Movies / Home Theatre

Sucker Punch Extended Cut Blu-Ray/ DVD Combo Pack

By Chris Zimmerman
July 7, 2011 - 07:10

Since before the insurgence of CGI, there has been heated debate among film-goers and critics about the importance of having a powerful story versus beautiful visuals, Avatar being a recent example. Zack Snyder is no stranger to this argument, relying on exciting visuals to keep audiences distracted from the thinly veiled plot pieced together on the screen. Still, the director has a proven track record of breaking the box office, bringing us to his latest work, Sucker Punch, a cinema painting that thrusts viewers into a a gorgeous landscape decorated with surreal images amidst a story that strives to be more than it actually is.

The film borrows its cues from Alice in Wonderland, retooling the popular fable for a darker and more graphic experience. The titular character named Babydoll is a tragic young woman confined to a mental institution, where her fate looks bleak as a result of her step-father’s devious scheme to claim her mother’s family fortune. To escape her future, she retreats into a fantasy world where the asylum in transformed into a whorehouse, with Babydoll and her fellow inmates acting as hookers.

Babydoll and the other girls plan an escape using her ability to entrance men with her sultry dancing. The group traverse one surreal reality after the next, embarking on a quest that pits them against gun-toting samurai, nazi monsters, and more. It’s almost as if a pubescent teen cut random pieces of young adult fiction and pieced it together with pinup models. Clearly after working on 300, a film inhabited  by armies of half naked men, Snyder decided to prove he was an equal opportunist.

As mind-numbing as the above paragraph reads, the film succeeds as a fun jaunt through cinematic absurdity. Make no mistake, Sucker Punch is a dumb movie. The plot is flimsy at best and convoluted at its worst. The main characters are one-note and uninteresting. Still, this isn’t a film made to appeal to those with high expectations from cinema. It’s a movie that knows it’s audience, dripping with action, women, and CGI, held together by a 110 runtime (128 minutes for the extended cut).

The Blu-ray comes courtesy of Warner Bros. containing both the theatrical version and an uncut R version packed with more of the same. The quality of the release is exceptional, as one would expect from a film that intended to make its reputation on its visuals.

The main thrust of the release is the Maximum Movie Mode, a signature extra amongst Warner’s Blu-rays. Snyder takes audiences on a tour through the process of filming, showing rehearsals, storyboards, and other onset footage alongside the film. It’ an interesting use of the director and a the next step in audio commentary as it offers the film-makers a chance to go into more detail.
Other notable extras include a look at the soundtrack, though this feature feels like a commercial for the CD. We also get a collection of animated shorts showcasing the fantastical setting of the world. The animation isn’t anything spectacular but will no doubt be a much appreciated inclusion for fans of the film.

Sucker Punch isn’t a bad film. By no means is it a good film either. It’s a movie you watch when you brain needs a break from the rigors of everyday life. If there’s one word that best describes the movie, it’s “fun”. With little regard for plot and full on Snyder’s artistry in full swing, Sucker Punch has plenty of entertainment value to spare. Just don’t expect to retain all of your brain cells by the time the end credits roll.

B-

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51