Sucker Punch

Plot synopsis:
In the 1960s, a young woman nicknamed Babydoll (Emily Browning) is institutionalized by her abusive widowed stepfather (Gerard Plunkett) at the fictional Lennox House for the Mentally Insane in Brattleboro, Vermont, after she is blamed for her younger sister's death. The stepfather bribes Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac), an asylum orderly, into forging the signature of the asylum's psychiatrist, Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino), to have Babydoll lobotomized so she cannot inform the authorities of the true circumstances leading to her sister's death. During her admission to the institution, Babydoll takes note of four items that she would need to attempt an escape.
Babydoll slips into a fantasy world in which she is newly arrived in a brothel owned by Blue, whom she envisions as a mobster, where she and the other patients are sex slaves. In this realm, she befriends four other dancers – Amber (Jamie Chung), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Rocket (Jena Malone), and Rocket's sister and "star of the show", Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish). Dr. Gorski is envisioned as the girls' dance instructor. Blue informs Babydoll that her virginity will be sold to a client known as the High Roller (Jon Hamm), who is actually the doctor scheduled to perform the lobotomy. Gorski encourages Babydoll to perform an erotic dance, during which Babydoll further fantasizes she is in feudal Japan, meeting the Wise Man (Scott Glenn). After she expresses her desire to "escape", the Wise Man presents Babydoll with weapons and tells her that she would need to collect five items: a map, fire, a knife, a key, and a fifth, unrevealed item that would require "a deep sacrifice" but bring a "perfect victory". She then fights three samurai giants. As her fantasy ends, she finds herself back in the brothel, her dance having impressed Blue and other onlookers.
Babydoll convinces the four girls to join her in preparing an escape. She plans to use her dances as a distraction while the other girls obtain the necessary tools. During her dances, she imagines fantastic adventures that mirror the escape efforts. These adventures include infiltrating a bunker protected by steampunk-inspired World War I German soldiers to gain a map (mirrored by Sweet Pea copying a map of the brothel/institution from Blue's office); storming an Orc-infested castle to retrieve two fire-producing crystals from inside a baby dragon (mirrored by Amber stealing a lighter from the mayor's pocket); and boarding a train and fighting robotic guards to disarm a bomb (mirrored by Sweet Pea stealing a kitchen knife from the Cook's belt). During the last fantasy, Rocket sacrifices herself to save Sweet Pea and is killed when the bomb detonates, which is paralleled by the Cook fatally stabbing Rocket while she tries to protect her sister.
Blue overhears Blondie relaying Babydoll's plan to Gorski, confirming his suspicions that something is amiss. He has Sweet Pea locked in a utility closet and confronts the other girls backstage. He shoots Amber and Blondie and attempts to rape Babydoll, but she stabs him with the kitchen knife and steals his master key. Babydoll frees Sweet Pea and starts a fire to keep the orderlies occupied while they look for an exit. They escape into the courtyard, where they find a throng of men blocking their way. Babydoll deduces that the fifth item needed for the escape is in fact her own sacrifice. She concludes that this is actually Sweet Pea's story. Despite Sweet Pea's protests, she insists on revealing herself to the visitors, thus distracting them long enough to allow her friend to slip away unnoticed.
Back in the asylum, the surgeon has just performed Babydoll's lobotomy. Gorski notes earlier that the girl, during her short stay, stabbed an orderly, started a fire, and helped another girl escape the asylum. The surgeon is baffled by Babydoll's expression, and asks Gorski why she authorized the procedure. Gorski realizes that Blue has forged her signature and summons the police, who apprehend Blue as he attempts to sexually assault a lobotomized Babydoll. While being led away, Blue also incriminates the stepfather. Babydoll is shown smiling serenely, having apparently found freedom within her own inner "Paradise".
At a bus station, Sweet Pea is stopped by police as she tries to get on a bus to Fort Wayne, but she is rescued by the bus driver (the Wise Man), who misleads the police and allows her to board. Sweet Pea thanks the Driver, who tells her they have "a very long way to go".
During the end credits, Dr. Gorski and Blue perform "Love Is the Drug" in a glitzy musical sequence that includes all five female leads.

Tags: murder, stupid, cult, alternate reality, violence, flashback, insanity, psychedelic, satire, tragedy, sci-fi

Review:
Nearly every review you read for this film will say the same thing, it's a 'love or hate' movie, and there's a very good reason for this.
After absorbing myself in the world of Zach Snyder's "Sucker Punch" for a while, including one viewing at IMAX, one in my local theater, and multiple listens to the soundtrack, I felt the unusual calling to dump my thoughts out regarding this haunting, beautiful, polarizing, and brilliant film.From the first trailer I saw, I'd been anticipating the release.
You may not make it out alive, but all-that-is will benefit from your efforts.Sucker Punch wasn't a mind-blower like The Matrix, but it was an entertaining, well-made action film with an intellectual layer and depth, for those who were prepared to receive it.
Some people might not like CGI, some women might be offended that this film is very shallow, violent, and very degrading towards women.This is definitely the type of movie you'll either love or hate.My only problem with the movie is that the story doesn't seem fully realized If you want to keep me interested you will need a lot more than 20 minutes of fantasy CGI sequences sprinkled throughout a 120 minute trek However go in this movie expecting to have a lot of fun!
A glorious pastiche of colour, CGI and kinesis, "Sucker Punch" even through its obvious flaws, has set a new bar for graphic storytelling that attempts to transplant the purity of imagination onto the cinema screen.Essentially cohering around a simple premise -- hot chicks kicking ass and taking names, the film's bravura opening charts Baby Doll's (Emily Browning) institutionalisation by a wicked stepfather after her mother's death and her introduction to the asylum where damaged young women are sent to be kept away from society.
She meets the people-in-charge, Blue (Oscar Isaac) and Dr. Gorski (Carla Gugino) as well as the other girls in the institute: Rocket (Jena Malone) and her sister Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Amber (Jamie Chung) and Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens).The story that follows Baby Doll reveals a larger canvas of a clever narrative conceit that coincides three realities together ("Inception" comparisons, tread lightly); the first being the asylum, the second is a burlesque brothel run by Blue and trained by Gorski and the final and most resplendent one is Baby Doll's hyper reverie focused on destroying the forces of evil -- be it shogun titans, zombie Nazis or killer androids.
What is likely to be the most underrated movie experience of the year, Zack Snyder's barrage of girls, gun and giant samurai is a misunderstood effort from the man behind 2009's excellent adaptation of Watchmen.
It should be said at this point that this review is coming from someone who openly loathes the style over substance limbo of an era in which we live, what with CGI and 3D being used as an excuse for anything considered a showcase for this technology.Sucker Punch boasted a similar exercise course of stylish nonsense yet the finished result left this reviewer in a state of pleasant surprise; the concept was highly original – though sprinkled with an influx of other influences which ultimately could have been the films downfall had the context they been used in feel more of a parody than a series of dream sequences.
A visually dazzling collage of mental insanity taken to the extreme with a fairly interesting premise that looks promising on the surface, but never truly lets you sink your teeth into the inner workings of the main character.Emily Browning plays Babydoll, a blond bombshell who is placed in a mental institution by her cold stepfather, and is then seen trying to persuade the orderlies into lobotomizing her to keep her from giving details surrounding a tragedy in her life.
However, Babydoll begins to create a dreamworld in which not only to pass the time, but to figure a way out of the asylum.As if that makes any sense whatsoever, here are the main problems with Sucker Punch that's been plaguing modern cinema; no plot and character development.
It just goes thru the motions and despite having a nice premise to go on, the film feels like a half-ass-ed attempt to be something new and fresh.Sucker Punch has some merits.
Watching it is sort of like looking at a silent film on steroids but minus the heart and soul of that bygone era.The incredible aesthetic beauty and action choreography are a lot impressive than Snyder's 300.
But the problem with Sucker Punch is that even in a fantasy film, or any action film for that matter, you have to put effort into making the audience care for your characters no matter how good looking the action and special effects are.
The girls have five days to see through their plan before Babydoll is lobotomized.Okay, this movie is no Inception but I can see why some may think of it when watching Sucker Punch.
To escape her unfortunate reality Babydoll escapes into a dream world set up like a high class brothel which she uses dance to escape into other branches/levels of reality where the girls fight fantasy creatures in search of the five items they need to escape.Well this is a Zack Snyder movie, so if you will complain about anything in this movie it shouldn't be the graphics.
The movie had several twists and turns that will hit you like a "Sucker Punch." You won't expect some things.
Listening to Emily Browning's adaptation of Eurythmics's Sweet Dreams, i must say i found some decisions in the movie-making process very bizarre, decisions made mainly by Zack Snyder, coming right out of the blue.For example, he wrote the script directly as a PG-13 movie, something very untypical for him.In an interview, he stated, that the movie was already to cruel and the story itself was too hard on viewers for him to make it an R-rated movie.So he did it directly for PG-13.When does that ever stopped him to do it.In Watchmen, there were some pretty intense and gross, so to say, scenes, that it was hard to bear.And in Sucker Punch, the opening scene was intense, full of emotions, so was the ending as well, but that's not a reason for Zack no to do what he's best at.So that was a sucker punch for the audience, and as well a reason for the movie not to fit in to the frame of most Zack Snyder movies.Even his remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead was performing better at the domestic box office in it's start, not to mention Watchmen and 300.Besides that, there are some plot holes to be seen here or there, acting to be improved and some other details, that need to be touched to be perfect.So saying all that, i shall explain why i'll rather give the movie the full note than apply those weaknesses to the note.Zack Snyder has those skills, i personally think no other director has.He has the ability to speak to the audience with his style with what we see on screen, combined with the powerful soundtracks and songs he and Tyler Bates, the composer, use.He lets his visually rich and upgraded style speak for himself, and that's very unique for him and for the movies he make.There literary is no dialogue in the first few minutes of the movie, he allows the viewer to see and be a part of the experience, of those frames.The feeling in the viewer is stronger when it's all shown, rather than spoken of.Actions are stronger than words.And Zack Snyder knows that.With him words are not necessary for the strenght of a movie.And that he makes perfect good use of.That's what's impressive with his work, and that's why i'll give the full note to the movie, as i did to 300 and Watchmen despite some flaws and holes.Otherwise, the CGI was great, the movie as a whole is a visual masterpiece and people will see that a lot of effort and commitment is sacrificed for the quality, the movie has.The crystal clear shots, made a little 60s like, are great and the fight sequences and than the train and castle sequences in the imaginary world, that Babydoll's in are great.So there can't be any complaints about that.The acting was something that could've been up a little bit.Emily Browning is very lovable and convincing in her role as Babydoll, a young girl, who experienced the death of her mother and sister, and her stepfather, involved in it.He institutionalizes her and she reprises this part of her role almost perfect.She has the needed experience from her last movie, The Uninvited, where the role is very similar to this one, at least most of it.Shid did a perfect job with the other part of her role as well, being a somewhat silent but very skillful and good looking deadly warrior, killing everything in her way to survive in the imaginary world she creates, in the brothel and in the mental institution she's at.Abbie Cornish was also solid in her role as one of the girls in the facility.Vera Gorski and Blue Jones, played by Carla Gugino and Oscar Isaac were good as well, although his role is very unpleasant so to say.So the acting was good and it's obvious, that the cast had a great time together.That's mainly because of another great choice Zack Snyder and Tyler Bates've made.They let Emily Browning, who, aside from her acting skills, is obviously a talented singer as well, perform some of the songs, for example Sweet Dreams and Asleep, both of witch were reprised and remade perfectly for the film.The voices of the other actresses can be heard in the background of the songs.So that made a great bond between the actors and what helped to improve the movie.So with some great decisions from the team and some great performances from the cast (mainly Emily Browning pulling the movie forward), the movie ended up as a very entertaining movie-going experience, sad and intense at moments, breathtaking and cool in others.All in all, it could've been better but i liked it like that as well and in order to get some things straight, i'm ready to see it once more.I liked it, one of the first movies a really liked this year, and although this wasn't Zack Snyder's best effort financially, the movie definitely has it's fans, and so it marks the true beginning of the movie season.Not Zack Snyder's best, but i'll give it the full note anyway.Bring on Superman:Man of Steel!10/10 P.S.There are tributes to some classics in the movie, classics such as LOTR, i'm sure you'll notice them :).
An impressive and inspiring fantasy movie with impressive visuals and impressive cast, a fascinating movie that tried to speak to you outside of reality, a movie that inspires you to dream, to live in a reality where you can control everything, a movie that deserves to be called a masterpiece, a movie that teaches you that it doesn't matter where you are the mind will always be our home sweet home.Strong and solid performances in the movie, worth to mention Emily Browning as the lead character that connects with the audience and Abbie Cornish as the fascinating strong headed deuteragonist, Carla Gugino outshined half of the cast with her solid performance as Dr. Vera Gorski, but Scott Glenn and Abbie Cornish are the ones that truly shine in this fascinating movie with strong and solid Golden Globe worthy performances..
Jena Malone isn't even required to do any of these things, but because she has actual experience as an actress, bothered to create a character and reflect an emotional state during the 'story.' Everyone else just showed up, put on the costumes, and talked until the director said 'cut.' Vanessa Hudgens should have been a clue.Even if the story is awful, unmemorable, or predictable (Suckerpunch is all three), other Hollywood movies may rely on memorable action sequences or visuals.
Wooden acting, one-dimensional characters, awful writing, boring and repetitive action sequences, a plot which is predictable in it's journey to no-where, a lack of meta-story, a horrible degradation of well-loved songs, evidently bad editing (which is a rare one)...
I guess that some people are looking so hard for deeper meaning that they miss the simple and obvious.If you've never seen Sucker Punch, please give it a try, and as you watch it, simply let it play out before you without trying to analyse.
Snyder clearly doesn't know how to construct a visually disinteresting shot, but it all doesn't matter because the film trips over its own feet constantly.Sucker Punch is told from the point-of-view of Babydoll (Emily Browning), a young girl who is sent to an asylum by her father after she accidentally kills her sister in the bravado opening sequence.
Furthermore, the choreography of each fight is exactly what one might expect; there isn't a single thing that excites or creates any sort of reaction.Zack Snyder has clearly stated that Sucker Punch was supposed to be 18 minutes longer with an alternate ending.
I'll admit right now that i'm in love with this movie not because of the chicks and the action but holy crap whatta bad ass movie.OK so this troubled girl (baby doll) is locked up from what seemed to be by her psycho step dad that tried to rape her or something then like always we see the main character's (Baby Doll's) struggle being locked up in a mental asylum.Hmm you're bound to be living in hell, no peace, no alone time, prison fights, just that constant clamor of feeling like you're in a small box or better yet a cardboard box without any room to think, now desperately finding a way out of a hell hole into freedom, and doing that seemed like suicide, she finds away to escape the blacked world of the cold war of a building by letting her mind do the cool part.Man its almost like inception but is not, she's in a world of her own trying to find these keys out of the asylum and along the way she meets 5 other hot babes to join along on their journey.Its has fantastic visuals i mean if this movie was in 3-D i'd watch it like 17 times its F#cking beautiful, as the movie goes into the climax you will be surprised how much hot babes can think of, slashing, dashing, shooting, hitting,you name its in the movie.In my honest opinion this movie has everything and of coarse f#cking critics are gonna hate it why?
The movie has everything a geek loves - there's Steampunk, there's Fantasy and there's Sci-Fi. Running through all this are the lead girls-with-big- guns-and-swords and the amazing fight sequences.
Here Snyder creates entertaining action sequences in the backdrop of his graphic effects and has a little help from Jena Malone and Scott Glenn's performances."Sucker Punch" is synonymous with a rolling ball of flaws attributed to a variety of different shortcomings.
It's just a mess."Sucker Punch" is like "Scott Pilgrim The Movie" in a bad way.
The perfect example of this is the doctor that lobotomizes her, having to repeat the "there was a creepy look in her eyes" speech like 5 times to make the audience believe it.It's sad that all those good action scenes fell flat for the lack of story.
if I had this one action scene alone at the end after a great movie with good characters I'd been totally happy.
Go watch the movie with this expectation and it will still blow your mind.Okay, my conscience wants me to say something more, but feel free not to read this - makes no difference.Emily Browning's deadpan expressions are a slight drawback, but then with Cornish, Hudgens, Zepplins, Monsters, Katanas and the rest on screen, you barely get to notice Browning's shortcomings..
you know a film is pretty bad when you look at the run time and think you have had your fill way before the halfway point,glad this didn't cost me anything to watch,otherwise I would be absolutely furious.
One of those "new classics" for me is Sucker Punch - a movie which promotes fighting girls (a year before Hunger Games and the inflation of men beating up girls and women hit the screen), it has stunning visuals and a story - if you care - that gives you a lot of material to think about, on top you get a certain tone of melancholia which is just superb.
Zack Snyder got at least three masterworks in his line: his version of the classic Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Sucker Punch - these movies beat easy everything Hollywood calls nowadays Blockbuster and tries to sell us - 2016 and till now 2017 are filled with disappointing bad or at most mediocre and certainly redundant outputs of the once called dream-factory: Hollywood needs to learn to dream again, and what I mean is not dreaming about making big easy cash with generic and bloodless products and big names, whose emptiness is disguised by the CGI-department (which is the only part of the filming industry that seems to make a - positive - progress).
SUCKER PUNCH is definitely one of the best presented mindless action in years, but something stopped me from really enjoying the movie like I wanted to.
The budget of this film was spent solely on special effects and did not, apparently, leave any room for pants for the women to wear.Though I thoroughly detested 'Sucker Punch' from beginning to end, it became apparent to me that the rest of the theatre actually found themselves enjoying it.So I suppose, if you are looking for some late night, 14A, fun filled with pretty colours, women, guns, and explosions, but do not care for plot, respect towards women, intelligence, and good writing or direction, this is the movie for you!.
Zack Snyder's Watchmen was an amazing movie that really developed the characters while still retaining a great plot structure and fantastic visuals and directing style.