Sucker Punch - Movie review

Sucker Punch
U/A; Fantasy
Dir: Zack Snyder
Cast: Abbie Cornish, Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens
Rating: '''

What's it about: It starts with a heady remix of Eurthymic's Sweet Dreams and ends with a cocky version of Queen's rock anthem We Will Rock You.
Sucker Punch has so many pop culture references that it almost looks like an opening video to a Lady Gaga or Bjork concert. And although it's not necessarily a musical, songs do form an intrinsic part of the film that deals with a bunch of girls dancing to the tune of someone else's fantasy.
Sounds kinky, eh? But the film is so goofy, demented and caught up in it's own world that no label will do justice to its idiosyncrasies.
You'll have to hold your horses and not get all judgemental on hearing the names of the lead girlsu00a0-- Blondie, Sweet Pea, Baby Doll, Rocket and Amber.

They might sound like extras dancing on the Moulin Rougue set, but there's much more to them than their sway and swagger. Baby Doll (Emily Browning) finds herself in a mental rehab post a super-cool opening sequence. Soon she meets her fellow in mates who've never thought of escape oru00a0 any kind of release (no pun intended). Things gets interesting when, Doll realises she can mesmerise people with her dance, trip herself to a parallel universe and make a task list of 'things to get and do' to find a way out of the prison.

What's hot: Snyder's 300 spawned a series of follow-ups that either spoofed or cashed in on the films' enormous success. This time, the six-packed Spartans are replaced by a bunch of hot chicks and the backdrop isn't one but a series of different battlegrounds. It's taken for granted the film's USP will be special effects and mind- blowing action scenes. So we get the expected visual treats, but this time in not just one but five different storylines. Sucker Punch wants to have fun, even though the basic premise is dark and gloomy with revenge as the main driving emotion.

When the action starts and it does pretty early on, Snyder sets a ball rolling that doesn't stop till the very end. It's a sort of Charlie's Angels-meets-Alice in Wonderland type of setting, so logic and reason are best left home. Performances have little scope to develop given the limited resources these characters have, yet the ensemble cast does their own bit to make the story charming. Abbie Cornish and the sinister headmistress Carla Gugino stand out given they have roles that aren't one- dimensional. There are different periods, settings, costumes, weaponry used through the film which keeps it fresh and dynamic.

What's not: After the first chapter, the next four kind of become a taken-for-granted episode. We know there will be more stories to follow, even though the subplots and imagery is unknown. So, in a way Snyder kills half the fun by sub-plotting major chunks of the film. One has to let his mind open and be ready to travel with the journey the director takes you on. The motive is just one ufffd getting out of the prison, yet the means are so very different. Vanessa Hudgens does nothing to impress despite her hyped-up role. So is Mad Men's brilliant Jon Hamm, who is utterly wasted in the role of the high-roller. There are multiple references and inspirations that will strike you. The musical references like Moulin Rouge, Kill Bill's sword-fighting, The Uninvited mental institute-type drama or even Snyder's own Watchmen-esque landscape details.

What to do: Don't expect another 300. Sucker Punch is like a carousel ride that only entertains if you stop looking for the details.