Film Review #1 : Sucker Punch

     This movie is confusing on so many levels, which might be why I love it so much. First off, this is a review so there might be a spoilers thrown in here and there, so be warned.

     Sucker Punch, the name does this movie no justice. From the first scene you know this movie is a tragic, I mean its raining outside and someone has already died. The main characters mother, who isn't important enough to have a noticeable name is stone cold dead, and the "father" upon finding out he gets nothing from her death goes on a rape rampage. First he tries to get into the main character, then upon finding out kitty has claws, he goes for the younger sister. Now the main character, who after forty minutes is called Babydoll, and another hour after that, Laura, is obviously pissed. She slides down a drain pipe grabs and gun and points it at the would be rapist, bang, she missed and her sister is dead. Opportunity arises and she gets institutionalized, which is where the fun starts. Now just like Inception, this movie is one reality inside the other, inside another which means every character has three parts to play and you have to follow the story through one dream and into a vision then back to the real world all the while doing your best to learn names and locations. Obviously there was a bit of a budget cut with character design such but you'll get used to it.

    Now reality one, is the actual world, its dark and brooding and really sucks. Our protagonist is locked up in an asylum in Vermont, with her are a motley crew of perverts and mentally unstable hotties. Its from here she derives all of her stimulus for the other realities and reality two begins with a bang.

    Reality two is a seedy strip club, I know right its just keeps getting better. This is where she actually starts meeting some of her fellow inpatients and sets in motion her plan for freedom. Now the section of the movie here starts in essentially the same way as the first, she gets dropped off by the father character, who is this time a twisted priest and the same as before, she isn't allowed to leave. The nurse that thinks he runs the asylum is here as the owner of the club, the Tenenbaum-esque doctor is now a dance instructor and still provides the music. Yes music, this is a strip club, and Babydoll is forced to dance. When she dances though she enters reality three.

     Our last reality is every little boys dream, and well mine too. Babydoll has free reign here to change the location every dance as it takes place in her dreams, and she does. This reality is where she finds her weapons and where she learns how to achieve the final goal, freedom. Our merry band of crazies kicks ass all the way from world war one to a medieval castle. Now in this reality there are obviously a bunch of crazy good looking girls, but here they have guns and swords and they have to fight robotic samurais with chain guns, steampunk nazis, dragons, orcs, and those guys from I-Robot that didn't have sentience.

     As the movie progresses the realities start to affect one another in obvious ways, which means that if you die in one, you die in another, if you steal the map in one you have it in the other, and amazingly enough it all falls into place. Well, you think it does, without ruining everything lets just say all along we had the wrong idea about who's story it was and how it ends. throughout the movie I was stunned by the visuals, I mean epic doesn't even cut it for the battle scenes, beautiful doesn't come close to the stature of the ladies, and I bet you didn't even pay attention to the monologue that started everything, and ends it as well.

    "Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us... and at the same time sings that we'll never die? Who teaches us whats real and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and we'll die to defend? Who chains us and who holds the key that can set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now Fight!"

     This movie turns out to be a thing of majesty, and it was completely covered up with violence, depression and lobotomies, and for that I implore you, look deeper than the grime and darkness, find the meaning of the story, that's where the beauty lies.

     Overall this movie is at least a rent, at most a buy, but watch this movie! If you loved the soundtrack as much as I do find it for download here. And don't pay any attention to the Rotten Tomatoes rating.