Review of Sucker Punch (2011) by Troy C — 08 Jan 2013

The tagline for Sucker Punch was "You Will Be Unprepared". The marketing team were spot on the money. Zack Snyder has concocted one of the most nutso films I have ever seen. There are 20 foot tall granite ninjas with Gatling guns. A Lord of the Rings-esque battle with orcs and dragons... and machine guns. An alternate World War I featuring heavy-duty one-person machines (à la Avatar) and a Nazi regime that has devised a way to have their dead continue on fighting. And there's an epic sword fight aboard a train with countless futuristic robots (who must be cousins to Sonny, the sentient from I, Robot), which is, mind-bogglingly, the sanest action sequence you'll witness within this sugar-rush of a movie.

Snyder has yet again proven he's in the highest echelon of visually enthralling filmmakers working today. He has a unique way of presenting action; it's frenetic, ultra-slick and is always perfect in respect to the special effects. Although the apparent free reign he was given over Sucker Punch, and the subsequent extreme style-over-substance output, has not made for his best movie as the story is essentially non-existent and the characters are more one-dimensional than cardboard cut-outs. This doesn't dampen the flick's bonkers entertainment factor, but it does mean the gap-filling scenes between set-pieces are yawn-inducing and the characters proffer the occasional unintentional giggle despite solid enough acting by the talented cast (including the young Aussie actress Browning) - who are, it must be said, decked out in the most fetishistic costumes you could possibly imagine.

As he demonstrated with Watchmen, Snyder has a predilection for utilising well-known tunes, often remixed, in places you would least expect to hear them. It's quickly becoming his trademark and he outdoes himself here with a dialogue-free opening segment set to a dark and intensely powerful version of The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams", performed by lead actress Emily Browning no less. There's also a wonderful rendition of the Pixies' "Where Is my Mind?", again featuring Emily Browning on vocals, as well as an awesomely punked-up remix of Bjork's "Army of Me". It's these awe-inspiring song choices along with the aforementioned visual feasts that ensured I was hooked, despite its numerous, and obvious, shortcomings.

Sucker Punch is the cinematic equivalent to a wet t-shirt competition: silly, juvenile and superficial, but by god it's fun to watch.

3.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Average, 3 - Good, 4 - Great, 5 - Brilliant).