Thoughts in Progression: You’ve just been hit by a Sucka Punch

Let’s get done with the stats, Movie: SUKER PUNCH

It’s a March 2011 PG13 action/fantasy/thriller movie with 6.8/10 on IMDB and shows around Mumbai as U/A.

First Impressions:

I came across it in the papers. The title was calligraphed such a way that it seemed something like a potter or a rings movie. Well ofcourse it’s not the title that caught my eye at first. The later pictures and trailers depicted cute girls fighting robots, giant samurais, dragons and an army of dead steam powered soldiers in a WWII background. I couldn’t rap my head around the concept of the movie and curiosity coupled with DUI (here D stands for decision) led to the purchase of tickets for the next day show. To set my hopes to the appropriate level, I checked imdb, but there were no ratings up yet. Oh well..

The Theatre:

The movie starts in green tint and stunning camera angles. The sound effects and background music meshed well with the on screen activities.

Introducing Baby doll, (Emily Browning) the young girl (unbelievably not a young teen but 20yrs as it said on her medical report later) who just lost her mother. Mom leaves the fortune to both her daughters, which infuriates the step dad. More dramatic slow-mo and rock music, angle shots later, step-dad shoves her into a mental asylum where she is destined to get a lobotomy (don’t ask why).

The movie title appearing from the rain drops flowing down the car window was nicely done.

The mental asylum is then shown as a burlesque house run by the doctors and guards there, which made sense judging from the other gorgeous inmates here. She is soon met by Rocket, an spunky inmate, who shows her around the place. In the ballet hall (or so I think) we meet the rest of her kick ass compadres stretching wearing slender long stockings and black eye liner.

The governess, a woman who tries hard on her Russian accent, compels Baby doll to do a dance. Baby doll closes her eyes (just before the dance) and we are transported far away to another world. Stunning graphics (-me likey). She meets an old American guy in a Buddhist robe giving her instructions for her final escape along with a 42 caliber and a Hattori hanzo. Soon she is dodging blades, bullets and the viewer’s confusion. I didn’t mind (how often do guys see a chick act out a pc game.)(not talking about guys who still play tomb raider)

A client is scheduled to meet Baby Doll in 5 days, before which she intendeds to escape. Baby’s dance is so mesmerising that the bad guys can’t take their eyes off her which gives time for her crew to collect the (4+1unknow) things they need to escape.

Hmm I taught to myself, just 5 things and they already got 2 , so what is the rest of the movie about?..Soon the screen said INTERVAL! Damn an hour went by?? If Einstein was sitting along with us he would have shouted ‘ Relativity!! you suckers’.

A pop corn and coke later, Baby doll dances again at appropriate occasions and we are taken back to different scenic arenas, now accompanied by four other eye candy damsels. The graphics, animations and shots are worth applauding.

The old guy (termed ‘wise guy’ on IMDB) returns at each arena in appropriate costume and gives them objectives. Many fight scenes and backgrounds made me nostalgic of my offline PC fights with soldiers, zombies & monsters. The arena and objectives resembled games like Quake, Dragon Age, War Craft, COD, Left for dead, Tekken and Unreal tournament-(the train plot was dead on UT).

So in short (or in shorts), girls in enrapturing costumes armed with M16, Uzi, Bazooka, Swords getting perfect head shots on enemy AI along with slicing and dicing robots by yours truly baby doll, with realistic stunts, I ask who wouldn’t like this shit!

(ans –‘most women’)(pst.. a couple were seated next to us, and I heard "stupid, yeh kaisi movie dekne layeho mujhe"

By the end, the movie is entering the closing phase, the phase where most movies cut short and take a nose dives into the viewer expression.. ‘wahhaaa?!?’, but sucker punch maintains altitude and then lands it safe. Baby doll learns of the fifth (till now unknown) ‘thing’ needed for their escape.(I won’t be a spoiler)Escapees escape and those who didn't would rather forget their present shitty reality. The last five minutes is upto the viewer how he/she (mostly he) wants to stitch the plot together.