Sucker Punch

So I had wanted to see this movie ever since I saw the trailers for this many months ago! I couldn't wait to see this movie - I was still on my Scott Pilgrim high. The movie opened up in the second spot at the end of March and has already brought in about $66 million worldwide, inching closer to it's $82 million budget.

The movie stars Emily Browning (who also significantly contributes to the movie's soundtrack) as Babydoll, an abused teen who is institutionalized by her abusive step father following her mother's death. She meets others inside the mental hospital and employs an alternate reality which helps her cope with her situation and envisions a plan to escape. The movie also stars Jena Malone, Abie Cornish, and Vanessa Hudgens. The movie is directed by Zach Snider, from 300, Watchmen, and Dawn of the Dead fame.

The movie was pitched as 'Alice in Wonderland with machine guns'. This is pretty accurate. This movie has the feel of the current graphic novel turned movie trend, however there is no novel to this movie. This is all original. The plot is very unique. The characters are quirky and you can empathize. Not to mention they're all bad-ass girls, which makes it even cooler. The plot is fairly easy to follow, if you let yourself just watch it and not think too much.

The movie is very visually striking and there's CGI in every single frame of this movie. The look of the movie is quite amazing, and on par with others of this genre. The fantasy elements are just that; fantasy. You have to be prepared to see dragons and giant robots galore. But remember, it's all about symbolism. The graphics are great in the movie. The action sequences are fluid and done quite nicely. There was a certain axe-to-the-head move which was simply fantastic with slowing/speeding up of the fps. The soundtrack was killer and Emily Browning contributed two or three awesome songs!

These actresses were all bad ass. Interesting enough, most of them were second or third choices for their roles. Emily Browning replaced Amanda Seyfriend and Jena Malone replaced Evan Rachel Wood. Emma Stone was also in the movie before she dropped out for Easy A. Emily Browning was the best choice for the lead role, in my opinion. She did great. The others were good as well in their respective roles.

I really enjoyed this movie, just as much as I had expected to. Now, this isn't a movie for everyone. I'd recommend to fans of the graphic novel genre. This is like a Watchmen meets Kick Ass. "Don't write a check with your mouth you can't cash with your ass" -- Sucker Punch.