Sucker Punch (IMAX)

Synopsis: An epic action fantasy in which a young girl (Emily Browning) is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality within her vivid imagination, she envisions a plan which will help her, and four other young girls, escape from the mental facility. Unrestrained by the boundaries of reality, the team of sexy warriors engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to Nazi zombies (and even a dragon!). Written and directed by Zack Snyder (300), the cast of Sucker Punch includes Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Oscar Isaac and Carla Gugino.

My Take: This movie was disappointing, but enjoyable. The visual look of this film is grungy, sexist and over-the-top live-action anime. I don't know about you, but, to me, that all spells a-w-e-s-o-m-e! The storyline, however, does not.

Babydoll (Emily Browning) and her sister are to inherit a fortune after their mother's death. Their stepfather, wanting the money for himself, kills the sister and pins it on her, sending her to a mental facility. In order to deal with all this, Babydoll imagines an alternate reality, where she and the other inmates are living in a brothel. When she is forced to dance, she slips into another alternate reality where, with the help of a "wise man",  she hatches an escape plan. Babydoll's dancing is also a distraction technique used so the other girls can obtain the five items needed for the plan to work.

Now the movie takes off. While Babydoll dances, each "mission" is played out through her fantasies. Here, Snyder lays out fantastic visual action sequences. Each "mission" is an orgy of swordplay, bullets and bad-ass hand-to-hand combat set in their own distinct world, and set to songs like "White Rabbit," "Where Is My Mind" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows". With the team dressed like the Powerpuff Girls shopped at Victoria Secret, these sequences are a teen boy's wet dream. They're music video hallucinations. Fanboy porn, as it were. This is what you'd expect from an IMAX film.


The storyline is where this film goes from Avatar to Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow. The fantasy within a fantasy can be confusing, but this is only a problem for those that don't pay attention. The real issue is the lack of character development and weak story. The acting is decent, but the actors have nothing to work with. You can't expect the action to carry the entire film. You have to energize the in-between talky parts with a little craft and tension. I found myself unmoved by their plight and not really caring if they escaped. I was mostly just waiting for the next action sequence to begin. And, I have to ask, what women would imagine a whorehouse as an acceptable alternative to a mental facility?


Verdict: Take this movie for what it is, a visual escape from reality. If all you look for in a film is sexy girls and good CGI action, this one delivers. A better story and it could have been a summer blockbuster. The action is worthy of IMAX, but save your money. Let's hope you got a big screen tv at home.


Rating: Rent it


Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi 
Rated: PG-13 – See Full Ratingfor violence, language and some sexual content 
Run Time: 110 min