Sucker Punch

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Zack Snyder just made his 1941.

Well it still had 30-40 minutes worth of great special effect laden fight scenes, but the story and acting in this rock video resembling a movie extravaganza were....were just bad. I was just so surprised how much the movie really sucked, and the punch was that Snyders capable of making a dud.

Hopefully he'll get better material to work with on his next project, something resembling a story and some character development. The damn thing was a rock video, but with no rock. Just a tired theme song they kept playing throughout as if it were on the level of Last Of The Mohicans.

Oh well. Dont waste your money folks. This movie should have been in 3D and that wouldve helped the viewing experience incredibly. Instead I was just wanting the movie to end. A Zack Snyder movie?! I know.

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Lacklustre is probably the best word to describe this movie.

Visually it's gorgeous, every scene is crisp and sharp with all the colours popping out at you. The CGI is pretty good as well, however that's pretty much the only good thing about Sucker Punch.

The plot is paper thin and you don't really care about the characters because you know that they are not in any danger during the action scenes, anytime there's not a fight the film drags on. Too much time is spent in the Brothel setting and we don't see what effect that's supposed to have on the 'real world' like we do when it goes from fantasy land to the brothel.

Zack Snyder really shouldn't be given free reign on a project as I feel that he doesn't better when on a leash and shows constraint. The dialog is also awful and by the end of the movie there are so many plot holes you don't even care any more.

See this movie if you like Amazing visuals and lingerie.
Avoid this if you like seeing good films.



I was scared it was going to be like this, thank you for saving me time hahah



Yea, it was definitely a let down. Good review.



I'm waiting to see if he can improve it at all with the R-rated cut on DVD.



I'm not old, you're just 12.
As far as i've heard, the R Rated cut will only be on blu-ray. Kinda sucks for us poor people...This is a film that probably NEVER should have been pg-13 in the first place, but hey pg-13 is more profitable, apparently.

I actually kind of liked Sucker Punch. It was interesting visually, and I really do think it warrants a second viewing. There IS something going on behind all the crazy, I'm just not sure what yet.
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I actually really enjoyed the movie, probably because I only expected video game-ish action sequences and attractive girls :P

The Director's cut apparently includes an amount of extra footage that fills in plot holes of the PG-13 version- I think I read on /film that it's much better with the extra footage, so I await seeing that version.



I missed it at the cinema but pre ordered the extended cut(18 minutes extra) on blu ray from America(I prefer the cover design), and I adored the opening sequence with a fantastic cover version of Sweet Dreams that was released by Warner online before the film release in cinemas. So look forwards to seeing what he has done with his 'Casshern' like looking film.

The extended blu ray package comes with a dvd also, don't know if the dvd is extended for those who want the R-rated edition?



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I missed it at the cinema but pre ordered the extended cut(18 minutes extra) on blu ray from America(I prefer the cover design), and I adored the opening sequence with a fantastic cover version of Sweet Dreams that was released by Warner online before the film release in cinemas. So look forwards to seeing what he has done with his 'Casshern' like looking film.

The extended blu ray package comes with a dvd also, don't know if the dvd is extended for those who want the R-rated edition?
um... yeah, the opening scene was probably the only halfway decent bit. hope you didn't waste your money.
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I hope not, I find it hard to hate a film completely. I'd be more than happy to own it just for the opening sequence. I didn't think much of the last film of his I saw, Watchmen, but have enjoyed everything else.

By the way, adore your avatar, Les yeux sans visage/Eyes Without a Face is just fantastic.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Sucker Punch

What's the point?

A young girl is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather, after she accidentally kill her little sister. Not able to cope with reality, she retreats to an alternate reality where she comes up with a plan to escape. That's putting it lightly.

If you want a more literal translation, for some reason she chooses to escape to a whore house fantasy, where she dances for people. When she dances for people she escapes yet again, to a more stylized and action oriented fantasy. I think Snyder needed an excuse to show his creative imagery and instead of trying to craft a reasonable story, he throws together some kind of conglomerate mess of proportions. Here is a guy who has had success in adapting other works of art. Whether it's a remake (Dawn of the Dead) or a graphic novel (300, Watchman) Snyder's only real task was being able to translate something already written and visualized, to the big screen. This was his first attempt at something original. He fails.

As a visual spectacle, it's great. No denying that. But I recall a film by the name of Avatar being blasted for it's unoriginal story and the fact that it relied too heavily on visuals. Sucker Punch, while being original, lacks any sense of purpose in its story. Why do we care for these characters? The answer is we don't. Baby Doll has little to no dialogue, Rocket would make a better lead character to get behind. I felt more emotion for the baby dragon that is slain than any of the female characters that parade around in little to no clothing. A 14 year old boys wet dream.

That's how Sucker Punch comes off as, something Snyder thought up of when he was a kid. The film is for people with ADD, because Snyder hopes you forget the first 20 minutes of the film as he tries to surprise you with the ending, bringing it back to the beginning again. Why do we care for something that doesn't happen. Everything we see is her fantasy. When the ending is revealed as to what truly happen, we never get to see that reality. Snyder needs to mature as a filmmaker and stop treading around in these waters.

They seem to give up on their quest for objects half way through as well. They need a map in their first mission, they get it. Fire in the second, they succeed. A knife in their third and all of a sudden they are trying to steal a bomb? I'm sure there is an explanation for this somewhere, but it's missing in the film. Watching Inception beforehand will give people a better understand of a level within a level scenario that is attempted here. Inception is the better film and it pulls it off way more effectively, despite having more confusing elements, it comes off clearer than Sucker Punch.

A good soundtrack and entertaining visuals aren't enough for me to recommend this film. I'm sure the target audience will love it. Young boys who no attention span. It tries to cram every fantasy element into one: Dungeons and Dragons, Futuristic Science Fiction, Alternate History. The film has Nazis that look like Helghast from Killzone, dragons, robots, giant rock samurai that bleeds light. So many cool elements that are jammed together into a mess of a story line. Give me a reason to care for these 'fantasy' sequences and this film could have rocked my socks. Unfortunately I sat there wondering why I should even care, instead of enjoying myself. That's where the problem lies. You'll be wondering why should I care?

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um... yeah, the opening scene was probably the only halfway decent bit. hope you didn't waste your money.
I just watched this movie and yeah the sweet dreams mix at the beginning was great but what the hell was this movie about. The special effects were amazing and very eye pleasing but all in all there was no story, the movie was a huge let down.



I am glad to see these reviews because i was reluctant to watch this film and now i will stay away.
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So yeah. I watched this because, I dunno, I wanted to watch some special effects and "have fun". Well, that's not what I got at all. I got an incredibly dark and heart-wrenching tale about sex trafficking and patriarchal power structures.

A 14 year old boys wet dream.
Yeah, honestly I don't get this criticism, which is included in each and every negative review of this film. I mean, situations similar to the one presented in the film exist in real life. I'm sorry, but for me that's enough for me to care about the characters. Places like this exist. People actually had to live through desperate situations like this.

It seems to me that the film is all about the difference between fantasy and reality, but none of the reviewers actually got the point. This is a dark movie about some of the worst places on earth that actually exist. This precisely isn't a fantasy. The only fantastic part is that one of the girls actually escaped at the end and that the villains were brought to justice, but I think it was important that the "main character" was still lobotomized, because that happens.

The film is essentially the same as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest except instead of "acting out" we just have silly VFX action sequences. That being said, this film is paradoxically much darker and sadder than OFOTCN because of the incredible contrast between the fantasy (acting out) and the reality. There is also the added feminist component, proving the film to be essentially a gender reversal of OFOTCN.

I'm sure the target audience will love it. Young boys who no attention span.
Yeah, I just don't get this. This film is extremely depressing overall. You don't really ever have a good time because the stakes are so high. The whole time you are afraid she is going to be lobotomized or somebody's going to get raped or killed. It's pretty horrific. Maybe some reviewers just dismissed this as a "plot device", a "macguffin" or "inciting action", but this is missing the entire point of the film. This stuff is real. "Plot devices" are devices of fantasy, i.e. film. It's an incredible confusing and misapplication of the entire message of the film, which is one of the most subversive in years, since everyone just dismissed it as a big budget Hollywood film (mostly due to the retarded marketing) when it's actually one huge protest against Hollywood.

Also, extra points for it looking great, although most of the music sucked.
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Know what? Well said PN. And welcome to my little world. Hehe... I am constantly liking films that most others hate.

Anyway.
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it is soooo undeveloped in characters and plot.The acting was bad,too but this often happens when characters are not fully developed.For me,there was also too many special effects (I'm not a fan of Zack Snyder's style,it's just too harsh for me,although "Watchmen" is a great movie).The only things which were pleasing was acting by Oscar Isaac (Blue) and the main girl had quite unique face features.Well,of course the special are stunning but they were wasted.

Edit: Oh,I liked some soundtracks as well.



hope you didn't waste your money.
I ended up really enjoying it actually, so didn't waste my money. I've only seen the extended version though, don't know how much this adds compared to the 12A release here but I thought it was fine.

Planet News said it best in his post.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
So yeah. I watched this because, I dunno, I wanted to watch some special effects and "have fun". Well, that's not what I got at all. I got an incredibly dark and heart-wrenching tale about sex trafficking and patriarchal power structures.

Yeah, honestly I don't get this criticism, which is included in each and every negative review of this film. I mean, situations similar to the one presented in the film exist in real life. I'm sorry, but for me that's enough for me to care about the characters. Places like this exist. People actually had to live through desperate situations like this.

It seems to me that the film is all about the difference between fantasy and reality, but none of the reviewers actually got the point. This is a dark movie about some of the worst places on earth that actually exist. This precisely isn't a fantasy. The only fantastic part is that one of the girls actually escaped at the end and that the villains were brought to justice, but I think it was important that the "main character" was still lobotomized, because that happens.

The film is essentially the same as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest except instead of "acting out" we just have silly VFX action sequences. That being said, this film is paradoxically much darker and sadder than OFOTCN because of the incredible contrast between the fantasy (acting out) and the reality. There is also the added feminist component, proving the film to be essentially a gender reversal of OFOTCN.

Yeah, I just don't get this. This film is extremely depressing overall. You don't really ever have a good time because the stakes are so high. The whole time you are afraid she is going to be lobotomized or somebody's going to get raped or killed. It's pretty horrific. Maybe some reviewers just dismissed this as a "plot device", a "macguffin" or "inciting action", but this is missing the entire point of the film. This stuff is real. "Plot devices" are devices of fantasy, i.e. film. It's an incredible confusing and misapplication of the entire message of the film, which is one of the most subversive in years, since everyone just dismissed it as a big budget Hollywood film (mostly due to the retarded marketing) when it's actually one huge protest against Hollywood.

Also, extra points for it looking great, although most of the music sucked.
The stakes were never high for me because I never had the chance to get to know any of the characters. Everyone was severely underwritten to make way for the special effects. How am I suppose to connect with your sex traffic comment when that whole thing is her imagination? 90% of the film....doesn't happen. I don't understand where you are coming from. Snyder is a horrible writer and should stick to directing.

I'm sorry PW, but if Snyder wanted to tackle such a "dark and depressing" subject matter, then he should have gone a different route. He at no point gives the viewer any opportunity to think about what they just saw. Instead he tries for an Inception style structure and fails horribly. I honestly don't know if you're having a laugh or not, but if you think this film is important, has deep messages or is profound, then maybe you belong in the asylum.

BTW - I love how you ignore my entire review and pick two lines where I mention the target audience being 14 year old boys. Guess, what, those are the ones who loved it. They don't care about the stuff you 'somehow' found in this garbage, they care about live action anime chicks kicking ass.

I can't believe you think this is darker, or even sadder than Cuckoo's Next. You want a film that truly explores this stuff? Watch it again, not this crap.

Ugh....you make my brain hurt.



While I don't think it was the greatest movie ever, I enjoyed the concept of using imagination to empower yourself in the face of ugly reality. The big problem I had with it was that the visual presentation of the imagination as a coping mechanism against victimization and hopeless odds was overused. Sucker Punch does have a story and it certainly is extremely dark, but it gets lost in its own execution. The movie needed more reality with clear stakes to keep it grounded and help the viewer relate more with the characters, beyond just presenting them as noble victims struggling against exploitation and abuse.
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I'm not old, you're just 12.
Actually, rewatching this film made me dislike it quite a bit. It's...not very good. For a film that's supposed to be against the objectification of women, it spends nearly it's entire running time...objectifying women. Giving them stupid, sexist names like Baby Doll and Sweet Pea, not giving them any sort of personalities, even in the supposedly "empowering" action sequences they're dressed like a 14 year old's (or a paedophile's) wet dream...I guess I was amazed at the visuals the first time around that I didn't notice this. Plus there's the whole "sexualizing teenagers" thing that is really repellent to me as a 36 year old man...wow. this was a trainwreck. Thumbs way down.