Straight from the brilliant visionary mind of director zack snyder comes Sucker Punch, i skipped it in the cinema and instead bought it on DVD ..after realizing the Bluray not only had 2hrs of extras but almost 20mins of unseen footage i bought that too! what quickly followed was a purchase of the official soundtrack and art book – what follows now is a run down of what to expect from all of the above.
When a young girl “Babydoll” is locked away in an insane asylum against her will she soon learns that though physical escape is impossible the ultimate escape that is within her grasp is that of the mind. By going deep into her mind she finds the skills she needs to come that one step closer to the freedom she seeks, though in reality she is the very essence of frailty and innocence, in her imagination she is a specially skilled warrior who is more than a match for the inner demons she faces. at the beginning of her journey she befriends a group of her fellow captives and over time convinces them to join her struggle. they too prove to be a pivotal part of baby's plan, Rocket, Sweet Pea, Amber and Blondie all add their own personal flair to the battle plan, but with everything to play for the lines soon blur and escape may not be as easy as they thought.
Lines blurring and a warped reality is where Sucker Punch really finds its home. they seem to be set up into three separate realities, when babydoll is locked up she escapes to a world where she is again held against her will, this time in the form of a brothel where the girls are at the whim of the paying high rollers who visit. babydoll uses the power of her imagination to escape again to a world of fantasy where she and her friends must vanquish all manner of monsters, from dragons to robots and even steampunk inspired zombie soldiers.
Though this might not be to everyone's tastes what Sucker Punch offers is a lot of over the top action and fun with dashes of raunchy female empowerment all dressed up in a moulin rouge-esque thrill ride. don’t expect the laws of physics to intervene, this is their world so matrix styled kicks and flips are ever present, the girls twirl and leap unrealistically opening fire left right and centre. its not all unbelievable though, the dialogue and need for freedom that is expressed from the narrative is carefully written and the characters too draw you into the story. the acting is for the most part top notch even when faced with the overwhelming number of bullets that fly across the screen quite regularly. there is much eye candy to be behold in the movie, snyder brought a whole boatload of visual perfection to his previous films Watchmen and 300, Sucker Punch is no exception.
Visually and even musically it works, the dark world of the asylum and the contrasting brothel blend together rather seamlessly. the characters too from the asylum leak into baby’s imagination and soon become key figures in her quest for freedom, all have a part to play and they play it exceptionally well. if you want to enjoy Sucker Punch be prepared to leave common sense at the door, having watching both versions of the movie i’d recommend the Bluray for the real Sucker Punch experience because the extra footage adds so much more to the story which at times can be hard but not impossible to follow.
Special Features
Maximum movie moment with the director: its very informative and covers all aspects of the film from pre to post production, think storyboards, comparative shots, film stills, interviews and much more its one of the best insider insights ever to grace Bluray.
Animated short comics: these looked and felt like an animated graphic novel, they served as an interesting and visually pleasing way of providing a more fleshed out back story to the worlds that feature in babydoll’s quest. they are quite short, running at about 4mins each but they move straight to the action and tell the story very well so they are a nice little extra.
Behind the soundtrack: though i really liked the idea of this its much too short, the film features many great renditions of popular songs reimagined for the picture but 3mins is nowhere half as near as what's needed to really delve into the creative process. in short its just a general overview of what's on the soundtrack and feels a lot more like an advert to buy it – buy it i did so on to the next part of my review.
Sucker Punch the Official Soundtrack
Its been a long time since i bought a soundtrack and thought the songs all fit together in a way they could expertly enhance the experience of the film, and work together they do, its a fun rocking album that through banging beats and psychedelic splendour delivers hit after hit. opening with a stunningly haunting version of “where is my mind” its not altogether apparent that the cast themselves had a huge part in the recording of the soundtrack, but they did and Emily Browning herself sings beautifully. Tracks such as “sweet dreams” “asleep” “white rabbit” and even “love is the drug” all come across as deeply meaning to the theme and feel of the film. its a soundtrack you can enjoy without even seeing the film and that is very rare, you can love or hate the movie but the songs speak for themselves – though dark and gritty at times it is at its core hauntingly beautiful.
Sucker Punch: the art of the movie (hardback)
When it comes to collecting movie memorabilia I'm very careful, but i do like art books so i was very curious to see just what the official art book had to offer. The cover and binding are very nicely put together, its even thicker than you would expect, at just under 300 pages its a whirlwind tour of everything that went into the movie. actors and actresses are all here, profiles and pictures of the various characters are aplenty. its a very vivid and highly detailed book featuring all kinds of stunning photography and artwork profiling the weapons and costumes of the film. the work in the book changes regularly but its very consistent with the flow and story of the Sucker Punch reality.
If the weapons were your thing you won’t be disappointed with all the work put into displaying the inner workings and designs of the various guns and blades at babydoll and her teams disposal. the same thing can be said for the costumes, set designs, promo art and so much more. the insight really is more visual than i’d like relying more on photos and artwork, there is in parts a lack of text but its not lacking enough to make you question why its not there. the castles and landscapes of babydolls imagination are all represented in brilliant clarity, the cover price may be high but its definitely worth it.
