I don't know what to think about "Sucker Punch," the steampunk-influenced Zack Snyder action pastiche flick that's out. I remember seeing the trailer in the theater, and even before I knew it was Snyder directing, I could tell it was one of his movies -- he had a very distinctive visual style with his flicks. He's certainly an ambitious director, with a definite love of the kinetic opportunities inherently presented in movies, but I never feel like his movies are necessarily good. They're always highly stylized -- the women are always plasticine hotties, the guys are always marbled superhumans, the villains drip with noxious venom, and there's a lugubrious weight that hangs around it all, when everybody's not busy kicking ass in artfully rendered detail. There is an almost operatic intensity to Snyder's works that's not there with most other moviemakers. And just like how Wagner wears down my ear after too long a listen, there's something of that sensory overload with Snyder's movies, too, and that sense of unreality. As pure escapism, he's a good fit; but does that make for a good movie? I don't know. It's like the advertising wink and nod regarding Pop Tarts being "part of a nutritious breakfast" -- yeah, right.
