Sucker-Punched

Director Zack Snyder would do well to learn the difference between a movie that has music in it and a music video. Perhaps his most irritating trick (and that’s a crowded field) is putting action in slow motion to music he likes. “Sucker Punch” is overflowing with good music, but all of it is misused to the point of tedium.

If the action in this film had been shown at normal speed, maybe there would be time to explain what any of it meant. A dream sequence is fine, even a lot of them one right after the other, but there’s nothing to root for if there aren’t consistent rules to give the characters and events context. If it’s starting to sound like “Sucker Punch” is a thin excuse for violence and skimpy clothes, you’re on the right track.

Oscar Isaac gives an emotionally dense performance for how banal the rest of the cast behaves — even Jon Hamm didn’t know what to do with his lines during his 30 seconds of screen time. It’s because Snyder desaturated the heart as well as the color out of this film.