I have been seeing the preview for the film Sucker Punch in movie theaters for months. The movie, which appeared to be about cute young strippers in miniskirts and pigtails with adorable headbands conquering strange evils, was a story of girls overcoming a seemingly insurmountable challenge. From all appearances, time was of the essence. They needed to get out of some crazy asylum, and they really needed to hustle. No time for touching up their roots or doing their makeup, although it seems they must have made time for that, since they always looked super put together during the whole battle.
And each time I watched I thought – this movie will either be hugely successful or a complete flop.
Well… we have more evidence now.
The film, an original story which cost a reported $82 million to make and millions more to promote, took in just 19 million at the box office this past weekend. Placing second behind “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid.” The reviews have been saying that the film is more style than substance… video game flash and story without the loyalty of a comic book or video game fan following. The reviews, both from the pros and viewers, have supported the claim.
I don’t want to cut down someone’s passion project. But the film seems like more of an effort to sell out to the common denominators of sex appeal and flashy styling … trying too hard to target a certain demo without any heart behind it. It looks like the masses may agree with me.
Here’s the trailer: