As the director of the film Zack Snyder(director of Dawn of the dead,300 and Watchmen) himself  said about the movie-‘It’s like “Alice in Wonderland” with machine guns.’ ;this movie is a stunning visual piece set on the boundary between grim reality and fantasy-where everything goes.

Warner Bros.’ official synopsis states that “Sucker Punch is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary.�

The film starts with a prologue that shows how upon the death of her mother a girl is locked up by her step father on learning that he does not have a share in his wife’s will.He proceeds to try and molest her younger sister and in trying to save her the girl ends up shooting her younger sister.The evil step dad uses this opportunity to get her locked up in a mental asylum and pays an orderly who assures him that by forging the psychiatrist’s sign he would get her lobotomised after 5 days when the surgeon arrives.The setting seems to be 1950’s -1960’s going by whatever we see of the real world.

The film stars Emily Browning as Baby Doll(the young girl in the beginning of the movie),Carla Gugino as Madame Gorski(The psychiatrist in reality),Abbie Cornish as Sweet Pea, Jena Malone as Rocket, Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie, and Jamie Chung as Amber(all Bordello/Brothel-reality names of patients).

As she faces up to the grim reality the scene changes and she enters a warped reality where she is sold off to a sleazy bordello(brothel) by a corrupt priest and the dishonest orderly is a pimp called Blue Jones who gives the girls to Madame Gorski for training in dance and then proceeds to show case them.She (Baby doll) is a virgin who is set to be sold to the High-Roller(the surgeon who would Lobotomise her played by Jon Hamm-Mad Men viewers would know him).

When she is asked to demonstrate whatever dancing skills she may have she enters a further fantasy within a fantasy where a wise  man(Scott Glenn) tells her that to get what she desires most i.e. Freedom she has to fight and acquire 5 things-A Map, Fire, a Knife ,a Key and a mysterious Fifth element which only she can determine.Thus begins the visually stunning CGI battle sequences.The first one is three giant Samurai with an axe,a Chain Gun(I kid you not) and a sword. She has a sword and a pistol to fight with.

After the action sequence we cut to the Bordello-reality where everyone is mesmerised by her dance(We never get to see the dances as everytime she dances we go to the fantasy within a fantasy world) .She enrolls the other girls i.e Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie, and Amber in her escape plans.

They start gathering the items and everytime Baby doll dances in the Bordello the girls go off on an adventure in the other fantasy where the Wise man gives them a mission-To retrieve a map from Zombie like Nazis, to retrieve fire generating crystals by killing a baby dragon(and fighting the mother dragon and hordes of monsters to do that) and to stop and retrieve a bomb code named the Knife after fighting a lot of robots on a hijacked train.

The symbolism in these items is simplistic with the map standing for a map(what else!!) of the mental facility,the fire crystals for a lighter,the bomb named Knife for a Knife and the key for the master key of the facility(that Blue hangs around his neck) .

The girls face lots of challenges in both the Bordello world and the Fantasy world; and finally in the climax Baby Doll discovers the mysterious element.The climax is something you have to discover for yourself or I’ll end up giving spoilers.

Frequent inter-changes between the Bordello and the fantasy within a fantasy CGI-heavy action make it seem like  a video game.The Burlesque nature of the girls costumes adds another factor of interest for the male fans 🙂

The soundtrack is pretty good and goes well with the action sequences.

I watched the movie as in the trailer the soundtrack and action sequences seemed good,plus I really liked the tagline of the movie –

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

But in retrospect it has a comparatively weak plot and is an average movie that you would just remember for the stunning action sequences.I would rate it 6.5/10 and recommend a theatre viewing for the action and the soundtrack.On a small screen it would be comparatively dull in my opinion.

Trailer of Sucker Punch:

Your Ad Here
Share

*