Too often in movies there is no legitimate threat to the heroes. This complete lack of danger took me out of movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and even The Matrix series because it became obvious the main characters couldn’t be hurt, taking all the suspense out of the fight scenes and rendering them meaningless. In Sucker Punch, that danger is present throughout, largely because the villain (Robin Hood‘s Oscar Isaac) is so unpredictably evil. I felt genuine concern for the safety of our heroines. That, combined with director Zack Snyder’s imaginative original vision, is a major reason why the film worked for me.
At its most basic, the plot (as if it matters) centers on a group of five 20-something girls in bustiers attempting to escape from a mental institution in a story that spans three “realities,” not entirely different from what we saw in Inception. The doe-eyed and pigtailed Baby Doll (Emily Browning) is their leader. If for some reason you need a more thorough synopsis, please refer to Brad’s rather unforgiving review.
Watching Sucker Punch this second time, I’ve realized how much the film has in common with movie musicals, even if the soundtrack largely comprises classic rock remixes. But to her credit, Browning does lend her own voice to the film’s renditions of “Where Is My Mind?” and “Sweet Dreams.” The film takes major leaps from scene to scene, using brief exchanges of dialogue to string along the story between the music video-like action sequences. It only works if you allow yourself to be swept away by the musical numbers without letting them take you out of the narrative. If we can do that for Moulin Rouge! or Chicago, then why not Sucker Punch?
Regardless of what you think of the movie, you won’t be able to deny that (technically speaking) this is one of the best discs out there. The soundtrack flat-out thumps and Snyder’s CGI environments look every bit as awe-inspiring as when I saw the movie in IMAX. The Theatrical Cut and Extended Cut (which runs 17 minutes longer) appear on separate Blu-ray discs, while Warner Bros. also throws in a DVD and Digital Copy of the Theatrical Cut to cover all your bases. The Theatrical Cut disc has a throwaway 3-minute featurette promoting the film’s soundtrack album and some pretty dumb animated shorts offering a backstory to the film’s various fantasy worlds.
It might seem like the film is lacking in special features, but with the Extended Cut’s Maximum Movie Mode you don’t need much else. Zack Snyder guides the viewer through this outstanding supplement that essentially combines everything you’d expect from a director’s commentary, cast and crew interviews and a making-of documentary all into one awesome track while you simultaneously watch the film itself. Even better, it’s a picture-in-picture feature so it doesn’t put you through the added runaround of “click enter to see how we filmed this scene.”
The biggest additions in the Extended Cut are a lavish and upbeat musical number from Oscar Isaac and Carla Gugino that (according to Snyder) was cut because it took away from the endangerment of Baby Doll and the other patients, as well as a sleazetastic scene featuring Jon Hamm as “the highroller” that was undoubtedly considered too risque for the PG-13 crowd. The rest of the added runtime is largely allotted to extending the action sequences.
So if you’re one of the many who hated the film in theaters, this new Extended Cut isn’t likely to change your mind. But if you’re anywhere near the Sucker Punch apologist I am, Warner Bros. certainly did everything possible to make this package worth your money.
