"Sucker Punch" is a knockout

CEBU, Philippines - TRUE to form, Zack Snyder-known for directing over-the-top action movies like "300" and "The Watchmen"-has come up with yet another action-packed title. His latest movie, "Sucker Punch," is every Japanese otaku and video game fanatic's dream come true. 

The movie begins with a young girl being sent to a mental institution by her abusive stepfather. Here, she is given the nickname Baby Doll (Emily Browning) by Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino). Despite efforts by the doctor to make life in the institution less harsh for the female patients, Baby Doll finds respite from the real world by entering an alternate reality.   

She does this by sexy dancing. That's right! She enters another world when she dances in front of an audience (unfortunately, you don't actually get to see her dance in the movie). There, she meets the mysteriously nameless Wise Man (Scott Glenn) who gives her a samurai sword and a handgun: the weapons she needs to escape the mental institution.

He also gives her a quest to find five things essential to the success of her mission: a map, fire, a knife, a key, and something only she would know. Then immediately after getting instructions, she finds herself in a battle against three gigantic samurais-one of which wields an equally huge Gatling gun. Think "Dynasty Warriors" or "Samurai X," but only incredibly massive.

At first, she seems unsure of herself. But as she's being attacked, she realizes that she has this uncanny ability to withstand physical punishment that would have killed her in the real world. Plus, she actually has the skills to dodge attacks and use both weapons to defeat the samurais. Tutorial complete!

Yet this is only the beginning. Baby Doll knows she can't complete this mission on her own, so she enlists the help of her fellow patients, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung).

Together, the five heroines enter the alternate world where they transform into "super" women and battle a hodgepodge of enemies including steam-powered Nazi Zombies (yes, all three-in-one!), orc hordes, deadly robots, and more. Plus, you don't want to miss the huge boss battle!

In usual video game fashion, the Wise Man gives the ladies a briefing before the mission begins. As they jump from one task to the next, the missions get more and more difficult. And after each mission is accomplished, they get rewarded with the item they were searching for. In real life, Baby Doll's dancing actually serves as a distraction so the others can steal an item.

While in the past, Snyder has been restricted by comic book storylines, he goes all out with his latest film. He pushes his creativity further than ever, especially during the alternate world scenes where anything goes.

At first, you may think this movie would be the female version of "300," with scantily dressed women holding weapons just for show. But this movie is no "Dead or Alive." The women in "Sucker Punch" really fight. And they get punched, kicked, stabbed, and shot in the process.

Baby Doll and Sweat Pea are among the most fleshed-out characters among the heroines in this movie. Emily Browning looks as cute as ever, and does nothing but kicks ass all throughout. Abbie Cornish also shows great acting skills by portraying a conflicted character in Sweat Pea. She may act like a confident leader, but she's really just as scared as the rest of her companions.

But the best performance is undoubtedly given by Jena Malone who plays Rocket, Sweat Pea's younger sister. In the end, it's the relationship between these two sisters that becomes the most intriguing storyline in movie.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Hudgens, no matter how she's dressed, just doesn't impress. She overacts for most of the movie. When she cries, I can't help but thinking about her with Zac Efron in "High School Musical." She is excellent in that movie, by the way. And before I forget, Jamie Chung's portrayal of Amber is just forgettable. She hardly says anything the entire movie.

All this action and drama takes place against a backdrop of CGI bliss. The production value for both visuals and sounds for this movie is nothing short of spectacular. Meticulous detail has been put into each alternate world-and the real world-so that each of them has a unique feel that is just out of this world.

Yes, the story of this movie is very weak, though excusable. If you're looking for a film that will dazzle you with action and special effects-especially if you love anime and video games-"Sucker Punch" is definitely a knockout!

(The contributor is a 23-year-old Creative Writing graduate from Ateneo De Manila University. Aside from freelance writing, he is also busy helping out in the family hotel business in Cebu. - Ed.)