[Reviews/Movies] Sucker Punch
I'm posting this on DW seeing as LJ is... slightly unavailable at the moment.
So. So.
I went to see Sucker Punch today.
...
So I know there's been a lot of flack for this movie. I've seen it said that it's just another movie exploiting women and glorifying violence against women, and I can see that. I certainly can.
I can also see the other side of it, where people have said no, they don't see it as that at all, it's about women taking back their power in any way they can. Yep, I can see that, too.
But really, I don't think this movie is about either of those things.
In the end, it's not really about anything other than pure fucking awesomeness.
I did not go into this movie expecting a brilliant masterpiece of film. I went into this movie expecting to see a lot of pretty special effects, and I got them, and that, my friends, is what Sucker Punch is ultimately about. The awesomely pretty.
See, to get Sucker Punch, this is what you do:
You take a little bit of steampunk.
You take a little bit of epic fantasy.
A smattering of cyberpunk.
Some science fiction.
A bit of film noir and mystery.
Horror.
Psychological thriller.
Erotica.
Those coming-of-age-as-a-performer movies.
Magical girl anime.
Kung fu movies.
Quest fantasy.
Ninja anime.
Mecha anime.
Alice in Wonderland.
You take all of that and maybe two or three things I missed, you put it in a blender and hit "frappe." When it's all mixed together into a fine blend, pour it into a bowl with some big, tearful, soulful eyes and innocent pigtails, and you've got yourself a movie called Sucker Punch.
And it's just a little bit glorious.
Also, there's a bunny-faced mecha.
And Vanessa Hudgens. I like her better when she's kicking ass than when she's singing and playing the innocent teenager act.
But the bunny-faced mecha might be the best part.
Okay, seriously, there are a few squicky things.
**SPOILERS**
For the first five minutes of the movie I was convinced they were going to have the step-father rape either Baby Doll or her sister or both of them. I'm not sure still what his intention was; was he planning to kill them both so he could have their mother's money? Or rape and marry one of them to get the money? Who the fuck knows, all I know is that I was very quietly trying not to freak the fuck out. Seriously--with Precious, I knew what I was getting into. I didn't expect it here, and it gave me the heebie jeebies, but I understand how it works with the rest of the movie.
Sort of.
And I'm halfway convinced Baby Doll was raped in the mental hospital by orderly Blue. It's not clear, but it's definitely insinuated. Though, it may or may not make another part make sense....
Then there's the lobotomy.
Holy fuck. I mean, I've always known a lobotomy was a creepy thing, and DNW territory, but goddamn. Spike in the eye? Rammed in with a hammer? GUUUUH. NO. (I kept expecting there to be a tear of blood running down her face when they finally showed it. That part was sort of a letdown, I mean, there was nothing really special about her face after the lobotomy, she had the same blank expression all through the movie....)
The violence part can definitely be a bit much. I mean, Blue shot killed Amber and Blondie for no real reason. Well, he had reasons, but they really boiled down to "I want to kill someone, let me kill these two because I'm not going to kill Baby Doll because I want her too much." Which makes me wonder if the "real-world" Amber and Blondie were killed during Baby Doll's supposed week-long rampage through the mental hospital. That wasn't really addressed; I don't think orderly Blue could have gotten away with killing them the way pimp Blue did in the dancing girls/whores reality/dream/whatever.
And let's talk about orderly Blue for a second. What the hell was that there at the end? They almost seemed to be try to suggest that he actually had feelings for Baby Doll. That was definitely a tear track on his cheek. What's up with that?
But if you can push aside the insinuations of child rape, the random shooting of innocent women, the lobotomy squickiness, and the fucked up nature of Blue's control over every part of this... then what you have left is pure awesome, explodey, mecha, fantasy, scifi, kung fu, ninja, magical girl, questy, horrific thriller.
With a bunny-faced mecha.
And swords.
And guns.
And a very, very hot Jena Malone.
Look, it's just pretty awesome, y'all, and I think I have to have it on DVD when it comes out.
So. So.
I went to see Sucker Punch today.
...
So I know there's been a lot of flack for this movie. I've seen it said that it's just another movie exploiting women and glorifying violence against women, and I can see that. I certainly can.
I can also see the other side of it, where people have said no, they don't see it as that at all, it's about women taking back their power in any way they can. Yep, I can see that, too.
But really, I don't think this movie is about either of those things.
In the end, it's not really about anything other than pure fucking awesomeness.
I did not go into this movie expecting a brilliant masterpiece of film. I went into this movie expecting to see a lot of pretty special effects, and I got them, and that, my friends, is what Sucker Punch is ultimately about. The awesomely pretty.
See, to get Sucker Punch, this is what you do:
You take a little bit of steampunk.
You take a little bit of epic fantasy.
A smattering of cyberpunk.
Some science fiction.
A bit of film noir and mystery.
Horror.
Psychological thriller.
Erotica.
Those coming-of-age-as-a-performer movies.
Magical girl anime.
Kung fu movies.
Quest fantasy.
Ninja anime.
Mecha anime.
Alice in Wonderland.
You take all of that and maybe two or three things I missed, you put it in a blender and hit "frappe." When it's all mixed together into a fine blend, pour it into a bowl with some big, tearful, soulful eyes and innocent pigtails, and you've got yourself a movie called Sucker Punch.
And it's just a little bit glorious.
Also, there's a bunny-faced mecha.
And Vanessa Hudgens. I like her better when she's kicking ass than when she's singing and playing the innocent teenager act.
But the bunny-faced mecha might be the best part.
Okay, seriously, there are a few squicky things.
**SPOILERS**
For the first five minutes of the movie I was convinced they were going to have the step-father rape either Baby Doll or her sister or both of them. I'm not sure still what his intention was; was he planning to kill them both so he could have their mother's money? Or rape and marry one of them to get the money? Who the fuck knows, all I know is that I was very quietly trying not to freak the fuck out. Seriously--with Precious, I knew what I was getting into. I didn't expect it here, and it gave me the heebie jeebies, but I understand how it works with the rest of the movie.
Sort of.
And I'm halfway convinced Baby Doll was raped in the mental hospital by orderly Blue. It's not clear, but it's definitely insinuated. Though, it may or may not make another part make sense....
Then there's the lobotomy.
Holy fuck. I mean, I've always known a lobotomy was a creepy thing, and DNW territory, but goddamn. Spike in the eye? Rammed in with a hammer? GUUUUH. NO. (I kept expecting there to be a tear of blood running down her face when they finally showed it. That part was sort of a letdown, I mean, there was nothing really special about her face after the lobotomy, she had the same blank expression all through the movie....)
The violence part can definitely be a bit much. I mean, Blue shot killed Amber and Blondie for no real reason. Well, he had reasons, but they really boiled down to "I want to kill someone, let me kill these two because I'm not going to kill Baby Doll because I want her too much." Which makes me wonder if the "real-world" Amber and Blondie were killed during Baby Doll's supposed week-long rampage through the mental hospital. That wasn't really addressed; I don't think orderly Blue could have gotten away with killing them the way pimp Blue did in the dancing girls/whores reality/dream/whatever.
And let's talk about orderly Blue for a second. What the hell was that there at the end? They almost seemed to be try to suggest that he actually had feelings for Baby Doll. That was definitely a tear track on his cheek. What's up with that?
But if you can push aside the insinuations of child rape, the random shooting of innocent women, the lobotomy squickiness, and the fucked up nature of Blue's control over every part of this... then what you have left is pure awesome, explodey, mecha, fantasy, scifi, kung fu, ninja, magical girl, questy, horrific thriller.
With a bunny-faced mecha.
And swords.
And guns.
And a very, very hot Jena Malone.
Look, it's just pretty awesome, y'all, and I think I have to have it on DVD when it comes out.