Spotlight: Sucker Punch

Did not think I would ever reach this point. When you have to watch this movie in order to do a report in your psyche class, there must be something to it am I right? This movie got bashed hard critically and at first I agreed. Flashy and fun but nothing of substance. However, after watching it again, there might be something to this explosion of awesome. If you'll take the time to hear me out, you just might get a sucker punch to the noggin.

And half the feminists cheered, and the others boo'd 

Plotting in the Asylum: Nickname Baby Doll is thrown into a mental institution by her evil stepfather so he could claim her inheritance. To deal with the stress, she fantasizes that she is a brothel girl in a high class joint. Still set on escaping, she enlists the aid of four other girl's in order to escape. In order to gather the materials they will need for the escape, she delves into another fantasy where she and her friends are bad ass action girls and much violent goodness is had. The plan is not flawless however and soon Baby Doll may realize hat she may be risking more than her life.

Let's all take a minute to appreciate this

Things that felt like a lobotomy: The acting is meh overall and it's not really the actors fault as they have very little dialogue actually. Character is lacking as only two of the main characters are given any real emotion. When two girls are killed (Spoilers btw) I actually didn't remember their names. The pacing is off and the movie should really be an R. Hooray for extended cuts.

Nazi's robots and samurai oh yes

Fantastic fantasies-The things that were awesome: The visuals are glorious. The fantasy sequences are a special sight. The action is good and the soundtrack is fan-flipping-tastic. One of the best. The effects are stunning and I always love a good story involving insane women.

Dragon's improve everything.

Why we're talking about it: As previously stated, this movie was crapped on when it was released. It was all flash and no substance which is the opinion I initially held. I didn't dislike it, i just thought it was fun and that was all it needed to be. The movie is misogynous and play to nerd fetishism. I didn't think of that when watching it but upon reflection that idea didn't seem too far off. It appeals to the lowest and most basic of teenage instincts. Ouch. That hurt me mainstream critics, right in the ego. Was it really nothing but mindless fetishism? Opinion time!

This pic simultaneously disproves me and makes my point.

Smarter than you thought: I agreed that the movie was mindless though i was against the idea that it was misogynistic. Upon re watching it, I saw their point. Mental patients in skimpy outfits doing acrobatics for our pleasure. It was hard not to notice the sex appeal being thrusted into our faces. The constant pantie shots didn't help the movies cause either. Then a weird thing happened. Baby Doll preforms her first dance for a high class creep. Then it all hit me at once. This movie, was a parody. A parody of all the action magical girl cheesecake stories that litter fiction. It was a condemnation of it's genre by turning everything said genre is known for up to 11. It was hard to see at first as a non comedic parody is rare. All of the men she dances for are horrible contemptuous pederasts. These men are meant to be the audience. The movie is actively  mocking it's supposed target demographic. "This is you. You came here to see hot girls in hot clothes doing hot things and you are disgusting for it. You are the exact same as these horrid men." That is what the movie is saying. The clients and the audience came to the show for the same reasons. During a practice run at one of the shows, one of the characters even asks point blank what about mentally unstable women being violated is sexy. The movie finds this genre's audience reprehensible and marketed itself to appeal to that disgust.

One of the things critics claimed was that the fantasy sequences didn't work and were mindless, raw and not filled with any merit. Sweet Pea points this out too. "All that gyrating and moaning, the dance should be more than titillation. My dance is personal, it shows who I am. What do yours say?" See what they did there? The movies purpose is so overt, it's covert.

Now let's talk about the other main character, sweet pea and the other theme I noticed. She at all points appears to be the most adult of the group. She's resistant at first to Baby Dolls plan not because of self preservation, as all the other girls, but that she believes that if they enacted this plan, her sister could get hurt in the process. As previously shown, she believes in being more personal and intimate in her dancing. A good metaphor for the story the movie prefers to be told eh? This as opposed to Baby Doll's raw visceral style i.e. the fantasy reality i.e. the action fetish mode i.e. the one the movie is railing against and here's the most important part, Baby Doll fails. The plan goes screwy and the girls do get hurt. Baby Doll doesn't get away and is still lobotomized. The only one who makes it is Sweet Pea. The first act decries female objectivism in the media, while the second act has just seemingly condemned what some call third wave feminism.

This has gotten pretty deep hasn't it? Before you shout that I'm pulling this out of my arse,  let me explain. Third wave feminism is feminism going to the opposite extreme. Sexual empowerment as liberation. Sexual-ism that the woman is in control of instead of the man. This is what Baby Doll's skimpy action persona represents as well as the fantasy scenes overall. Her plan was to use that empowerment to escape the oppression of her overlords, all male btw. The movie is in a sense saying that "no, your sexy schoolgirl outfit does not liberate or empower you. It's enslavement of a different sort." Just as Baby Doll chose yet another form of enslavement for her fantasy. Keep in mind, her fantasy, her liberation is a representation of her dance. The very thing that is attracting the perverts attention.

So the movie appears to have two goals. To show and condemn the genre that the movie itself is, and two that sexual freedom is not the same as sexual liberation. Both of these are juicy themes. Sucker Punch is empty and vapid eh?

Now for the other important bit, Sweet Pea would never have gotten away if not for Baby, who sacrifices herself so that sweet can escape. If we are to take it that Baby Doll represents third wave feminism which in this case we are, does this act of self sacrifice mean that Sweat Pea represents some fourth wave? One that had to endure the third to progress to a further goal? Interesting question isn't it?

So let's summarize shall we? Sucker Punch marketed itself as sexy girls fighting nerdy things, thus bringing in an audience that subscribes to that genre. Then the movie goes on to criticize both it's own genre, and it's audience. Then it goes on to make a statement about feminism and sexual liberation, then theorize about the movements future.

Feminism!

Now I'm not saying I agree with the latter philosophy, nor am I stating these theories as fact. I could just be making this up, but isn't that what the movie wants? It wanted to fool it's audience into seeing it.

Definition:Sucker Punch-A blow that comes from nowhere and is from the target's POV, unexpected

Maybe that title was more literal than you thought? Especially since it hit you with two of them.


Sucker Punch and all corresponding material is owned by Warner Brothers. 
Review is subject to fair use.