Sucker Punch

On a Scale of 1 to 10, 10 Being the Best

10

Courtesy of Buzzfeed

Plot: A teenage girl, nicknamed Baby Doll, tries to protect her sibling from her abusive step-father but it goes horribly wrong. She is sent to a mental institution where she fantasizes of a two part world. The first is that she is not in a mental institution but a dance hall/brothel and the other world is where she and the other inmates fight all sorts of characters to free themselves of the mental institution. The movie is brilliantly made and well written. Two thumbs up!

Characters/Actors of Note:

Emily Browning playing Baby Doll: This character appears soft and delicate which of course makes her the most talented killer. All of the characters had intense weapon and body training to prepare themselves for their roles. Ms. Browning had most of the action sequences and was the leader of the girls. Even though she was quiet, she did not come off as shy. The watchers also are told that she is feisty and daring. I did not get this vibe but got the feeling that she was serious. These duel feelings may have been the angle that the director was after. 

Carla Gugino playing Dr. Vera Gorski: It is fun to see how Baby Doll's imagination changed some of the characters around. Gorski is the head psychiatrist in the mental institution who helps the inmates by having them act and sing. In the imagination of Baby Doll however, she is the dancing coach of the brothel and is second in command. This is to reflect that some shady nurses are going over her head and taking control of the inmates. Ms. Gugino has to switch personalities from reality to the imaginative. It was great to see the differences of personalities and the realization that occurred with this character. 

Oscar Issac playing Blue Jones: Blue Jones is a nurse that works in the institution but to the girls, is the pimp of the brothel. As a nurse he is a conniving and sniveling jerk who takes advantage of the defenseless. As head of the brothel he is a controlling and murderous psychopath. Once again we see a character that switches personalities. Mr. Isaac's performance makes the viewers automatically wary and afraid of him. At the end, we discover just exactly why he is portrayed as a pimp which makes the viewers sick. 

Music: The music is rock and roll to the max. There is screamo, slow rock songs, and an orchestra that uses guitars and brass. I love how they incorporate the dancing music to the battles. The songs can be listened to by themselves and are often really cool rock covers of famous songs. On top of that, you can listen to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon to the film and it would fit perfectly. It is not often that the soundtrack of a movie can be that edgy and listenable. 

Camera Work/Cinematography: The movie was striking in many ways. First, the lines and blurriness worked very well together. To give a saddened look to the film, the film looked streaky as if it from water but at the same time the lines are clear enough to give it a sharpness. The colors being mostly grey and blue were well used to show the depression of the girls and the gravity of war. There was the added benefit of a steam punk aesthetic. The bad guys could be robots, people, or a combination of both. The clothes were also a cool combination of steam punk and battle clothes. It was an interesting choice and very much the right choice. It's not often that steam punk is put in films and on top of that, make so much sense. Even though the clothes are revealing it makes sense in that they reflect that the girls are vulnerable, especially to Blue Jones. 

RECAP: 

The acting was well done and the action scenes were amazing! The look of the film was new and edgy and awesome. The music makes the listener feel like they are at a rock concert. This movie is so different from the norm and it was done so well that it deserves applause. 

Courtesy of MoviePoster.com

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