Going in, I was expecting more to Babydoll's story. From the trailer, it seemed that there could be so much written about her character, but the film didn't linger on her past. The opening scenes were subtle in the way they told the story, with minimal dialogue. Emily Browning's character doesn't even speak until she has to stand up to the cook to protect Rocket. This is a significant dramatic technique that contributes to her characterisation.
The opening scene also sets the tone for the rest of the movie in its severity and violence. Babydoll almost has to inflict violence on others in the same way that violence was inflicted on her to overcome her family's death. She has the worst things happen to her, and the only outlet to express these feelings is through her intense imagination. The change in colour and style of the movie-- from black and white in the opening sequence, to rich and opulent colours in the nightclub sequence, then to mostly dark colours for the fight sequences-- effectively convey the change in mood. The use of stark colours and grey uniforms in the mental institution, then the transition to brighter colours in Babydoll's imagination show that it is only in her imagination that the world becomes real to her. It is almost as if the characters around her have added dimension once Babydoll establishes them in her fantasy world of a glamorous nightclub.
In the film, it is also significant that no actual dancing is shown, despite the dancing being an integral plot point. Besides the practical concerns of having to teach the actors more dancing in addition to martial arts techniques, I think the director's intention was to make sure that the girls were not once shown in a negative light. That is, he did not want the girls in the film to show themselves in patronizing positions or to degrade themselves in any way.
I'm listening to the soundtrack at the moment just to jog my memory of the movie. I would compare it to Kick-Ass' soundtrack just because they're both filled with the kind of songs that pump you up. The kind of songs comprising both albums are slightly different: Suckerpunch's soundtrack has more "indie" rock musicians, and some remakes of popular songs; eg "Asleep" originally by The Smiths, and "Sweet Dreams".
Music is an integral theme in Suckerpunch. Babydoll can only enter her fantasy world if there's music playing. Whatever song that's playing during the battle scenes then becomes very evident to the viewer, because the song only begins when the "mission" begins. In obtaining the knife, Babydoll can't complete the quest as intended, because the wires supplying power to the radio get shorted out. In her therapy, Madam Gorski uses music to allow her patients to enter fictional worlds. It is also interesting to note that Emily Browning herself sings "Sweet Dreams" in the opening sequence, when she is allocated no dialogue at all. Babydoll is unable to express herself verbally, and her voice is only manifested in the song.It seems to be that the only way she is able to express herself following her mother's death is through actions- the most significant of which was the use of the gun to threaten her stepfather.
Another significant idea was the violence in the film. In my opinion, the violence was gratuitous to a slight extent. One function of the violence was to demonstrate the intensity of empowerment the girls felt at being finally in control of their lives, and having the ability to defeat enemies much larger and stronger than them. The figures they defeat are also noticeably male or asexual, save for the female dragon. These male figures might be symbols of their real-life abusers, such as Babydoll's stepfather and the manager of the mental institution.
The intensity of the violence is common to both the fantasy and real world. However, human deaths and blood are only present in real-world situations. Most of the characters who are defeated are non-living creatures: the giant samurai, the steampunk german soldiers, the robots. It might mean that the devils that the girls have to overcome are more figurative than literal, for example, Rocket and Sweet Pea have to gain willpower and trust before they are able to overcome their obstacles. But the blood that is prominently featured in real life only intensifies the impact of violence; it hurts so much more when Babydoll's sister dies, or when Blondie or Amber dies.
One might be able to argue that the characters would never have been able to make their escape in the end had they not undergone trials in the fantasy world. Besides the practical considerations of the tools they would need for the escape, the fights and battle scenes imbue in the girls a sense of resilience, trust and teamwork. Babydoll draws on this reserve of strength in real life when she stabs Blue in the shoulder.
However, I feel that some of the action scenes are excessive, perhaps to satisfy the expectations of the traditional film viewer. The special effects more than satisfy these expectations, but if less time were spent on these, more time could be spent on developing the characters. Most of the character development is visually demonstrated, and so much more depth could be added if the audience knew more of the character's backstories, or of their previous hardships. From the trailer, I expected a full fleshing-out of Babydoll's story of female empowerment in the 1960s. Or maybe that's just the feminist/ arthouse movie viewer in me talking.
I was glad that the other girls were not just given secondary roles in the film; their unique abilities were acknowledged as well, but only to a certain extent. Amber gets the role of piloting vehicles, and this is reflected in her aviator-inspired costume.
On hindsight, there is more visual significance in this film than I originally thought. But the duration did not allow for more fully- formed characters, which was the only disappointing part of this film. It is, overall, a real feast for the eyes in terms of special effects, and no effort was spared on the costumes as well. I'd like to cosplay them sometime. That would be fun. So YEAH, I'd recommend this film, go watch it, but watch the interviews with the actors/director and behind the scenes as well, because there is a lot more to the film than meets the eye.
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