Sucker Punch movie review

Original publication date: March 25, 2011

Sucker Punch took moviegoers on an astral travel adventure into a fantasy world. Female mental patients attempting to escape the horrors of reality in a mental asylum employed their dream senses into action. Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, and Scott Glenn delivered great performances to woo the audience. In a stunning display of visual aesthetics, visionary director and writer Zach Snyder carefully crafted his film with a multitude of crafty canter angles and vivid scenery.

The sexy blonde Babydoll (Emily Browning) loses her mother. Her younger sister and her are left with a step father who is only interested in a will the mother leaves behind as well as seducing the daughters. Babydoll attempts to defend her sister from the wrath of the stepfather, but she ends up shooting and killing her by accident. Every angle within the opening scene is designed to add visual depth to the upcoming fantasy. The alternative music sets the tone, separating fantasy from reality.

Babydoll is temporarily disconnected from reality moments after being apprehended and sedated by the police.The stepfather delivers Babydoll to a mental asylum on top of a hill. The mental institute director, Blue (Oscar Isaac), briefs the stepfather on living arrangements and activities Babydoll will partake in while under their care.

Stunning Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), cute Abbie Cornish (Sweet Pea), tough-minded and attractive Rocket (Jena Malone), sexy Amber (Jamie Chung) and Wise Man (Scott Glenn) work together on several war missions against the most ruthless antagonists in the fantasy world. The stunning visual display creates a dark world full of challenges, requiring the girls to obtain five items (map, fire, knife, key, and one last mystery item) to gain their freedom.

Babydoll takes her new friends on astral travel missions to challenge their inner self. Led by wise man, the girls fight everything from German soldiers to samurai warriors in order to advance to the next level. Babydoll's astral projection takes place seconds after she begins to dance, opening a portal to enter a high octane world.

The fantasy unfolds into several stages. The essential goal is to fight the enemy, and then to secure five items needed to escape the control of Blue, Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino), and the dance club (asylum). In the fantasy world, Babydoll and the girls are skilled fighters equipped with precision moves and skills, giving them the power to defeat their dark enemies.

Wise Man delivers an inspiring new quote to open every new mission such as "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything". Sucker Punch sends the audience on an exploration into the fantasy of five girls who fight to be free. Babydoll's astral travel removes the girls from the horrors of reality to find a sense of higher truth. In order for one to find freedom, four weaker girls must sacrifice their sanity to save the stronger girl.

Zach Snyder's Sucker Punch is a visually stunning movie that transforms a mental institution into a fantasy within a fantasy. Sucker Punch is a story filled with many plot layers and allegorical elements, representing the journey one must take to escape reality. The theme of the movie shows that any person is capable of overcoming impossible obstacles and challenges to succeed. Watch Sucker Punch with an open mind to leave the theater with a rewarding experience.