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| SUCKER
PUNCH |
Movie
review by Neil Sadler
Starring:
Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie
Cheung, Jena Malone, Jon Hamm, Scott Glen, Carla Gugino, Oscar
Isaac, Michael Jay White
Director: Zack Snyder
More
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You would be forgiven
from watching the trailer and looking at the poster campaign for SUCKER PUNCH for thinking that you
will be watching a female version of Zack Snyder's earlier film 300
- a series of violent battles framed around a comic book story.
Whereas 300 bathed itself in bloody violence, SUCKER PUNCH is a less violent film and perhaps a more
thoughtful one. I say perhaps because it isn't half as profound as
it would like to think it is.
SUCKER PUNCH is the first Zack Snyder film
that is his idea and his script
and tells the story of Baby Doll (Emily Browning) who in a dialogue
free first 20 minutes loses her mother, sister and her liberty and
possibly sanity to an evil step father. Locked away in a creepy
1930's asylum, Baby Doll finds hope in a group of other inmates and
also in her imagination.
Mimicking the approach of INCEPTION, SUCKER PUNCH unfolds as a tale
within a tale within a tale (thankfully that is as complicated as it
gets.) The trailer concentrates on the third level, a series of fantasy battles which cover robotic
samurai, zombie WW1 fighters and terrorist androids which act as the
enemies in the quests that Baby Doll and her friends must undertake
in order to get their freedom in the real world. These sequences are
all visually stunning although they lack some of the simple visceral
charm that 300 and WATCHMEN had. I remember
watching those films and feeling battered myself by some of the
fights. Here it all feels tamer and a bit muddier, literally in some
places. Partly this is down to the lower rating, an attempt to make
this a more family friendly film means that all the violence leans
heavily towards fantasy and the camera always "pulls it's punches".
Considering it is Snyder's
first film since DAWN OF THE DEAD not to be based on a comic, it is the most comic
like. He shows how comfortable he is in this visual world and he is
a beautiful craftsman of stunning shots. It is no wonder that he loves to work in this genre
as he is obviously more comfortable showing than telling. The first
20 minutes are a good example of this but it does serve to highlight the slightly stilted
dialogue and pseudo-self-help philosophy of the rest of the film.
This should not put you off
the film, because as well as it stunning visuals, it tells an
interesting story. The leads may all look amazing, even if they are
little bit "men's mag" in there appearance but they all
perform well both physically and with the limited dialogue.
Snyder proves he is a true
visionary with a strong sense of style and an impeccable eye for
action and mixing effects with live action - all seamlessly handled
here. Although this may not be as satisfying as his last few films,
he should be applauded for creating something truly original and
comic fans can rest assured that he should be a good choice of
director to breathe life back into the SUPERMAN franchise.
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