Sucker Punch

[beckaandzac]

I made myself a couple of Sucker Punch icons, in part because I think it is possibly the most UNDERRATED movie I have EVER seen (I can't think why you'd want them, but they are shareable if you do). I spent a lot of this weekend reading reviews and being BAFFLED by them. And it hurts my soul because I think that it was ultimately a careful and

Comments

[sophie_448]

This is perfect! This is exactly what I was trying to get my mind around with the costuming, as well as the nature of power and violence on the various levels, and hadn't quite put together. Thank you so much for the super analysis!

On another note, I feel like the movie is getting blasted from both sides. So many feminist reviewers are dismissing it as exploitative, while I've had some male friends of mine (who are comics fans) dismiss it out of hand as stupid and "nowhere near as good as Watchmen." This was based on reviews btw, since neither of them had actually seen it. Which really made me feel like they were saying that an action movie that dealt with issues like exploitation of women and the rape culture was automatically less valuable than one that took on war and the various other issues that are dealt with in Watchmen.

It makes me wonder if the message is slipping by because only those of us who have some level of knowledge about feminist concerns and the conventions of comics/video games/etc are really appreciating how the two have come together here.

ANYWAY. You don't mind if I link this around do you?

[beckaandzac]

Yay! It's so complicated, and I've seriously been considering for DAYS what angle to start unpacking it from.

I think you are SO RIGHT about the both sides thing. You have some people calling it exploitative and objectifying, and other people saying, "But what was the POINT? We didn't even get to see her HOT DANCING." So it is being accused of not taking women seriously and of not holding the interest of male viewers who assumed they were the target audience. Ugh. IDGI!

I think the overlap is really helpful. Everyone I know who's liked this movie is a feminist AND a geek of some description, and I think that says a lot about what we see in it.

Link away! I expect to be embarrassed by my grammar when I reread this in the morning, but I stand by my points. :D

[sophie_448]

Honest question: did male viewers really assume they were the target audience? Because the first time I saw the trailer, having heard nothing about it prior to that, I kind of perked up because I thought it looked like something different. Even from that brief of an exposure, I felt like it was doing something different with "tough chicks" and action tropes. I mean, being the optimist I am, I assumed it would most likely fail miserably to live up to that promise, but that was still the first impression I got.

But then I guess that's male privilege for you. It's got hot chicks in short skirts in it! It must be for me!

Yeah, that's true. Everyone on my flist who's seen it has really liked it (although not a whole lot seem to have gone yet). It's elsewhere that all the negativity is coming from. Well, just more proof that a benevolent fangirl oligarchy is the way to go :-P

LOL your grammar seems A++ to me, and thanks!

using my new MCR icons like a boss :-P

[beckaandzac]

I saw a couple of user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes that almost literally began, "As a dude and the target audience for this film..." and I think a lot of the feminist criticism as well has started with the assumption that the movie was made BY men FOR men ABOUT women, and that that's the root of its problems. I assume all of that was yeah, based on the physical appearance of the women in the trailers.

Well, just more proof that a benevolent fangirl oligarchy is the way to go

A++

Yay new MCR icons!

[sophie_448]

Oh, wow. This is one of those choose to lol or end up headdesking myself into unconsciousness scenarios, isn't it?

To be fair, in the current climate it is ... unlikely that a movie made by a man would a) possibly not be primarily for other men and b) try (much less succeed) to make a critical statement about rape culture. But to say that it's impossible and therefore ignore all evidence to the contrary isn't doing anyone of any gender any good.

:-D

[aggiebell]

Direct quote from a male friend in reply to my facebook post about it: "I kept wanting to be turned on, but the plot made me uncomfortable." I kinda thought that was the point, myself.

I did definitely read at least one male reviewer who said that the movie didn't have any of the T&A/sex that would have made the mess worth watching, so I think at least some guys thought it was a male-oriented film. I actually felt fairly like the movie was aimed at me.

There are many ways that it doesn't live up to that promise, but the fact that it makes it in the first place is a step forward.

[sophie_448]

Oh, male privilege. So tragically hilarious. Or hilariously tragic. Take your pick :-P

I felt like the movie was aimed at me too! And it's not often that I feel like a big budget action movie is aimed at me. Can't remember the last time that happened ... oh, wait! Never!

Agreed that it's not perfectly executed in a lot of ways. I find myself talking very glowingly about it, though, on account of it getting completely slammed from almost all sides. I still need to see it again to do a more thorough analysis.