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Movie Review: Sucker Punch



By  Justin Carreiro     8:23 PM    Labels:,, 
On today's post, I've decided to review the latest movie that I saw in theatres last Friday. It's the action-meets-fantasy film: Sucker Punch!

The Premise: Baby Doll (played by Emily Browning) is sent to Lennox house after brief a encounter with her step-father trying to kill her and her sister. Forcibly placed in the insane asylum by him and waiting days before doctors give her an unnecessary lobotomy (a scheme orchestrated between her step-father and the leading male doctor), the world shifts from the dark and dreary asylum to a glitzy 50's era burlesque reality.


It seems roles are reversed from what we've been led to believe. Doctors and guards become crime mobsters and dance teachers, the troubled Lennox house girls are turned into burlesque dancers held against their will and in this reality, Baby Doll is awaiting to be "plucked" by a high-roller. Desperate for an escape, Baby Doll orchestrates an escape with her four new friends and soon plots to attain all the necessary items for their brave escape before anyone figures out what they're trying to do.

The five main girls: (from L to R) Baby Doll (Emily Browning), Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung).
Where does the fantasy reality (poster above) come into the picture? One of the aspects in the Burlesque reality is that Baby Doll is forced to dance and learn a routine. Her dance seems to captivate the crowd but before we even see any of the movements, we are pulled into the fantasy-war reality were the characters try to find the missing items while battling futuristic enemies, robots and even a dragon!


The Good: The movie is visually beautiful. Every detail down to the littlest piece of scenery is perfected for the atmosphere of the setting. The beginning alone created a dark and depressing mood for the depth of despair that Baby Doll was feeling when her mother died. Certain characters are developed well enough that you root for them and hope that everything works out for them in the long run. The final and most important detail is the music. Every song selection was chosen specifically to coincide with the scene and I loved that. It made me feel anxious or nervous when it needed me to for the scene.


Amber (Jamie Chung) in the Burlesque reality
The Bad: For a movie, I expected more dialogue. I feel like the supporting characters had more lines than the main character in the film and once it got down to the really emotional scenes, the performance was somewhat laughable. I was impressed by certain characters and the fighting scenes, but this was not a film that centered around dialogue. I also didn't like how at times there was just music playing and we were left to question what was even going on. 


The final issue is the plot-holes and ending. When it shifted realities the first time, I had no idea what to expect. Nothing in the trailers prepared me for a third reality and I was piecing things together as the movie went along but with the ending, trying to distinguish what really happened or if most of the events actually took place at all really confused me. Side note: my friend, Kathleen, and I spent a half hour on the bus after the movie debating the events of the ending and have come to the conclusion that all the same events took place through both the burlesque and asylum reality (watch the movie and you'll see what we mean).

There was only music in this opening scene!
The Results: 3.5/5!
The movie wasn't terrible by any means but it wouldn't stand in my Top 100 films of all time. Let's face it. This is a popcorn film and I would be happy to watch it again at a later date but not one I'd talk about with my friends in 10 years. The creativity and design of the film is impeccable. I just loved watching the film. The fighting scenes were amazing and kept me at the edge of my seat but there could always be more. My recommendation is to watch the film because by no means is it a waste of time. There are high moments with the fighting scenes and the characters that make the movie but don't be surprised how you feel after watching it.

Agree or Disagree with the review? Share your thoughts about the movie and give your voice about what you think!

About Justin Carreiro

Justin is a longtime TV buff and gamer. He loves chatting about shows, playing video and board games, and his not-so-secret love for reality tv. He is also a fan of horror movies, music and a bookworm at heart. He spends his time in Toronto working in PR and Social Media.

4 comments:

  1. I'm with you on all of this but the music. I was not a fan of the imo flimsy remakes. I also liked how there was no dialogue in the opening scene.

    My question though is about what happened in which reality. I figured the burlesque/crazy house were just parallels, but there was no explanation as to what happened to supporting characters like Amber or Rocket in the crazy house, only in the burlesque dance world. I assume they were somehow killed but I can't see them being shot in there, so it left me wondering if they were even real.

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  2. Hmmm.....I agree with that it was beautiful and the music was amazing. I can't wait to get the soundtrack.

    As for the ending....did you remember the prologue? It went along the lines of "anyone can be a guardian angel. an old man, a young woman."

    My thoughts is that the movie was never just about Baby Doll. It was about Baby Doll fulfilling what she failed in her little sister: being a good guardian.

    I had no problems with the lack of dialogue. It just allowed me to focus on the music and visual magic before me.

    Either way, I really loved the movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Those action scenes were just EXCITING!

    Great blog!

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  3. @dcbsupafly In terms of the parallels, I think that Rocket, Amber and Blondie had to have been killed in both the Asylum and Burlesque reality. Since everything else occurred similarly in both realities; their deaths had to have happened. Also Sweet Pea would have never left without Rocket so we can assume she's dead.

    I agree with you that I would have loved to get some clarification if the three girls had died in the asylum reality.

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  4. I have to disagree with this review. Mainly the part about music and lack of dialogue. This is something I thought the film did well as not everyone needs to be led by the hand all the way through the film with characters explaining how they feel- 'I feel sad', 'I feel angry'. The music allows us to come to the conclusion on our own.

    I also think it missed out a major part of the dicussions and criticisms SP is recieving over whether the film is Feminist or Anti-Feminist. I think this could be a good dicussion.

    I do agree with the amazing visuals however and feel that Snyder creates great dream worlds in most of his movies!

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