Sucker Punch is an action adventure film directed by Zack Snyder. The plot follows young woman Babydoll (Emily Browning), who finds herself accused of a crime she didn’t commit by her abusive stepfather. She is committed to an institution and escapes into a world of fantasy, where she fights Nazis and does various other stuff.
I will hand it to Snyder this was ambitious. The imagination on display, however sick and twisted it might be, is staggering. Sadly it doesn’t save this from being a disturbing mess of a film.
The various fantasises that Babydoll and co go to feel oddly random, there is not much rhyme or reason as to why these are their fantasises, which comes across as poor set up stemming from bad writing.
Secondly, this film is a teen action adventure so why is there a constant, and I mean from the off, rape threat throughout? This isn’t an interpretation this is what the film uses to drive its narrative, there are several scenes where it is implied without question and a few more where it is conveyed in a more subtle way. I am not going to lie to you this is deeply off putting and feels exploitative, it is hard to finish.
I feel like in Snyder’s head this was going to be a big empowering female epic, but it goes right the other way and feels creepy and icky to watch.
The only pro I will give it is that Oscar Issac is more menacing in this than I think he has ever been before; he gives one hell of a performance.
Pros
Oscar Issac
The imagination
Cons.
Using rape as a plot device
It feels exploitative
It makes no sense
It is depressing in the extreme
1/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 