I feel almost as bad for spending $8.50 on it as I do for not walking out.
Despite all the awful reviews, my curiosity got the better of me. Then again, no amount of bad reviews could have possibly prepared me for what Sucker Punch had in store for me.
The trailer was right: “You will be unprepared.” It may as well be commentary on the death of cinema.
It's as if Zack Snyder watched Terry Gilliam's Brazil and thought to himself: "This is neat and all, but what it needs is more misogyny, rape and bad song covers."
Spoiler warning: This is the first supposed female empowerment fantasy where the murderer/rapist gets away with what he's done. But hey, it's somehow ok because Baby Doll really WANTED to be lobotomized. Of course! This movie's idea of female liberation is to be lobotomized so you can no longer feel the pain inflicted on you by ugly and powerful men. It’s a movie where the protagonist has NO AGENCY other than to escape into totally random, juvenile fantasy. It’s also a movie where, in the end, the protagonist turns out to not actually be the protagonist. It was about Sweet Pea all along - whoop-dee-fucking-doo!
Don Draper PROTIP: if you have doubts about lobotomizing a girl, maybe you should be asking pertinent questions BEFORE performing the procedure. Just a thought.
If you're thinking about watching Sucker Punch, please watch Brazil and/or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest instead. Don't make the same mistake I did.
It's not that you can't have rape or lobotomies in your film, but they must be handled delicately, not as music video montages. I hate when critics compare movies like Sucker Punch to video games. I never played a video game this misguided, shallow and reprehensible.
Yes, the fantasy battles are nifty, but I don't think Snyder could have found a more inappropriate, unpleasant narrative framing device. Other things to like about the film: Emily Browning is very pretty. But that IS ALL.
Alright, rant over. Now let's never speak of this cinematic abortion again. Please resist the urge to spend your money on it. Admittedly, we all go to movies for different reasons. But even if you usually go for the sake of OOOH LOOK AT THE PRETTY PICTURES, I highly recommend you give this one a miss.
