This Is A Spoiler Heavy Post About Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch
A coupla days after my earlier-posted glowing review of Sucker Punch, I'm feeling a tad curious about what other folks may think of the film (although I still DO stand by my own review, thanks), and find a huge divide between the cinematic purists up in arms, against the selection of folks who enjoyed the ride for what it was, with not many folks actually straddling the fence. The "downfall of filmmaking" is most times a reoccurring threat, while most folks are in awe of the dragon, samurais and the girls in sexy wear, and that's about it really.
Interesting.
I've listed a selection (aka "not everyone is listed as I do not follow everyone on twitter") of review-links below, as well produced a small selection of "negative" points I have had about the movie itself, previous unmentioned in my earlier review (because I can no longer hold it in muahahahaha), now FULLY POSTED HERE AS SPOILERS! So please STOP READING AT THIS POINT if you do not want your view affected! Folks who have indeed watched the flick, please feel free to weigh in and geek-along with me :p
DO NOTE that all that is stated are of my own assumptions and impressions, without much research into the actual "behind-the-scenes" making-of the film, simply because I want to geekout and write some fun, and not compose a film-thesis. THis ain't that kinda blog, cheers :)
And no, none of the following might be in sequence, as frankly, there's no easy way to describe the movie ~ well, there IS the easy way, which everyone already has ~ but there is another level which geeks might see, but not necessarily the intention of the filmmakers.
(Okay, you have been warned!)
TIMELINING-IT: As a movie based on the 50-60s, you might wonder why anime-themed exo-suits and futuristic cities are imagined and manifested here? Don't think the director worried too much about that, and frankly, I do not think he ever needed to. There's a flying jet-pack looking like it's right out of Metropolis (the classic movie, mind) for gosh sakes LOL
The magic within the madness is what some folks see and embrace. Others ask "why", and hence cannot accept the notion, IMHO. But, if you've seen a few Stephen Chow comedies/movies from his early days, the timeline and constant conflicting conceptual conundrums here, are a cinch to embrace LOL
DANCE FOR ME: You will wonder where the cabaret dance sequences went to - if the teaser images had you leering for peeps, showcasing the girls and their lush … costumes … = No worries, you WILL get to see them, BUT until the very end of the movie! While after the key-credits roll, a montage of images show Carla and Oscar belting out the out-of-place campy-kitschy "Love Is The Drug" amidst a rah-rah musical performance that rivals that of GLEE. Hoping that sequence will eventually make it to the viewing public (somebody youtube that ,stat!).
But indeed if there ever WERE dance-sequences to be seen (especially Baby Doll's supposedly mesmerizing moves), then tis either a clever ruse to snip the takes, or just plain irritating, as that's what folks were looking forward to (do not lie, c'mon), but was necessary to attain a kid-friendly film-rating.
The costume design is divine. (Sorry, just an excuse to post the above pic). Blondie needs to be slapped hard for what she did tho … "street smart" my lardy-white-butt!
ACTINGLY: Frankly, the only three persons with actual character archs in the whole movie. They each get to flex their acting-chops (rather than just their "action moves") in a select variety of emotive states. Others somewhat breeze by with a grimace, a smirk, a determined look that does nothing to show their abilities.
YOU THINK YOU KNOW: You will realize that all that had gone on before in the entire show, was not exactly only Baby Doll's dream (she even said it outright at the carpark!) but was instead Sweet Pea's imagination piecing in the puzzle of what Baby Doll had achieve at the Asylum. Hence Bady Doll's sister's name and even the faithful event was never truly mentioned, and was perhaps conceived by Sweet Pea. Remember, there is also a point in the movie when ROcket asked Baby Doll if she ever had "family", but she did not answer? Might be the "dark haired" sister was either non-existent, or chosen to remain as a memory... but I digress...
COME AGAIN: What happened at the Asylum, probably did happen, but without the burlesque stage and costumes. The neck-stab wound was swell though. The lobotomy is quick cop-out which was the happy ending (one of it anyways) somewhat.
THE MEN KNOW IT: The bus-driver held the key to the movie. Everything else before then was partially an imagination from Sweet Pea's mind - so imagine the movie going backwards, with the few male characters being represented in the "dream sequences" (The bus driver as the Wise Man, the cook, the janitor as the Mayor, Blue in chic-suits).
Remember, Sweet Pea may well be screwed in the head (aka "drugged"), as we first saw her on the stage, in the "theatre" at near the beginning of the Asylum interiors. I reckon when Baby Doll and Sweet Pea exchanged stares/glances, their roles henceforth were immediately switched.
OLDER: And isn't it obvious Baby Doll is NOT "twenty years old" as scribbled by her step-father, simply because he wants to get jiggy with her after her scheduled lobotomy? I might be wholly wrong here, but what the step-dad wrote were never true in the first instance, is it?
Am still trying to figure out the "Oh, and one more thing" tagline came from, in context to the girls. (Can't remember now if the bus-driver said it tho...). Remember most times Sweet Pea and Rocket are "guarding" Baby Doll, so perhaps that was all Sweet Pea's own perception?
WHERE'S DA SEX?: You may wonder why an intense film like this actually has a PG-13 rating (in the U.S.) because none of the characters swear as filthily, and there were no sex even tho the girls looked sexy. There wasn't even much "pawing" of the ladies by the males (except for in the office). Where was the "Mayor's" hand craddling "Amber" booty? None! He had his hands oon her waist instead, for pete's sake!
Curiously, "Baby Doll" actually had a "nearly" sexy-scene with Jon Hamm's "High Roller" character in the movie. but was left on the dittoing floor, as the film needed to get a PG-13 rating. What a film THAT would have become! And frankly not something I might be interested in seeing (gosh do I sound like a prude now LOL). Read about it here.
iWONDER: You may wonder why this kind of film could ever get released, much less be made in Hollywood, amidst obvious luminaries like The Social Network, Inception et al ~ because NOW is the time to do it. NOW is the time folks will lap it up. Zack might be smart to do an octane-fueled film like this, but the studios are smarter to bankroll and back a film like this.
The posted teaser-videos in this post tout this flick as "Kill BIll Meets Inception" (can't see the quote credit source tho), but tis a claim I highly disagree with. Nowhere is this on the level of Inception cerebrally, and nowhere is this as bloody as Kill Bill. This stands on it's own no matter how folks slice and dice it, IMHO. Best description any film would need, is in the end of the day when the DVD is released, and it is placed under the "Action" tags on display shelves, innit? LOL
IN THE BEGINNING: Will this be the end? No, unfortunately this may yet be the beginning of the "end", if the box-office rings in the success, copies and likewise-maniacal parallels will spring forth to grab at the crown, and THEN, it would really mean the end of cinema. Just imagine 'B' to 'C'-grade flicks with names like "Sucked & Punched", "The Sucker and The Puncher" et al. Porn will have a field day with this property tho, and "Cosplay" will next switch into high-gear sensually. Can't wait to see what happens at SDCC this year tho, for when the DVD is ready! Read that somewhere, will link it when I remember when I read it laters).
Automatic gun-fire, slicing of enemies with katanas and generally killing everyone at the whim and word of a "Wise Man". This is their way of making a better life for themselves in the film, what more above-ground "morals" did you expect from this flick, in the first place? LOL
YAY
- First Showing
- Twitchfilm (Reviewed by Peter Martin)
NAY
- io9
- Twitchfilm (Review by Andrew Mack)
- Twitchfilm (Reviewed by Kurt Halfyard)
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