did so much for the movie). Having said that, the screenplay and acting aren't bad at all. Baby Doll (Emily Browning) although quiet throughout the entire movie is still very intriguing. Oscar Isaac does an amazing job with his creepy pedo mustache at being the central villain who you love to hate. As much as I loved Avatar (another visually-driven movie), it had some pretty cheesy lines in it where I had to say, "Really?" Sucker-punch didn't have any cheesy moments for me. There was actually quite a bit of substance in the message of the story, it just wasn't pounded into your brain as much as the amazing fight sequences.
A lot of people complained about how random some of the fight sequences were and how they didn't make any sense. For me, that's exactly what made it work. What other movie could possibly go from fighting over sized ninja's with Gatling guns, to undead/steam punk Nazi soldiers, to freaking Middle Earth, and finally the I-Robot Tram system. Did it make sense? No. But it made each fight sequence a totally unique and complex experience, and was such a joy to the eyes.
As good as it is, there are still a few things that would prevent me from giving it the full 10. Jon Hamm? The biggest named actor in the movie had 3 lines and was in less than 1 percent of the entire movie. I personally thought that was random and hope they didn't pay him very much. Also, there is an immediate transition of reality from an insane asylum to a brothel, and this is never really explained in the movie which confused me and some of my friends. Also, you tell it was reallllly hard for Snyder to slab on the PG-13 Rating for this one. However, he was able to replace the Undead-Steampunk Nazi Soldier's blood with dust for an almost equally satisfying effect. Lord knows what he COULD have done with the some of the Brothel scenes, however he played it smart. He realized that not having an R rating with -10 minutes of bloody fights would get him +$$$ with teenage boys being able to get into the theater (I would have liked the blood though heh). Other than than these few nitpicky things, this movie was thoroughly entertaining, and you need to ignore the critics and see this puppy on the big screen.
This movie is all in the style, music, and action. Actually, I'd say this movie had more fighting than 300. The moments without fighting were just as engrossing to me. See it, if you're disappointed then go watch The King's Speech and leave this Baby-Doll alone.