Sucker Punch Review: Good or bad? In between, really.

I saw “Sucker Punch” in the theaters over the weekend on its release.

It’s not a bad movie. It’s not a great movie either. But there are some real stunning imagery worked into the film that boasts of al lively imagination. A gallery of visuals strike with a feast of special effects circling around several very beautiful women. How can it possible go wrong?

It’s the story that bogs you down after a while.

The final verdict, along with many critics, is the visual department is well done. Shame about the story.

It is a messy storyline which centers on a woman who is brought to the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane where it is run by a sadistic warden and the woman often escapes the terrible world of the asylum to cope with it. But it is really a brothel.

The central girl Baby Brown (aptly played by the always watchable Emily Browning) devises a plan to get out of the nuthouse: get five items being the map, knife, fire and key. The fifth element is supposed to be a “mystery” which she will learn herself.

The most challenging aspect of the film is the intercutting between reality and imagination in which Baby Doll uses when she dances. Her thoughts, ambitions and dreams are tossed into a very high-powered women fantasy where they are stronger and faster than mean. And they kick a lot of butt too.

But is it that good a story? No. It doesn’t make sense until the very last threads of the story comes into focus at the very end of the film. By then, you’re bogged down by the confusion of it all. But the music is pretty good for an action flick like this. It’s like watching a very expensive music video.

You’ll get to see rather towering samurai figures in Baby Doll’s initial fantasies. Which strikes a heap of similarities between this film and Terry Gilliam’s film “Brazil.”

It’s almost a rip-off.

I think Gilliam should look into the possible matter of suing the crap out of director Zach Snyder who gave us enough loud, bombastic movies. Excuse me, Mr. Synder, can you tell me where did you get the idea of those massive samurai men using large swords? That sounds a bit… er… like my movie.

But I’m not going to get into that.

I did have some issues with one of the initial reviews of Richard Roeper who clearly didn’t understand anything about the movie.

He gave the film a D which is fine. I’m not going to say it’s a brilliant film though there are portions I liked in it. But he starts saying the film " confusing house-of-horrors story with busty women…”

Number one, I didn’t think any of the major women were busty in the film. Some of them like Jamie Chung looked well endowed and lovely, but wouldn’t fit Roeper’s description. I don’t know why he would go on with a remark like this. He compares them to the Girl Next Door which is a low blow.

But he calls Baby Doll’s an “imagination a fantasy and reality and alternate reality and alternate fantasy-reality.” He doesn’t seem to understand that it’s just her imagination, not an alternative universe. He seems to be confused between the subject matters. This isn’t about an alternative universe. It’s about a woman who goes to the very corner of her mind which is the safest from the harsh world she found herself.

But he is right about one thing.

It is a confused mess.

But what was Zach Snyder thinking when doing this movie? Was he trying to make a schlock exploitation film with beautiful woman or was he making an action film with a psychological story? Maybe both? He does describe it as Alice in Wonderland with machine guns. Okay. I sorta get it now.

Is Synder going to be the next Terry Gilliam in movies? He’s got a long way to go.

He’ll need to start making a clean slate when it comes to scripts. And try to make more sense out of them. I love all the women actresses in it and did like the idea of the film. But it wasn’t executed very well. What is wrong with that guy?

And what was wrong for me for seeing a movie like this? I guess I really was sucker punched.