Sucker Punch

I just finished watching the movie Sucker Punch.  I have been wanting to see it since before it was in theatre but just never got the chance.  It's an interesting movie.  It may seem like there is no sanity in the movie and that is it made up of random scenes with girls dressed in next to nothing fighting ridiculous battles.  The fact that there is at least three different realities combining into one makes it all the more confusing.  But that is just on the surface.  I would argue that this movie is one of the best and deepest movies that has ever been made and that it came at a perfect time.  Sure it takes a little thinking to get to the bottom of what is being said but the whole point of the movie was repeated at least three times but is said perfectly at the end by Sweet Pea.

 "Who honors those we love with the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us, and at the same time sings that we'll never die? Who teaches us what's real, and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live, and what we'll die to defend? Who chains us, and who holds the key to set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight!"


And then there are the random quotes by the Wiseman.  "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know."  "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."  


In a world where kids kill themselves, where they feel so alone and that no one is on their side, where they feel like they have absolutely no power, this movie shows what one person is "capable" of doing.  Sure it was a little far fetched but still the whole point is that no one has power over you except yourself.  We have everything we need to get through this life but we just need to fight for it.  Sucker Punch cannot be taken on what is portrayed on the surface.  You will miss the whole point of it if you don't look deeper.  It is much more than scantily clad girls running around with guns and knives.  Even though that is a plus it's not what should be focused on.  People find themselves in horrible and unwanted situations all the time but it's how you pull yourself through it that makes all the difference.  If you wait there for someone else to do it for you, that day will never come.  Sure there are people that will help you along the way but you have to be the driving force or else there really is no point in what you are doing.  The movie emphasizes how much a person can do when they fight for themselves, yet at the same time giving up oneself for a greater cause may be more satisfying in the end.  So it still shows that you shouldn't just focus on yourself but that sacrificing yourself for others may be the better choice.  


I liked what Dr. Vera Gorski said.  "It's like we talked about, you control this world.  Let the pain go, let the hurt go, let the guilt go. What you are imagining right now, that world you control.  That place can be as real as any pain."  


I see the movie as depicting how our reality can be seen and interpreted in totally different ways.  What one person would see as an easy walk in the park could also be seen as a huge battle that could potentially destroy the world.  Yes, they show the extreme interpretations but it emphasizes just how different people may see the world.  There are so many levels and layers to this movie it can leave people thinking for days and show them something new every time they watch it. 


I feel like I'm not doing justice to the movie in my ramblings so I encourage everyone to watch it and see and learn for themselves.  This is how you show and encourage the next generation to keep going.  The message and the mode and transportation method is perfect for their target group.  I just hope that the message wasn't too toned down by all the action that took place.  The message I believe that Sucker Punch was trying to communicate is one that is desperately needed today.