Sucker Punch

I do agree Sucker Punch is a love it, hate it type of film. Some people loved it, some despised me. As for me, I neither loved it or hated it. I have mixed feelings on Sucker Punch. I noticed some good things, but some areas of improvement too. It is not among my favourites of the year, but I think there are much worse movies released this year.

PROS: Sucker Punch's visuals are spectacular, the case with all of Zack Snyder's movies. The cinematography and editing are excellent, and the costumes, settings and effects likewise.

There is also an atmospheric soundtrack, stylish direction from Snyder and good performances from Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jenna Melone Vanessa Hudgens and Oscar Isaac.

Plus I loved Sucker Punch's idea. It was original and very interesting.

CONS: Despite this great idea, Sucker Punch doesn't quite live up to it in the execution of the storytelling. The story had this great concept and started off wonderfully, but as the film progresses it does get increasingly bewildering and convoluted.

Pacing is also uneven. The film could have been longer, so the film could have had more time to explain itself further, and some of the middle feels a little pedantic.

The script does have some stilted moments as well, and the characters while intriguing and decently acted could have done with more development.

In conclusion, Sucker Punch has its good points, but some assets could have been better. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Really underrated movie. It's not just your typical stylized action flick, it's quite a heartbreaking story in its core.

On a rewatch of this movie I really started to understand what was REALLY going on here. Once you understand what's really going on in the movie it will break your heart.

Great action, great story line, characters you really feel for.

I think this movie is rated so low because the people drawn to it don't think past the surface.

Off the bat I have to say I'm over thirty years older than what some pro critics have claimed is the demographic for this one. Sucker Punch, as reviews etc attest, is not for everyone, it has been called any number of things in derogative fashion, which since I enjoyed the film a lot means I'm a misogynist fetishist gamer, which to the best of my knowledge is not true. Lest I'm in the closet and now in middle age about to unleash traits and feelings previously untapped. Which if the latter is true you would have to say well done Zack Snyder, for that's serious film making...

Sucker Punch is loud, full of visual orgasms, musically adroit, exciting, clever and very sexy. Snyder has made no secret of his fetish leanings when making this piece, but it hardy constitutes a dark seedy mind at work. It can easily be argued that the film is very much pro women, the story itself - in amongst the explosive thunder of the fantastical action - is tender and beautiful, complete with emotional kickers. Perhaps it's in the eye of the beholder? But I see a strong female led action movie, with shifting fantasy realms, and cunningly it calls for deeper ponder come the finale.

Love it or hate it, Snyder has pushed buttons with this exercise. Better that than another cash cow sequel or another remake, re- imaging or rebirth. 7/10

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.

With its rustic-futuristic visuals, synergistic use of classic rock music, overt sexuality, and dreamlike action sequences, SUCKER PUNCH feels like a live action homage to 1981's HEAVY METAL with a heaping helping of MATRIX folded in for good measure. Excellent, quirky performances from a bevy of skilled young actresses serve to enhance the idiosyncratic nature of this film.

From its atmospheric use of color to its smallest detail (think a snowflake melting on an eyelash), SUCKER PUNCH is a visual feast. The movie sounds great, too. Contemporary versions of songs like "White Rabbit," "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," and "Love is the Drug," to name a few, harmonize well with both the imagery and the unique, fantasy-within-a-dream storyline.

Like many, I'm scraping the bottom of the Netflix quarantine barrel and wasn't expecting much more from this movie than a forgettable distraction. I couldn't possibly have been more pleasantly surprised. SUCKER PUNCH grabbed me from its fourth-wall-busting opening shot and held my attention right to the eyebrow-raising ending. I'll be watching again. Soon.