Synopsis
Baby Doll is locked away in a mental institution by her abusive stepfather after the death of her mother and younger sister. Faced with a lobotomy in 5 days time she retreats to a fantasy world to plot an escape with 4 fellow inmates.
Sucker Punch is clearly Zack Snyder’s baby. Not only did he direct it, he also authored the original story and wrote the screenplay. And there is clear evidence of it. There are parts of the film that are quintessentially Snyder, in fact the funeral scene could have been lifted from Watchmen. Zack Snyder has a unique visual style, he has a way of finding unique and imaginative angles and perspectives that no-one else can seem to capture. And it makes for an overall identifiable style in the same way that you can single out a Tim Burton film from the crowd. A lot of people have had a problem with Sucker Punch, accusing it of being a mess and not knowing what it wants to be, that it plays out like a video game. It’s not a video game; it has elements in common with some video games because it’s a fantasy film in the same way that Battle L.A. has elements in common with Call of Duty because they’re both about war. But what you need to appreciate is Sucker Punch has 3 distinct levels of reality and fantasy. There’s the ‘institution’, the ‘theatre’ and the 3rd fantasy level. What happens in one is not distinct from what happens in the others, it is symbolic of what’s happening in the others, a metaphor for what’s happening in reality.
I’ve heard Sucker Punch described as Girl Interrupted meets Kill Bill and that’s not an unfair description. It certainly does contain some bleak elements like those found in Girl Interrupted and it does have echoes of Kill Bill. That actually brings to light one of the films biggest problems. Who is its target audience, where is it pitching itself? I think in trying to achieve the lower PG-13 (12A) rating and avoid the R (18) tag, it has lost something. It’s not as ‘adult’ as Kill Bill but it’s too bleak for kids, and I’m afraid as a result it might not have as wide an appeal as it should. Hopefully the Director’s Cut DVD will resolve that issue.
There are certainly parallels to draw with Scott Pilgrim here. Sucker Punch feels very much like a comic book adaptation. Scott Pilgrim was a box office disaster but was instantly ‘cult’. Now people who hated or didn’t get it claim they loved it when they saw it. I’ve got a feeling Sucker Punch might go the same way. Besides, the terminator homage is nice and how can you not like a film that has steam-powered Nazi zombies!? I for one am looking forward to Zack Snyder rescuing the Superman franchise.
