Sucker Punch, directed by Zack Snyder

It's impossible to think about Sucker Punch without in some way relating it to the career of it's director, Zack Snyder. Bursting onto the scene with his updated and superior remake of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, he ultimately earned his reputation as a hack 'n slash visionary with the Spartan war epic, 300. It's a label he's both fought against and yet solidified over the years. Watchmen, a deep, multi-tiered take on the darker side of Golden Age superheroes , was creatively his most successful film yet, but even there the film thrived when diving head first into over-the-top brutality. If 300 was the movie that ultimately defined Snyder as a filmmaker before, Sucker Punch has now claimed that mantle. Take every positive and negative criticism ever uttered about his style, boil it down, and Sucker Punch is what you have left.

The tag line for the film is "You will be unprepared". It's a simple enough statement, but it couldn't' be more accurate. Sucker Punch is so close to being great, that it'll be aggravating listening to others simply shun it as a complete failure.  In terms of action, Snyder has completely outdone himself. That much is to be expected. It's what he does when the swords and clanging and the bullets aren't flying that he deserves credit for, even if that side of the film ultimately fails, he deserves some credit for the visual flair he brings to the table.

Opening rather unexpectedly with the lifting a stage current, it might seem as if we're about to be taken through some Rob Marshall adaptation. What follows us a grim, horror novella intro into the life of Baby Doll(an ethereal Emily Browning). Her mother's just died, leaving her and her sister alone with their brutal, uncaring stepfather. The girls have inherited a fortune, which causes their stepfather to go berserk.When he kills the sister, Baby Doll exacts vengeance by clawing his face and pulling a gun on him, an action which gets her framed for murder. Sent away to a penitentiary for treatment.  The intro is bleak and full of promise.

It's here at the asylum that Snyder's vision starts to peak through. The story is set in the 1960s, a period where America was experiencing both a technological and social revolution. In particular the second wave of the feminist movement. The asylum where Baby Doll has been banished is an unholy place where women are meant for only the most basest of things: cooking, cleaning, and sex. The place is run by Blue(Oscar Isaac), a creepy, corrupt warden who gladly lobotomizes any of the girls who get too feisty. Baby Doll makes quick friends with some of her fellow inmates: the efficacious Rocket(Jena Malone), her tough sister Sweet Pea(Abbie Cornish), the naive Blondie(Vanessa Hudgens), and Amber(Jamie Chung).  Blue has turned the asylum into his own little corner burlesque, where the girls are trained by Madam Gorski(Carla Gugino) to dance for their high class clientele.

It's as Baby Doll realizes the power inherent in her own sexuality that the formulation of an escape plan develops. Through her gyrations, Baby Doll and her friends are able to be transported into other worlds, where Snyder is able to let his creativity really cut loose. In order to escape their prison, the girls must find five magical items, all of which have equal importance in the real world.

These alternate universes springing forth from Baby Doll's imagination are like every nerd fantasy come true. Giant samurai robots with bazookas and chain guns. Hot chicks in schoolgirl outfits wielding oversized guns, rampaging through a strange, retro steam punk version of World War I. It's like Snyder took every crazy idea that ever oozed out of his brain and displayed them for all of us to see. Each of these little pocket worlds are totally unique, thrilling in their own way. The girls are led through each battle by the mysterious Wise Man(the always welcome Scott Glenn), who pumps the girls up with peppy anecdotes he could've taken from off a  bumper sticker.  Snyder is most comfortable here, where those absolutely no need for subtlety.  His camera is never boring, almost a character in the action itself. It's in the middle of every overblown explosion, a blur trailing behind every bullet. An amazing battle aboard a train against a horde of sentient robots is shot in such a batcrap insane manner there should be sign outside warning epileptics not to even bother buying a ticket. I told a colleague that I had no idea what just happened, but it was awesome and I loved it. Snyder is a genius at capturing the visceral, and some of the stuff he's done in Sucker Punch will be his new trademark.

I just wish he could've done a better job filling us in on the specifics of the places we're visiting. There are hints at a larger story in every single setting, but we're never privy to further information. It's disappointing, because some of these places I really wanted to spend more time with because they're so inventive and wonderfully imagined. 

The problem is that when the fighting stops, the real world looks a lot less interesting. That's not to say there aren't any stakes involved when the girls are back in their prison. It's just the opposite, actually, because the most dangerous threat isn't from giant dragons or zombie soldiers, it's from the slimeball men looking to crush the girls' spirit every chance they can. I applaud Snyder's attempt to say something bigger, perhaps trying to make a broader point about female empowerment and sexual freedom. I just don't think the script is strong enough, or intelligent enough to sustain it. It comes off as very amateurish and simple, and while I'll happily take Snyder's wild misfires over some other filmmaker's boring mediocrity, there's a part of me that wishes he'd just make a movie that's just a string of action scenes cut together. The reactions from some folks would be priceless,but I would friggin' love it.

Sucker Punch isn't going to appeal to most folks. I think you know if you're going to like it long before you ever sit down to watch it. I've probably championed this film longer and harder than almost anybody not currently on the Warner Brothers payroll. Sucker Punch is both more and less than what I expected it to be. The film's narrative is a complete mess. Stylistically, Zack Snyder has outdone himself, and his vision is exciting enough to make Sucker Punch an adventure worth revisiting.