Reviews & Ratings for
Sucker Punch More at IMDbPro »

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519 out of 847 people found the following review useful:

Had low expectations...loved it.

Author: play_burnman from Sacramento
26 March 2011

Here's the thing about this movie, its demanding. You have to be able to let go, realize that it's stylized after a modern comic book (of the adult genre), and just go with the movie. Let it take you on its ride, which is a beautiful/wonderful thing.

You also have to pay attention. This movie is layered in metaphor and is way more cerebral than one might expect. You have to work to understand what's going on and part of that work is letting it take you away.

If you can do this, and your friends can do this, you will have hours of conversation afterwards about what it all means, what the metaphors mean, and what was actually happening in the 'prime' reality of the insane asylum.

If you can't do this you will probably think the movie is stupid, contrived, and pointless. But you would be wrong.

Oh...and beyond all that stuff above...the fight scenes are an absolute nerdgasm, a sci-fi/fantasy orgy of epic proportions.

Steam-punk Nazi Zombies... I came out of that movie feeling like I just had a threesome with Isaac Asimov and Anne McCaffery.

I absolutely loved it.

478 out of 787 people found the following review useful:

A love it or hate it type of film.

Author: Grey Gardens from United States
17 March 2011

I personally enjoyed the film and I am a fan of Zack Snyder's previous films (Watchmen,300,and Dawn of the Dead). The visuals were pretty much stunning with very few exceptions, but they are easily forgiven and not distracting at all. The acting wasn't anything "Oscar" worthy, but then again it shouldn't be. The performances were very good for an action film and I like it that way. This films definitely attracts the teenage male demographics, who like action packed films filled with hot women. This film, however is not for everyone. Some people might not like CGI, some women might be offended that this film is very shallow, violent, and very degrading towards women.This is definitely the type of movie you'll either love or hate.

My only problem with the movie is that the story doesn't seem fully realized… If you want to keep me interested you will need a lot more than 20 minutes of fantasy CGI sequences sprinkled throughout a 120 minute trek However go in this movie expecting to have a lot of fun! Overall the movie has stunning visuals, great action scenes, and worthwhile acting. I definitely recommend this movie to people looking to have a good time.

483 out of 821 people found the following review useful:

A fistful of mediocrity.

Author: johnnymacbest from United States
25 March 2011

With 300, Zack Snyder has made it abundantly clear that his movies dazzle they eyes, indeed they do, but his characters never engage the audience in a personal and emotional level. And Sucker Punch is just that. A visually dazzling collage of mental insanity taken to the extreme with a fairly interesting premise that looks promising on the surface, but never truly lets you sink your teeth into the inner workings of the main character.

Emily Browning plays Babydoll, a blond bombshell who is placed in a mental institution by her cold stepfather, and is then seen trying to persuade the orderlies into lobotomizing her to keep her from giving details surrounding a tragedy in her life. However, Babydoll begins to create a dreamworld in which not only to pass the time, but to figure a way out of the asylum.

As if that makes any sense whatsoever, here are the main problems with Sucker Punch that's been plaguing modern cinema; no plot and character development. Barely any of the characters that the protagonist meets are developed. They're just static talking heads spouting out lines that are trying to hammer into the audience that they are more than just cliché's and cardboard cutouts. The acting feels stiff and artificial with no sense of tension or suspense. You never feel that the characters are in real danger of any kind. It just goes thru the motions and despite having a nice premise to go on, the film feels like a half-ass-ed attempt to be something new and fresh.

Sucker Punch has some merits. The special effects and action scenes are impressive. I did get a kick out of some of the battle scenes which are nicely choreographed and executed with lots of explosions. Watching it is sort of like looking at a silent film on steroids but minus the heart and soul of that bygone era.

The incredible aesthetic beauty and action choreography are a lot impressive than Snyder's 300. But the problem with Sucker Punch is that even in a fantasy film, or any action film for that matter, you have to put effort into making the audience care for your characters no matter how good looking the action and special effects are. You simply won't care who lives or dies in this film. At some point, you have to try to make the audience care. This film simply never does.

I think that I got my point across perfectly clear regarding this film. If it entertained you, fine, then it did it's job. The problem is is that there's nothing remotely remarkable about this film aside from the visual aspect of this film. If more time was spent fleshing out the story, characters, with a more coherent script, then this could've been a really good film. But since so much potential was utterly wasted, I have no choice but to give my grade and it's a D.

699 out of 1259 people found the following review useful:

A winner on several levels

Author: drmcninja17 from Washington State, United States
13 March 2011

I recently saw Sucker Punch at an advance screening and thoroughly enjoyed it. To be honest, I am the target demographic here. I'm a guy in his twenties who plays video games and enjoys fantasy movies and action.... but this is a decent film overall. It appeals to my "sensible adult" side that appreciates a good, well written film, with great directing, great acting, and overall good cinematography. It also appeals to my "twenty-something male" side that loves sexy ladies, guns, killer robots, dragons, samurai and swordplay. The abundant CG is stunningly beautiful and doesn't feel overdone or become visually exhausting like some movies. This movie gets me. and I know that there will be a good number of people who dislike this movie, dismissing it as juvenile, or stupid. who dislike the amount of CGI used in this movie. I don't care... I love this movie for exactly what it is... a good movie that appeals to me in every way.

268 out of 448 people found the following review useful:

Why Sucker Punch Works and why it will rock DVD sales

Author: GeneR777 from United States
1 April 2011

I originally wrote a review the day after I saw Sucker Punch. I panned it. To me my initial feelings were rather lukewarm at best.

But then I gave it some time.

And as I went through my days afterward my mind would wander back to the story and think about the visual food for thought.

Yeah, the girls are hot. Yeah, the action is over the top, but if you look at the emotional landscape that is being explored in a more literal fashion via the action then yeah, this is a pretty cool idea.

Sometimes films come along that are a "sucker punch" in terms of originality. The general public usually reacts negatively to it which leads to poor box office results. But later on the audience has had a chance to digest what was given and revisits the film and breaths new life into it.

My prediction is that such a situation will happen with Sucker Punch. It'll probably not recoup its initial budget at the box office. People will flood the IMDb forum with reasons why it did not work. We will probably see about a few dozen threads at least where people will vent their reasons why they hate the film and why you too should not see it.

But given some time it will recoup via video sales and other distribution deals.

Why?

Because it's still a solid story. The style of the movie is an Otaku's wet dream, but overall result is still the same: it does surprise and give ample food for thought.

Think of it as stylized parable about repression, personal will and sacrifice. Because sooner or later after all the negative backlash and reviews blow by those emotional messages will be all that will be left.

And people will remember it for that reason.

331 out of 594 people found the following review useful:

Incredible visuals; imagery that will stay etched in your mind for a long time

Author: movedout from http://thescreenbug.blogspot.com
23 March 2011

"Sucker Punch," the latest barrage on the senses from writer-director Zack Snyder ("300", "Watchmen") is his first film that's based on his own source material. And it proves to be quite stunning definition of pop filmmaking. In a triumphant marriage of style and tone, Snyder has created his own "Kill Bill" by going deep down into the rabbit hole. A glorious pastiche of colour, CGI and kinesis, "Sucker Punch" even through its obvious flaws, has set a new bar for graphic storytelling that attempts to transplant the purity of imagination onto the cinema screen.

Essentially cohering around a simple premise -- hot chicks kicking ass and taking names, the film's bravura opening charts Baby Doll's (Emily Browning) institutionalisation by a wicked stepfather after her mother's death and her introduction to the asylum where damaged young women are sent to be kept away from society. She meets the people-in-charge, Blue (Oscar Isaac) and Dr. Gorski (Carla Gugino) as well as the other girls in the institute: Rocket (Jena Malone) and her sister Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Amber (Jamie Chung) and Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens).

The story that follows Baby Doll reveals a larger canvas of a clever narrative conceit that coincides three realities together ("Inception" comparisons, tread lightly); the first being the asylum, the second is a burlesque brothel run by Blue and trained by Gorski and the final and most resplendent one is Baby Doll's hyper reverie focused on destroying the forces of evil -- be it shogun titans, zombie Nazis or killer androids. The darker the reality preceding it, the deeper and more risky the wormhole of fantasies go. There is a real sense, despite its tremendous parade of visual set-pieces that Snyder wanted a narrative strong enough to endure the weight of spectacle, and in many respects he has. He uses the age-old device of character quests to propel the plot, peppering it with familiar consequences until he doesn't. The flow culminates in an intriguing final act that sets it a mark higher than anyone would have expected, or even needed from a film that already proudly wears its stripes as pure escapist entertainment.

Snyder goes the way of Tarantino in appropriating and amalgamating artistic and stylistic influences from the most conspicuous of genres and mediums. Within the real world or whatever the relative equivalent of what exists in this film's dark and twisty tone, the film uses templates in the vein of sexploitation female prison grind-house features from the 60s and 70s like "Love Camp 7", "99 Women", "Caged Heat" and the grandmother of them all, 1950's "Caged". As the film progresses into its action-oriented enterprises, it quickly recalls the dizzying array of cut-scenes from video-games and punk anime-style design in how it encompasses the digital environment. Snyder's thematic goal is to situate the idea of imagination as a coping mechanism for terror, a concept seen recently in "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Tideland". The landscape of the mind is uniquely realised here by Snyder, who etches a remarkable amount of detail into each CGI frame, an hyperbolised celebration of artifice and invention that is at once magnificent and exhilarating as it is compelling and spellbinding.

Werner Herzog once posited that the dearth of new and unique imagery that do not reflect the times we live in will be the death of civilisation. If anything, "Sucker Punch" truly defines the generation of filmmaking we exist in -- a sophisticated and passionate emblem that delivers an overload of sugar high through the ideals of creating and maintaining a creative medley of pop-culture influences, bridged together with keen commercial sensibilities. Suddenly, Snyder holding on to the helms of the next Superman film makes more sense than it ever did.

125 out of 188 people found the following review useful:

Time Will Tell

Author: mort346 from United Kingdom
6 April 2011

Nearly every review you read for this film will say the same thing, it's a 'love or hate' movie, and there's a very good reason for this. "Sucker Punch" is not the film you were expecting, whatever that might have been, particularly if you were expecting a hyper-masculine affair a la "300". If anything it is hyper-feminine; at its core this is a movie about women struggling against the evil male influences in their lives. That doesn't mean it isn't loaded with action - it really is, and it is beautiful, but if you're looking for an easy watch, this isn't for you. In terms of sheer originality, this movies narrative style is right up there with classics like Pulp Fiction and Memento, but there is a downside to this - you need to keep an open mind. If you can't watch this movie, at least once without - and this may sound weird, but you'll get what I mean when you watch it - demanding to know exactly what is going on, right the hell now, it will lose you, and it won't get you back. But if you can keep an open mind, right till the end, at the very least it will give you a lot to think about

On the other hand, don't go thinking that is all it has to offer. It is visually stunning in a way that makes director's like Michael Bay and (dare I say it) James Cameron, look like blind toddlers with a handy-cam strapped to their heads. As for the music, it's not often I'm afraid of giving spoilers for a movies soundtrack, I'll say that much, and every track fits the movie perfectly.

I'm going to shoot myself in the foot here, but when it comes to this movie, don't listen to the reviews, and just go see it. I really think time will tell with this one on that front. I can't promise you'll like it, but I can promise you'll remember it 6 months from now, and how many movies can you say that about?

343 out of 645 people found the following review useful:

Suckerpunched into seeing this travesty

Author: gregeichelberger from San Diego
27 March 2011

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This film could not be more appropriately titled. I was a "sucker" to pay good money to see this slop, and I felt like "punching" writer/producer/director Zach Snyder for putting me (and many others) through it.

In addition to Snyder's ("Watchman," "300") "point-the-camera-and-get-away" direction, there's the horrid acting (a term I use more than loosely) of Emily Browning and others. Add to that the convoluted storyline and not-so-special effects, and you easily have one of the worst movies of the year.

What small plot this picture has features Babydoll (Browning) as a much abused stepdaughter placed in a "Shutter Island"-type 1950s mental institution. There, she meets a group of equally terrible actresses and begins her flights of fantasy. Browning seems to have one expression, a sad-sack, dopey-eyed, head-cocked look that makes Anna Faris' thespian abilities look like Katharine Hepburn's.

With this group, she delves into an "Inception"-like world of multi-layered dimensions, fighting giant killer robots, massive zeppelins, German zombies from World War I. These scenes are all one big CGI mess that - to some, I suppose - are going to appear impressive, but when all is said and done give the (intelligent) viewer one large headache.

Meanwhile, an oriental-like wise man (Scott Glenn, "The Right Stuff," "Hunt For Red October") waxes philosophical about finding a map, a key, fire, a knife and other mundane items which are supposed to make this film somewhat deep. Glenn, by the way, only was considered for this role because David Carradine had passed away.

To waste any more words on this slick piece of garbage would only serve to justify Snyder's pathetic vision of titillating teenage males by enticing them them with nearly bare-breasted, violent adolescent girls with guns and martial arts skills.

Take my advice here; unless you're a confused young women with anger and appearance issues, or a horny 14-year old boy, avoid this movie like the bubonic plague. No matter what kind of money you save by doing so, eventually, you will thank me for it.

79 out of 118 people found the following review useful:

Not What You've Heard

Author: imaniac from United States
5 April 2011

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In a world filled with mindlessly violent movies and flimsy plots with practically nothing to substantiate the actions of the characters, I went into this movie looking for mindless violence and girls-with-guns escaping reality and an asylum and not much more.

What I found instead was apparently missed by a lot of other people out there. I read reviews that said this movie was soulless and pointless sexual fantasy. I don't know what movie they saw…because that wasn't this movie.

This movie wasn't about a girl escaping reality by setting up a fantasy within a fantasy and using those fantasies to escape an institution in reality. This movie was about a young woman who had accepted a hopeless fate, but is saved by someone she eventually calls an angel…told from the angel's point of view. This is not Babydoll's story. Yet she still brought down the beast.

This movie was not about a boy's fantasy about girls in short skirts and fishnets holding big guns and a really cool sword. For one thing, boys tend to like bloodshed. Girls tend to like looking awesome. (Please note, I am using the phrase "tend to like" on purpose. I do like bloodshed on occasion and I am a girl. I know those of the male set of the species who also like to look awesome. I'm making a separate point here.) There is very little bloodshed in this movie. The steam-work soldiers did not bleed. They're already dead. The other creatures, the robots, the dragons… There's practically no blood shed within the fantasy. There is a highly sexual look to the movie. Babydoll is sexually objectified by her stepfather and the orderlies and the guards. Is it any wonder that her first reality-escaping-fantasy is a brothel? And then, within that fantasy, she uses her ability to dance provocatively to render the men motionless, thoughtless, and incapable of noticing anything else around them. It's called a power trip. Every woman wants to be sexy. Every woman wants to be that capable of holding every man's attention that completely. It was Babydoll's way of using that sexual objectivity as a weapon. And that weapon carries into the next level of her fantasy, becoming a handgun with cartoonish animal charms dangling - taking a weapon and adding a distinctively feminine touch to it - and a really sweet katana engraved with intricate and delicate designs.

This movie was about heroes and self-sacrifice. It was not about women in lingerie holding weapons. It was about using everything you have to fight for freedom - and that your freedom is not the only freedom worth fighting for. This is not Babydoll's story. It may not be yours. But it's still worth telling.

Oh yeah, and one more thing: If someone fights for your right to breathe free, fight for the next person's right. You won't know whose story this is until the end.

212 out of 397 people found the following review useful:

Put your thinking cap on

Author: s272112 from United States
25 March 2011

I have been absolutely pumped for this movie since I first saw the trailer for it last summer. I'm fresh from viewing it, and I have to say that it's not quite what I expected, though not necessarily in a bad way. To those who haven't seen it, two words: Do it. But be open to the fact that it will almost certainly not be exactly what you expect. Although it looks like a somewhat mindless kick ass, eye candy flick, don't be fooled: there is a pretty good story here, and its deeper than your first impression of it will be, also. Oh, and don't try and predict the ending.

After you watch it, you will need to process what actually happened, but put your thinking cap on- because its deeper than you think.

All in all, the acting was good enough (though it didn't blow my mind), the visuals are stellar (did blow my mind) and the soundtrack is amazing (where is my mind?). Definitely worth seeing. 8/10

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