I'm gonna come out and say this...I support Blockbuster.
Yeah, I know its old school and not as instantly gratifying as Netflicks or Pay-Per View but for my personal tastes, I just love going in there and perusing the titles and chatting up the staff on what they think is worth checking out.
So this is going to be apart of my blog where each week I will attempt to review at least one movie or game rented from blockbuster in order to show my support for the few remaining brick and mortar video stores out there.
now that I've done my spiel lets get down to reviewing our blockbuster video...Sucker Punch
I'm gonna come out and say this I really like Zack Snyder's body of work.
His remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead has breathed new life into the Zombie genre, 300 has become an example of how green screen can be used in creating an new world and tone, as well as being a pop culture icon, His work on Watchmen proved once and for all that the Un-film able story could indeed be filmed and be just as beautiful and insightful as its inspiration, and though I have yet to see Legend of the Guardians I've heard nothing but praise for presentation...but all these works share common theme. Each of his films have either been an adaptation or a remake. But what is it like when Mr. Snyder tackles a film of his own creation.
From direction, writing and producing, Sucker Punch is Zach Snyder's baby through out. And unsurprisingly it work pretty solidly. Snyder's direction is excellent in adaptation due to his loving attention to detail and use of slow-motion (whether or not it becomes excessive is up to your own tastes) to give you a comprehensive view of you location.
The story is about a young woman nicknamed Babydoll after her stepfather sends her to an asylum in order to silence her and gain her inheritance after the death of her mother. While in the asylum, Babydoll constructs an elaborate illusion of what the asylum is like that resembles an 20's burlesque theater. Recasting characters into roles that would fit this illusion and mirror what really is happening in the asylum. While in the burlesque illusion, Babydoll is able into a third illusion that has her and her friends fighting in fantastic location in order to acquire certain items in order to facilitate their escape before Babydoll's imminent lobotomy.
The character of Babydoll is played perfectly by Emily Browning conveying the weak, timidness of young woman thrust into a world that cruel and wrong to her and her growth into a woman with a drive to fight with all her heart in order to gain her and her friends' freedom. Sweet Pea, another girl at the asylum, played Abbie Cornish steals the show to a degree as a tough as nails, mother-hen to the group. She's kind and loving to the others, if there is risk to them she will be the one to save them and if they are losing hope she'll be the one to rally them. The other girls do fall a little flat. Sweet Pea's sister, Rocket, has very little development though there is room for it as she and Sweet Pea have the most screen-time with Babydoll. Vanessa Hudgens appears as Blondie but is usually lost in the fight scenes and has nothing really important to do in the film. Same could be said of Amber, played by Jamie Chung, but at least she plays some important roles in the action sequences. The Wise Man character, an enigmatic figure who appears in secondary action illusions was obviously written with David Carradine in mind but Scott Glen is passable but you just can tell that if not for his untimely passing he would have been perfect for the role.
The major draw of the film is its action scenes. Each one takes place in its own world that is beautifully drawn and expertly shot. Snyder showcases his skill at directing and filming action scenes that are both fast and frenetic but not jarring and confusing to the audience. Each action set piece is based of nerd pop culture of the past decade so you samurai, zombies, robots, dragons, orcs, machine guns and giant robots all fighting it out with our heroines. Though the fantasy bits may seem intrusive they serve as some the coolest fights you'll see and definitely the best shot. The reason Snyder's direction works so well with the adaptation of comics is because he treats the films as flowing pictures. You could easily turn the movie into a graphic novel by cutting it into several frames which works in the films favor by working its targeted audience.
Though there are at least two levels of dream worlds your working in the film is no Inception, they don't really serve as much of a role as one would think and the difference between the Asylum and the Burlesque theater could easily be blended it to one location. The action scene though thrilling lose their sting around the time when third one comes around and though they were beautifully thought-out, directed and acted they either felt like interruptions to the story or too short to really have consequence. The lack of development of the other girls made the situation which was trying to be epic but strains under the limited cast. And as much as I like twists I felt the bittersweet ending of the film was more stab in the back more than a nod to the tittle.
Despite these problem I recommend this film, its fun exciting and very well done. Zach Snyder proves his skill with the camera but whether or not he's ready to write is complete up to debate.
I give Sucker Punch a 4 out of 5, solid movie and definite rent...go on out to Blockbuster where you can find it for .99 cents a day. Darthsylar12 signing off.
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