One of the most recent releases in the theater is "Sucker Punch." I have not seen it. At first, I knew nothing about it, but I saw the movie poster and thought "This does not look good." (Seriously, look at that -- does it make you say "Potential?")Later, I saw a trailer, and it looked like the concept might be interesting. Surreal. Imaginary. (And Imaginative, but Imaginary fits it better, from what I saw.) And the "look" was very "graphic novel" and I thought "Maybe it has potential."
Something pushed me over the edge to "I want to see this." What was it? "Directed by Zach Snyder, director of 300 and Watchmen."
And then. And then.
Roger Ebert tweeted a link to a review by Peter Sobczynski so I read it. To be fair, Mr. Ebert included a phrase from the review. He tweeted:"Sucker Punch" is so bad when the lobotomist turned up Peter Sobczynski wanted to scream "I'll have what she's having!"
So, I knew I was in for criticism. And, boy, was this review critical. A critical review can dissuade me from seeing a film. Most of the time, I have to know something about the history of the critic before I take much stock in his rating, but the description of the film contained within the review can tilt my interest one way or another. I read Sobczynski's review, and it was the first of his I had ever read, but he was kind enough to mention his views on a couple of other films. Which ones? Why, 300 and Watchmen, of course.
How gracious of him.
Because, you see, he did not like those two films either. At all. In my opinion they were good adaptations, and well worth seeing, especially if you liked the graphic novels. I think Watchmen was better (79/100) than 300 (73/100) and clearly neither of them cracked my "Recommend, no matter what" barrier of 80/100, but I enjoyed them both.
So now, I am conflicted. Some of what he says about Sucker Punch gives me pause. On the other hand, if he didn't like 300 and Watchmen, well then there are definitely things which I like and he does not.
From the trailer, it looks to me like Sucker Punch is intended to be a graphic novel in form. Now, those other two movies were well-regarded graphic novels before Snyder put them on (CGI-filled) film. The "look" of each was very like the look of the originals. It made sense. I know Sucker Punch is his own work -- Snyder wrote it in addition to directing it -- so I figured he was inspired to do his own story in the same vein. If a reviewer just can't like Snyder's take on graphic novels, perhaps he can't be trusted for Sucker Punch.
Still, that first movie poster haunts me. What if it's more indicative of the movie's quality than a well-crafted trailer, a trailer clearly designed to appeal to graphic novel lovers?
Well, hey, I wasn't going to see it in a theater anyway, I expect. So now I will wait for some other trusted people to review it for me. Hasvold? Hacker? Erdman? Nordmoe? Lucas? (Oh wait, Lucas hardly ever goes to the movie theater, right?) They may not have columns for major newspapers or websites, but they often share my views on action/comic movies. I'll see what they say.
Because, though I watch many movies, there is really no point in wasting two hours on a bad one.
2 comments:
I will eventually see this in the privacy of my home for $1.99, as opposed to the cultural event of buying a cinema ticket ($10.00-$25.00 for 3D) parking, $10.00 and concessions: $12.00. In order to justify that kind of money the event has to promise beyond a shadow of a doubt, that entertainment will transpire. If I'm sitting in my armchair, farming WoW gold on my laptop, then the bar is much lowered, lol.
You know, Mike, you bring up a good point. Reviews probably long had that sort of role for people who had to watch a very tight budget. But these days, with the soaring costs of attending a movie theater, plus the extremely acceptable alternatives available in our own homes, deciding which films are "events" is important.
I'm pretty certain to skip "Sucker Punch" in the theaters, after all of this discussion.
The next question is whether to spend/waste time on it in my home. I guess I will drastically lower my expectations, and then hear what one or two or three good friends think before I even try it as a background movie.
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