Carl the Critic: Reviews "Sucker Punch" [CAUTION: Contains Plot Spoilers]

Expectations/Experience: I think the reason I wanted to review this movie was because I saw the trailer and thought "what is this movie about? There are dragons, crazy girls, guns explosions, Samaria sword fights, and an abusive father." After watching the movie I am still wondering what this movie is about. I felt like this was not a movie but that I was watching a video game that someone else was playing. It was one of the funniest movies I have seen this year so far, but the sad thing is I think it was trying to be serious.

Story: The movie starts off with the story of a girl named "Baby Doll," who has an abusive father that may have something to do with the death of her mother and sister. But Baby Doll is accused for the murders and is sent to an insane asylum where she is forced to get a lobotomy. But just before she gets one we some how end up in a whore house, apparently this asylum takes all the beautiful crazy girls, takes them out in public, and makes them dance (you might need a moment to comprehend this before you read on).

When Baby Doll dances shes gets lost in a world where there is this old guy who acts like a tutorial in a video game who always ends a conversation with "Oh one more thing..." as if it was his coined catch phrase. He tells her that in order to escape she needs to find five things: A map, fire, a knife, a key and one more thing which is a mystery until the very end. But in order to get these things she needs the help of her new crazy friends: "Rocket," "Sweet Pea," "Blondie," and "Amber." who all enter her dream like state as she fights for freedom.

Critique: This movie was not horrible but there are a few note worthy things to mention about the film. I have never seen a film (from the transitional to the contemporary era) where the make-up was a mess. The H.D. Camera that the movie was shot with had shown every stroke of foundation, blush, eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, and mascara, and this was all on a man. The make up was the biggest problem for me, followed closely by story. Every critic has mentioned how it is like "Alice in Wonderland," I say it is more like "Inception," where the movie is like a dream with in a dream with in a dream (and it was very confusing), but at least "Inception" was GOOD.

I love video games, and I love playing video games, but this movie was just one gigantic video game that Zack Snyder was playing, and we (the audience) are paying money to watch him play it. Its story is structured as a cone only the cone is spiraling inwards instead of outwards (what I mean is that the conclusion was not as good as the beginning.) The movie is full of cliches, explosions, and unintentional funny scenes. An example of a scene that I thought was funny was when Baby Doll is trying to get a map from a gang of evil zombie-robot Nazis from hell and Outer space, and is shooting down huge airplanes and blimps with her little pistol.

On the other hand there is some really good photography, (by the film's cinematographer Larry Fong), Zack Snyder's direction hasn't been this "good" since "300," and I felt that the actors overall pulled out some very good performances (despite the crappy story). In addition to that, the music (by Tyler Bates and Marius De Vries) is quite good, and the design of the dragon was probably one of the best parts of the film.

Overall: I did have fun with this movie, but I think it was a complete waste of time. There are some good things and bad things but I can't really, completely recommend this movie to anyone. I give this movie a 6.5 out of 10.

SPOILER: "Oh and one more thing..." in case you want to know the ending without watching the movie because you want to skip it, here is what happens.

-Rocket, Amber, and then Blondie all die in the movie. Baby Doll then helps Sweet pea escape.

-the fifth thing Baby Doll needs in order to escape is to sacrifice herself. When Baby Doll "sacrifices herself," she gets the lobotomy and it turns out that she really did do the things she visioned in her mind but at the same time she didn't because she was not a dancing whore.

-Sweet Pea is about to escape but is confronted by police. The Bus Driver (who is also the old guy from Baby Doll's dream like state) tells the Police that she was with him the entire time and that she is a good passenger (as if that was needed to be said.) So Sweet Pea is the only one who officially escapes.

- In case you are wondering, no the abusive father is never mentioned ever again in the movie, but by the end of the movie you can't really trust Baby Doll was ever really sane or if she was crazy, and I for one do not care. She might have killed her sister and mother though.