Review of Sucker Punch (2011) by Mario C — 28 Apr 2016

Maybe one day people will understand this movie for the unique masterpiece that it is. To this date I have never had more fun in a cinema seat and have never felt such a direct connection to the director. Peel away at the surface and you'll find an art movie that shatters the 4th wall to leave you with both an important message and an unmasking of modern escapism. This was the first Zack Snyder movie I had ever seen. 300 and Watchmen were amazing, sure, but with this movie he did something very different, very smart, too smart for his audience. I doubt that we will see another movie like this soon.

Don't expect this to be a review where I babysit you through each scene, but I will leave you the key moment where I figured out what was happening and I couldn't stop myself grinning and having the best fun I've ever had while watching a movie.

When the first dream scene starts, ask yourself this "why would a girl from the 1940s dream about being in a modern Japanese schoolgirl uniform, fighting a minigun wielding giant samurai". Well, it's because this isn't her escapist dream, it's yours (or at least the director expects it to be). Don't act so surprised, he did warm you up with the whole french brothel veil, keeping the abuse undertone but making "throwing shit at the asylum walls" more digestable. Now he's going all out, showing you the weapons that YOU have to fight any dark reality and, at the same time attacking the very reason we need so much escapism in the modern world (movies, tv, games, the lot): because life can suck big time for some people. When hope is lost, all you have left is the fantasy of hope.