6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.
Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Jon Hamm, Carla GuginoAction | 100% |
Adventure | 65% |
Fantasy | 53% |
Thriller | 46% |
Martial arts | 20% |
Surreal | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Extended Cut only features DTS-HD MA 5.1 48/24 track. Theatrical Cut DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is 48/16.
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Who knew a visually dazzling, CG-encased, all-girls-all-guns 'splosion fest could fall so flat? Apparently, a lot of people. Sucker Punch -- an aggressive, hollow, ultimately tasteless genre flop disguised as a not-so-empowering female empowerment flick -- failed miserably upon its release, scraping together a mere $36 million at the US box office despite a trailer designed to lure young male moviegoers into theaters with a siren song of skin, swords and gunplay. It seems original material is Zack Snyder's kryptonite. Previously, the well-received director had only explored pre-existing worlds and adapted pre-established storylines. Dawn of the Dead was a decidedly decent remake of George Romero's zombie masterpiece. 300, a mesmerizing tour de force, was a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics limited series of the same name. Watchmen, a breathtaking, slowburn spectacle, drew from writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons' acclaimed DC Comics 12-issue masterwork. Even the clumsily titled Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, a passable CG-animated adventure in its own right, was based on a popular book series by Kathryn Lasky. Sucker Punch, though, represents the first film in which Snyder has forged his own path, and suggests the daring filmmaker is more of an artist than a storyteller.
On the hunt...
Sucker Punch may fizzle, but its 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer does no such thing. When the film is dark and brooding, director of photography Larry Fong's dingy greens, rusty browns and foreboding blacks are perfectly somber and sobering; when the film erupts with color -- be it by way of fire, explosions, crashing dirigibles, dragon's breath or futuristic cityscapes -- the screen lights up with eager ease. Skintones, of course, are warm, lifelike and attractive; contrast, while heavily stylized, remains strong and stable throughout; and primaries pack dazzling power. Sucker Punch is a bleak actioner, though, and shadows aggressively swallow detail. Otherwise, every misplaced hair, pulled thread and blazing shard of shrapnel is present and accounted for. Clarity is nearly impeccable, fine textures are crisp and refined, and delineation is as revealing as Snyder allows it to be. Better still, significant artifacting, banding and aberrant noise never make an appearance, and the crush that does traces back to Snyder and Fong, not the encode itself. The filmmakers' digital color grading and CG flourishes bully the practical photography, wiping away minute facial textures here and there, but fans shouldn't confuse the results with DNR applied by the studio. (The same anomaly, negligible as it is, was clearly visible in the film's digital theatrical presentation.) All in all, Snyder's latest makes the most of its Blu-ray debut. Those who enjoy the film will be thrilled with Warner's efforts.
But even Warner's video presentation can't top its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, a sonic sucker punch if there ever was one. LFE output is unbridled and untamed, infusing every enormous demon-Samurai weapon, thundering minigun, firing booster rocket, exploding biplane, deafening dragon roar, speeding train and devastating bomb with weight, power and ferocity. Meanwhile, the rear speakers rarely relent, raining all-too-entrancing destruction down on an already immersive soundfield and lending full support to Tyler Bates and Marius de Vries' score and Snyder's chosen classic-rock-song covers. Directionality is precise enough to split hairs, pans are silky smooth, and dynamics are both combative and commanding. And dialogue? Voices weather Snyder's most chaotic storms without flinching, meaning every line, whether whispered or shouted, comes through loud and crystal clear. When it comes to Warner's lossless track, I just don't have anything to complain about.
The Blu-ray edition of Sucker Punch features two versions of the film on two BD-50 discs: a 110-minute PG-13-rated theatrical cut and director Zack Snyder's 128-minute R-rated Extended Cut. More importantly, Disc Two offers an excellent Maximum Movie Mode experience in which Snyder meticulously and methodically details the film's production and dissects his extended cut.
Sucker Punch lost me early on and never managed to pull me back in. Snyder calls it female empowerment, but I call shenanigans. At least its Blu-ray release makes the most of its namesake. Its dazzling high definition video transfer is terrific, its DTS-HD Master Audio track is aggressive and absorbing, and its supplemental package -- well, its Maximum Movie Mode experience -- is far better than the film itself. Sucker Punch may not have worked for me, but it should be noted that it's an extremely divisive film that has its share of fans. I adore 300 and Watchmen, but they too have their detractors. Perhaps Snyder is simply a divisive director skilled in creating divisive art. Love it or loathe it, Sucker Punch is certainly worth watching, if only to participate in the discussion that will surely follow in its wake.
Extended and Theatrical Cut
2011
Movie-Only Edition | Theatrical Cut
2011
Extended & Theatrical Cut | Comic-Con Exclusive
2011
Theatrical Cut
2011
Theatrical Cut
2011
Extended & Theatrical Cut
2011
Extended & Theatrical Cut
2011
2011
2018
2010
2016
2011
2001
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2018
Extended Edition
2013
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2006
Unrated Edition
2014
2021
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