Sucker Punch (2011)

Artwork for Theatrical Release

By definition, a guilty pleasure must be both, enjoyable and at the same time embarrassing.  My wife has her regrettably bad film choices (B-films, or more precisely, the really bad B-films that populate the bottom of most discount bins) and I have mine, ever more regretful choices.  Sucker Punch falls heavily on this list, because even though it is striking in presentation, a film like this in any other metamorphosis, would be horrible and unwatchable. 

Or maybe not, if you're my wife.

Setting the pace for most of the film, in substance and sustenance, the intro is very dreamy, yet adrenaline packed, mostly thanks to the music and specifically Emily Browning's haunting rendition of the 80s super-frivolous "Sweet Dreams," shallow camera focus, desaturated colors, and changing camera speeds that flow from slow motion to fast motion to regular, with the ebb and flow required to make all these otherwise disparate elements function.

The music sensibilities remind me a lot of Bjork's trance inducing rhythms, here presented by the before mentioned Emily Browning and Emiliana Torrini who performs an incredibly delirious "White Rabbit," a song made famous by Jefferson Airplane [Monterey Pop (1968)], among many other cryptic singers including Bjork herself.

Artwork for Theatrical Release

There are some truly and honestly inspiring compositions in the film, which, if filmmakers could get beyond the gloss, over-sexualized and hyper-violent nature of the film, they could glean for their own purposes.  Along with Watchmen (2009), and the other crop of recent ingenue films [i.e. 300 (2006), Sin City (2005), et al], Sucker Punch seems inspired and and at the same time aspires to comic book sensibilities and aesthetics:  Which is good news for all those that were regaled by Watchmen, but somehow wished for less blue penises.
 
Having said that, this film suffers from the same problems as those earlier films, mostly the script, which here is horrible, replete with really bad exposition and bad acting to boot, particularly from Abbie Cornish (Sweetpea), although in her defense, that might be more a result of the script, and should not be counted against her.

Artwork for Theatrical Release

To make it worse, some of the battles, the main draw of the film, are very badly choreographed, including fighters on the sideline waiting, out of character, for a strike to be dealt before moving on to their next cue, and some of the traditional New-Hollywood use of badly wired stunts, which look horrible in their weird contortions of the human body.

Sigh!

Suddenly, towards the end of the film, I remember this film leaving me with an empty unfulfilled feeling, and that doesn't change upon watching it again, or upon watching the extended edition.

And I will, alas, watch it again.

Forgo the extended edition since it adds absolutely nothing to the narrative, unless you find it at a discount like I did, otherwise watch it on Netflix (if available) or rent it.  Avoid network or cable TV viewings though, since the main draw seems to be the hyper-sexualized and scantly-clad lasses, whose contributions to the film, might be diminished through fear of litigation.