Iffy for 14+
Impressive effects, but mixed messages about women.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this comic book-like fantasy from the director of 300 has disturbing scenes that show men taking advantage of women ... whose sole purpose is to entertain the men. The main female characters are clad in skimpy clothing for much of the movie, too, which seems hypocritical, given that the film is about how a band of oppressed girls take back their power -- the movie ends up reinforcing some of the stereotypes it's theoretically out to bust. Though the fight scenes are often cartoonish in nature, they’re unrelenting and brutal, including shoot-outs, swordfights, stabbings, beheadings, and the threat of sexual assault. There's some swearing ("s--t"), too.
- Families can talk about how the movie portrays women. Do you think it reinforces stereotypes or undermines them? Who are the most powerful characters in the movie?
- How do details like the characters' costumes and names affect how you feel about them? Which characters in the movie can be seen as role models?
- What impact does the movie's violence have? Would it be different if it was more realistic instead of cartoonish? Why?
The good stuff
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Messages: While the movie is about how a band of oppressed girls takes back their power, the film undermines that theme somewhat by having them clad in skimpy, provocative attire -- it reinforces some stereotypes about women while purporting to challenge them. Still, ultimately the movie is saying that you control your life, and you have the power to slay your demons so you can finally be free of them and free to be who you want to be.
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Role models: Although the way they're presented does buy into some stereotyping about women (babes with guns, sexy schoolgirls, etc.), for the most part, the main female characters support each other in an oppressive, male-dominated world (though one does snitch). Some act in selfless ways that help others. On the other hand, except for one, the male characters sexualize and abuse the girls.
What to watch for
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Violence: Lots of cartoonish, exaggerated violence: Men hit women, women hit men, and there are shoot-outs, swordfights, hand-to-hand fights, stabbings, slicings, beheadings, and a lobotomy. A few scenes show men sexually assaulting women or threatening to do so.
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Sex: One forced kiss. The women are basically prostitutes, and they discuss their work. They often wear skimpy clothing.
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Language: Occasional use of “s--t,” “bulls--t,” "hell," "damn," "ass," “goddamn,” and “bitch.”
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: A man smokes cigars. A background character drinks wine.
Fan Reviews provided by
4
Love it by Olybond
I loved the movie, kind of girls power, really recommended if you like action, video games. In other hand I love the soundtrack.
5
Pure Awesome by D3ATH D3AL32
Sucker Punch was insane, and it was packed with everything. The acting was great, and the cinematography was amazing. Story wise it's dark and can be confusing at times if you don't pay attention. If you enjoyed WATCHMEN then you'll most likely love this movie too. Though it's PG13 it almost seems R but they were able to discard some of Snyder's usual explicit scenes as in WATCHMEN or 300. My rating = 9.5/10.
3
A teenage fanboy's hormone induced wet dream....I just would have liked it to make more sense by mofongo316
To say that Sucker Punch is all style and no substance is to miss the core problem with it. It tries to do too much, but doesn't accomplish much. When you're doing a "fantasy within a fantasy to escape the harsh reality" type of story, you have to at least establish a basic connection with the character's reality. You need to know them, even if just a little, just so that when they go all dreamy and start fantasizing and escaping said reality, you understand WHERE all this dreamland is coming from. And also, it would have been a HUGE plus if what was going on in the fantasy had just a little bit of connection with reality.
I'm not going into any details to avoid spoiling the "story" for those of you who haven't seen it, but that's the main problem of the movie. It fails to make us care about its characters, and instead you sit around as if you were watching a cartoon, or worse, a video game someone else is playing. I don't know about you, but to me, that's never been too much fun...
5
The best movie I have seen by far!!! by psyduck1
I know that many critics did not rate sucker punch very high, but by far it is the most entertaining, eye catching, action plus movie I have seen by far. The graphics and the story are great. Don?t hear what other negative people say about a movie they don't understand, everything fits perfectly and its surprising. The music gets a 5 out of 5 stars, and story line was great, but it a must see movie for movie lovers like me!!!
2
I like thinking stories...... by lovestalentmoviefan
...actually prefer them,but this had no standing once you got to the end. It was meant to be a nice wrap up,but only touched on one aspect of these womens' journeys. And although lots may want to hit that no button and scoff at me...i AM going to comment on the pandering..once again..to the sex-violence porn crowd,as well as the pedophilia crowd..in an "acceptable" venue. Could have been done without the stripper/dancer costumes and themes.Loud music. do not recommend.
5
All I can say is "Wow!" by VinceASA
Just saw this in IMAX today. I was not sure what to expect after the negative critcs' reviews but positive reviews from everyone else. This movie is very well done. I liked it better than 300 and Watchmen. Great action sequences and soundtrack. I disagree completely that it had no plot or was shallow. I think that those who say that did not fully comprehend that there are two levels of dreams here - an overarching one that starts about 15 minutes in and goes until 5 minutes left, which is interspersed with the deeper levels that contain the battle sequences. Each level connects to the ones above, which is semi-hidden from a casual viewer. I can see how someone without figuring out these inter-connectivities would think there is no plot, but one has to watch more closely. In short, this movie fed my craving for adrenaline as well as my craving for a mind bending plots. I think this will be better appreciated as time goes on.
5
Beautiful and imaginative by zerohijk
I don't care what most people say this is a great movie with amazing imagination. It is very different but i like that about it must see!
5
Awesome Action Music Videos by hoslermark
This is my favorite movie of all time. Especially the uncut version. Great music videos. Must see it in an altered state of mind. Great story line, with a lot of deep meanings. Love to watch those girls kicking butt.
4
Great ride! by Skye DeMarsico
I didn't read anything about this movie before going to see it, and I found it to be a hell of a ride. At first I was a bit confused when Baby started fighting the three samurais, but I very quickly figured it out.
One thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt it unfair, but then again, I have a very "happy ending" sort of girl. If you like really hot girls and guns, this movie is totally for you :)