(no subject)
Sucker Punch (2011). Written and directed by Zack Snyder. The film opens with the death of the mother of two sisters. Both sisters are afraid of their stepfather who intends to abuse them now that their mother is gone. After locking the elder sister, Babydoll (Emily Browning), in her room he goes after the younger. Babydoll manages to escape from her room, steal her stepfather's gun, and then tries to shoot him. The shot misses and kills her younger sister, and she flees the scene. She is arrested at her mother's grave, and institutionalised for the crime. My central issue with Sucker Punch, as with any film, is the story, or in this case the lack of. Almost right after the first 4-5 minutes the story seems to give up trying to emotionally invest you in the characters, which then gives way to a number of special effects set pieces. There is a story there trying to tie it all together, there's just very little of it. And if you're the sort of person that gets off on lots of action set pieces and very little else then you might well enjoy it. Those who want something significantly more cerebral should check out a number of Terry Gilliam's films. 2/5 (Poor)