Sucker Punch

Stuart:

After presenting the world with his vision of scantily clad men leaping about in slow motion with 300, Zack Snyder has turned his attention to presenting the world with his vision of scantily clad women leaping about in slow motion with Sucker Punch.

The film features a stunning opening scene that contains all the cinematic beauty of the title sequence from Watchmen, but without the intellectual spin the alternate history vibe afforded that superhero opus. We get introduced to Baby Doll (Emily Browning) just as her mother dies. She and her sister are left in the custody of their cruel stepfather, and after a violent tragedy, Baby Doll's whisked away to a mental institution. The sequence is wonderfully realised, with Snyder's trademark eye for detail and a cover of The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Browning that's as haunting as it is brutal. It's an incredible scene and one that shows Snyder at the height of his powers.

Alas, the film doesn't have much to back up such promise. Sure, there are several more dazzling scenes in Sucker Punch, but overall the story lacks the *ahem* punch of the visuals. The film is a collection of dreams and fantasy sequences, and whilst it's technically very proficient, it doesn't have the narrative to back it up.

All the performances are great, and it's clear to me that whilst Snyder doesn't make perfect films, he does elicit wondrous performances from his actors in any given scene. The same could be said of Watchmen, which was impressive in small doses, yet had some problems with regards to the narrative peaks and troughs. Browning is a fantastic action hero (considering that none of her moves would work in the real world), and the supporting cast also impress.

Abbie Cornish (looking a lot like a young Nicole Kidman) plays Sweet Pea, the strong older sister of Rocket (played with youthful enthusiasm by Jena Malone), whilst Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung play Blondie and Amber respectively.

The action scenes are super-fun, and the episodic nature of the story means that the film certainly feels like a computer game at times. Such impossible acts of (mostly bloodless) violence are akin to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in terms of downright blissful lunacy. The majority of the film has been done in front of a greenscreen, and Snyder has to be given credit for somehow making an $80 million film look like it had twice the budget.

The soundtrack is awesome. Featuring a bunch of covers and/or remixes, the tunes are perfectly married to the imagery. Browning contributes to three of the songs, including a version of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" and The Smiths' "Asleep", whilst there is a great remix of Björk's "Army of Me" featuring Skunk Anansie, and a mash-up of Queen's "I Want It All" and "We Will Rock You" with rap thrown in for good measure.

When all is said and done, however, Sucker Punch doesn't make much sense. Our heroine escapes from abuse by imagining another world with a different kind of abuse, from which she then escapes into another world filled with dragons, steampunk zombie Nazis and giant mechanical samurai. I just don't really see the point. The fact that the "real world" looks just as illusory as the rest of Snyder's work since Dawn of the Dead also dulls the impact of the fantasy sequences.

There've been pointed accusations suggesting that this is nothing more than titillating misogyny, whilst Snyder's faint replies have been along the lines that the film is actually challenging or parodying male-created sexual fantasy stereotypes. To be honest, neither ring true for me. The film is effectively a live action embodiment of just about every anime ever made, yes, and there is also one scene where one character complains that lobotomy simply isn't sexy, but neither argument seems to be able to stake its claim. In actual fact, I found Mona Lisa Smile and/or the Twilight films to be more offensive from a feminist standpoint. Nevertheless, I must make it clear that this isn't a life-affirming piece of girl-power cinema. It's a popcorn flick that's clearly aimed at those who like to watch scantily clad young women beating the shit out of orcs and/or robots.

Snyder has created a film that ticks all the right boxes - cinematography, music, action and performances - except one: story. Perhaps his attempt to revive Superman under the guiding hand of Christopher Nolan will mean he'll be able to combine his wonderful cinematic style with something meaningful.

Mark: