Sucker Punch (and some small notes of updates from my life)

What’s not to like about Sucker Punch? From the attention-grabbing movie title, to girls clad in Pussycat Doll outfits, samurai monsters, dragons and steampunk-honestly even the nerd in me was pretty blown away by the trailer when I first saw it.

I really like the whole feminism thing the movie had-girl power, guys. Plus, there was a faint trace of steampunk influence amidst the whole Nazi onslaught. (Not fond of the Nazi bit, but hey, pop culture ahoy everyone) I’ve liked steampunk for quite some time but didn’t know the right term to call it exactly. There aren’t many movies with said culture, so why not?

So I had a lot of high hopes for this film-that is until I sat through it with my sister a week ago. While she liked it, I had second thoughts about it…

Zack Snyder is an awesome director hands down, no question. While I did not watch 300, some have pointed out that Sucker Punch is the female’s answer to 300. You be the judge of that. While the special effects and battle scenes are to-die-for (maybe literally) there’s a really big hole in the entire plot that had me frowning throughout the movie. Yes, my brows were knotted together most of the time. It wasn’t because the girls were hot, or the action was too blah.

In this age of incredible technology where computers can take you just about anywhere and 3D is about to evolve to 4D, everyone seems to get carried away with it and ignore the base of what really holds the movie together-the story. Didn’t we have a taste of that-plenty of times to count? Remember Avatar (the blue aliens, the airbender one was an equal fiasco but more on casting)? Transformers 2 (oh dear that was a nightmare) and the one that I’ll always use as a comparison: Harry Potter 3 to the present Potter film? Even as a Potter fan, I express my heavy disappointment in the Harry Potter film adaptations.

Sucker Punch probably tried to be Inception and Shutter Island at the same time by going all dream-related as well as playing the insanity card. Suddenly there’s a spark of interest of the use of lobotomy (and asylums) in movies, and I bet I’m just contributing to the search results of the said medical field. Someone should just write a coherent article for the general public. Honestly, the trailer was a tad bit confusing, shifting from the asylum scene to a dance-room and then to the full-blown fantasy world with dragons and machine guns. I actually had to dig up the synopsis-and that was probably a foreshadowing of what I’m about to see.

The story (what is there, at least) is fairly simple-a girl is sent to a mental facility by her stepfather so he can squander her inheritance. Next thing you know, the girl is given a name, Baby Doll. I assume that is just a nickname because no one in their right mind would call their daughter that, or Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie. Except Amber, that name is still alright. And suddenly, the entire asylum shifts into a burlesque-styled brothel where the girls put on shows for clients. Baby Doll and the other main characters know that the ‘high-roller’ is coming in a few days, and they have to escape. What or who is this high-roller I’ll never know, but in reality, Baby Doll is set to be lobotomized in a few days, and since she is 100% sane, she aims to escape the facility. By dreaming it all up.

So, here comes the Inception dream-within-a-dream sequence. Baby Doll imagines that she has to dance for clients, and as she dances, her high-flying imagination takes her deeper into the subconscious of her mind.

This is where things get really weird. The first ‘actual dream sequence’ where everyone is probably anticipating is set against a traditional Japanese backdrop, with an enclosed area leading to a temple. Baby Doll is dressed in what appears to be a Japanese schoolgirl outfit (complete with the super short skirt and high heels). She enters the temple, and see a man dressed in monk-like robes. He is an American, no doubt. So amidst all the Asian culture you stick in two Caucasian characters? Does that count as whitewashing?

Shortly after, a fight ensues between her and three massive samurai stone monsters. Stone because they move like stiff terra cotta warriors. While the battle was well shot, with (ahem) dynamic angle and fast paced cinematography that kept you on the edge of your seat. All in all the action scenes were hugely entertaining, just that after a while it makes you wonder if all of that was really necessary to keep the story running-because it’s not.

I will get to that in a bit.

Did anyone notice how Baby Doll’s heels went from high to ballet flats at one point? The scene were she defeated the second samurai in a fireball explosion. When she walked out of the collapsing temple (the building waited for her to head out before crumbling) the camera focused on her shoes and they were high again. I really hope it was just my eyesight being shabby again. But! I still want to talk about this Nippon-inspired scene in the movie. Not only did the moment reeked of Japanese anime, she had this ‘moment’ where she knelt on one knee and looked up at the camera. It’s probably supposed to scream ‘serious business’ with the hair whipping about and wind swirling at her feet-yes, there was wind around her, as if her hair was buffeted by invisible helicopter blades. How Naruto is that? I felt that she was about to pull a jutsu… not.

So the rest of the movie went like this-the girls had to get five items to ensure their release, and every time they grab an item they take us along into the fantasy land where they dodge a hail of bullets and slay dragons. I am not cool with the dragon killing bit. Stop portraying dragons as bad guys! That is just a personal preference, but really, it’s like JAWS that caused great white sharks to morph into everyone’s oceanic nightmare.

The man who appeared in the temple earlier was present in every hallucination (it’s considered one right?), often guiding them and giving them advice. He was pretty cool actually; his role was understated but memorable enough for you to remember him. So he is the ‘guardian angel’ that was mentioned in the beginning of the movie?

The movie hits the climax when the escape plan is jeopardized by a setback or two. The fantasy-filled scenes toned down after that, mostly focusing on the brothel, and the time when they made a break for it. While the ending is somewhat mutual-and might be confusing for others, it was alright for me. Just that the high notes were exaggerated, coupled with some questions that boggled my mind because the movie did not explain them. The ending felt rather unfinished-I felt that there wasn’t enough closure for all of the characters, and some things just needed to be smoothened out.

To sum it up, I felt that the heavy-laden special effects just couldn’t support or even validate the story’s… logic. Honest! When I was mulling it over, on all those fancy-schmancy dream scenes and attempting to link it with the escape scheme, it just didn’t click. Surely just an elaborate escape plan can be carried out sans the fantasies? I know that she wants to ‘escape’ the pain in reality, but the more I watched it, the more far-fetched it became. It was almost as if (if) the director felt that he couldn’t deliver a movie without his forte-CG and artsy cinematography. And that he had to make a movie in such a way that there can be both an epic story with the add on special effects!

So yes, I wasn’t very impressed with Sucker Punch-my review of it might’ve said enough. I really hope Zack Snyder gets his mojo back for Superman. Yes, he is making a Superman remake.

And I totally apologize for not updating for a month and more. Plenty of… issues? Haha. And also, convocation is looming up in June! I can’t believe it that it’s finally my moment (and others) to wear that mortar board and the robes. And get our diploma. After three aching years of hard labor.

So this also means a whole new chapter awaits me in the future. What gives? I also hope to write more (heck that has been my resolution in like forever), perhaps more on movies and also fashion. Yes guys, you read right! Yours truly who never posts picture of herself is going to talk about fashion. Well, things change.

And because I’m such an epic fail-

What do I wear for my convocation?