Sucker Punch – movie review

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I don’t know what exactly made me want to see Sucker Punch. It could be the stylized action sequences, or it could be the idea behind all the action heroes being strong females. Either way, I’m pretty glad I saw it.

Sucker Punch is one of those movies that you want to watch more than one time just to see what was going on. They try to give you clues throughout the movie, and they even tie it up at the end, but the movie itself is still confusing, and the ending made me go, “Wait, what?” It reminds me a bit of the book Through the Looking Glass, in that it leaves you wondering who dreamed it. You’re never really sure of who’s doing the fantasizing. The movie also had an excellent soundtrack of creepy yet fitting songs. Christine Willes of Reaper and Dead Like Me was also in a couple of scenes, and even though she had no lines, it’s a definitely a bonus.

Unfortunately, the action scenes of the movie left me feeling nauseous. There should be a strobe effects warning on this movie, because the first action sequence abused strobe effects. The second action sequence had a lot of shaky camera action that left me dizzy. The third action sequence was okay, though moments of it didn’t quite make sense. However, the events of the sequences were pretty excellent, and there were even a few fun explosions. The only other thing about the movie I didn’t like was that Vanessa Hudgens’s character was named Blondie. There were three blondes, and one of the brunettes gets the nickname Blondie. That’s just weird.

Emily Browning was Baby Doll. The only other thing I’ve ever seen her in was Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, so I didn’t have a previously formed opinion of her before this movie, but I absolutely enjoyed her. Baby Doll was tough and willing to fight, but she was obviously trapped by her own inner demons. Emily Browning found a way to convey this that was believable. I did think I would have a hard time siding with a crazy person trying to escape a mental institution, but it was really easy to be on Baby Doll’s side.

Jena Malone was Rocket. I’m usually pretty blah when it comes to Jena Malone, and the same thing happened here. I didn’t hate her at all, but I just didn’t think that she brought enough to the character. Rocket was Sweet Pea’s sister, and she viewed Baby Doll as a savior. Rocket was the second most committed to escaping, but there was nothing very stellar about her.

Abbie Cornish was Sweet Pea. I’m completely unaware of her work previous to this movie, but I liked her. Sweet Pea was Baby Doll’s foil, wanting to do everything the logical way. Even though she gave in, she wasn’t as much of a fighter as everyone else. She wanted to give up when it got hard. She had the most to live for out of everyone, though, and she just wanted to protect her sister.

Overall, Sucker Punch is a fun movie. It’s worth seeing in the theater, even though you might want (need?)  to watch it a second time. I think I like it, but it’s one of those movies I’m not 100% sure I like yet, because I’m still questioning it. But the action sequences on the big screen is pretty worth it.