Topic: Everyone hates Suckerpunch.

[Quemaqua]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/03/zack-snyder-sucker-punch-reviews-bad.html

Kind of a bummer, the previews made it look fun.  But I haven't had a lot of faith in Snyder, so this doesn't really surprise me all that much.  While 300 ended up being a fun movie, I felt like it missed a lot of the soul of the original material.  Watchmen I never saw.

[idolminds]

You could go to see 'Sucker Punch' this weekend — a lot of people probably will, and a few may even admit as much back at the office on Monday — or you could try to make it yourself, which might be more fun, though not necessarily cheaper. Here’s what you will need: a bunch of video-game platforms; DVDs of 'Shutter Island,' 'Kill Bill,' 'Burlesque' and 'Shrek'; some back issues of Maxim; a large bag of crystal meth; and around $100 million. Your imagination will take care of the rest."

This is supposed to be a knock against the movie but...that sounds awesome to me.

I think this is going to get the "Scott Pilgrim" effect. If your movie has stylish comic book/video game-like action, its immediately deemed trash by critics.

'Sucker Punch' is a movie for people who prefer video games and who may be playing them during the movie."

See? Shit like that. I'm pretty sure they said the same thing about 300.

I don't know, the movie could be crap. Stylish action isn't enough to hold a movie together (see Ultraviolet...or rather, DON'T see it), but I think there are a lot of "old guard" movie critics that may not be in touch with what certain demographics enjoy. I LIKE over the top crazy action sequences. Especially if they contain hot chicks and giant samurai fighting statues and shit. Not every movie has to be some oscar-worthy deep drama, they can just be entertaining.

[scottws]

I think the movie looks awesome and plan on seeing it this weekend.

[angrykeebler]

Hot girls in schoolgirl uniforms battling giant, laser wielding stone samurai and nazi's on top of a giant dragon? This is already my favorite movie of all time,.

[Cobra951]

This is supposed to be a knock against the movie but...that sounds awesome to me.

I think this is going to get the "Scott Pilgrim" effect. If your movie has stylish comic book/video game-like action, its immediately deemed trash by critics.
 See? Shit like that. I'm pretty sure they said the same thing about 300.

I don't know, the movie could be crap. Stylish action isn't enough to hold a movie together (see Ultraviolet...or rather, DON'T see it), but I think there are a lot of "old guard" movie critics that may not be in touch with what certain demographics enjoy. I LIKE over the top crazy action sequences. Especially if they contain hot chicks and giant samurai fighting statues and shit. Not every movie has to be some oscar-worthy deep drama, they can just be entertaining.

Ultraviolet, no way.  See Aeon Flux instead.

I've seen the trailer for this thing several times, and I just didn't know what to think.  What is it?  Sci-fi epic?  No, wait, martial arts?  No, wait, Tank Girl?  No . . . ??  Ah, forget it.  I'm just going to have to watch it sometime.

[iPPi]

Yea I have almost no interest in this move.  That said, I will probably eventually see it when it becomes available.

[scottws]

Hot girls in schoolgirl uniforms battling giant, laser wielding stone samurai and nazi's on top of a giant dragon? This is already my favorite movie of all time,.

Game. Set. Match.

[nickclone]

I don't expect it to be "good", but I might like it.

[MysterD]

I just want to know - does this movie actually have a story to it? 

[scottws]

Ok, so I saw Sucker Punch.  I don't know what to say.  Is the movie good?  No.  Is it bad?  I don't know.  I will say it's not bad like Ultravioloet is bad.  It's just... weird.

Yes, there is a story but it is told in a really strange way.  At the end you are left wondering what the point really was or that they focused on the wrong story.  It's just very strange.  It had pretty cool action sequences but they were in between some other strange shit.

All in all, I would say it is one to miss.

[MysterD]

Got through watching Sucker Punch a bit ago tonight.

I feel like Scott - so...wow, what the hell am I to make of this movie? 

I "get" the movie and do like the story - or should I say stories? - and all.
When it actually happens - the movie has awesome action sequences and awesome special effects. The visuals throughout the film are outstanding.

But, seriously - the film just feels like it's VERY poorly paced at times and could've been quite a bit shorter [and much better]; especially in the middle act.
And that, my friends, is the real "sucker punch" in the face.

[Xessive]

I'll say one thing about this movie: the music. It was all about the music. Think of it as a mid-to-late 90's music video compilation.

Robo-train scene was my favourite, genuinely felt like a live-action anime adaptation, made me think of the Appleseed animated films.

[MysterD]

I'll say one thing about this movie: the music. It was all about the music. Think of it as a mid-to-late 90's music video compilation.

Felt like there were a bunch of song mash-ups and remakes of old songs, too - and they all were good.

Robo-train scene was my favourite, genuinely felt like a live-action anime adaptation, made me think of the Appleseed animated films.

That sequence was awesome.
Then again - all of the action sequences were.

[Cobra951]

I'll say one thing about this movie: the music. It was all about the music. Think of it as a mid-to-late 90's music video compilation.

Yeah, I agree.  I actually enjoyed much of the movie as a series of inventive music videos.  It motivated me to revive the Beatles' Sgt Pepper album for a while.

[W7RE]

Overall I liked the movie, but was confused about how I felt once it was over.

One major problem I think it has is that it's sort of disjointed, with random stuff thrown in because it's cool, and not because it fits in with what's going on. Why is a flop house the way she imagines the place in her mind? What do nazi's, robots, and stone samurais have to do with it? And why is there a fantasy within a fantasy? Is this a tie-in to Inception?

Also, the dancing part. So if the weird stylish nazi and robot battles were an fantasy to keep her mind off the sexual dancing, what was she doing in the real world that was being fantasized as a dance? I don't think this was really thought through. I wonder if maybe it was just "hey, let's make it in an insane asylum, that's cool! But the girls need to dress sexy, so we'll make it a fantasy about a brothel. Oh wait, we can have robots and nazis! Just make that another fantasy or something!"
Also, I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the dance. She's amazingly cute.

Another thing that bothered me was the ending.

(click to show/hide)

I don't mind an ending that isn't "happy", but it needs to be at least poetic, or say something. SE7EN was an amazing ending, and not happy at all. Suckerpunch left me thinking, "What? Wait, why?" So it's acceptable to lobotomize the main character, which was what the whole movie was about avoiding, just because she let another girl go?"

[Cobra951]

Yeah, the ending pissed me off.  Modern filmmakers seem obsessed with pissing me off at the end.

Anyway, yeah, disjointed is a good term for it.  That's why I remember the fantasy musical sequences much more than anything else.  The mysterious transfixing dances we never get to see in "reality" I thought were a good touch.  The implication is that the experience of anyone who watches them is too transcendental to be represented properly by direct exposition.

[MysterD]

Overall I liked the movie, but was confused about how I felt once it was over.

One major problem I think it has is that it's sort of disjointed, with random stuff thrown in because it's cool, and not because it fits in with what's going on. Why is a flop house the way she imagines the place in her mind? What do nazi's, robots, and stone samurais have to do with it? And why is there a fantasy within a fantasy? Is this a tie-in to Inception?

Also, the dancing part. So if the weird stylish nazi and robot battles were an fantasy to keep her mind off the sexual dancing, what was she doing in the real world that was being fantasized as a dance? I don't think this was really thought through. I wonder if maybe it was just "hey, let's make it in an insane asylum, that's cool! But the girls need to dress sexy, so we'll make it a fantasy about a brothel. Oh wait, we can have robots and nazis! Just make that another fantasy or something!"
Also, I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the dance. She's amazingly cute.

Another thing that bothered me was the ending.

(click to show/hide)

I don't mind an ending that isn't "happy", but it needs to be at least poetic, or say something. SE7EN was an amazing ending, and not happy at all. Suckerpunch left me thinking, "What? Wait, why?" So it's acceptable to lobotomize the main character, which was what the whole movie was about avoiding, just because she let another girl go?"

I had to actually watch the flick twice to grasp most of this.

Ending

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BabyDoll sacrificed herself to let Sweet Pea go b/c she was still not over what happened w/ accidentally killing her sister.
She didn't really care anymore about herself anymore. She didn't want to live anymore. She felt that she was already dead.
Also, keep in mind - Sweet Pea's telling the story. The opening and ending voice-over monologue were in Sweet Pea's voice, not BabyDoll's.

The Dance

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Early on in the beginning, it was big-time hinted at that both BabyDoll and her sister were sexually abused by her step-father. So, what triggered her to "escape" to a fantasy-world? Listen to the female Doctor's words carefully, when Sweet Pea is on stage at the "theatre", where Baby Doll listens and begins to "let go" - this was the start of the escapism. Until then, you pretty much saw everything "as is."

When BabyDoll performs the dance, it's assumed her "dance" was sexual - given how she and her sister was treated by her step-father. Keep in mind, when BabyDoll is being shown the mental institute by Rocket - and it all looks like a gangster's whore-house and they they'd be there to please their clients.
Side note - In real life, it has been documented that during the 40's and 50's, mental wards have even been used for prostitution rings. So, I think this is what the film is speaking on.

[Xessive]

It's right there in the intro, the narrator talks about Angels and how they can appear in any form (old man, little boy, or a girl). I liked the intro, with that rendition of "Sweet Dreams" playing us into the film.

I had to keep reminding myself of the reality versus the imaginary during the whole movie:

(click to show/hide)

I kept telling myself: The reality is the grungy asylum, anything else is an illusion seen through the girls' eyes.