What a waste of time and money this film was. I guess I should have realized from the Downer Beginning that the film was never going to get better. (Spoilers ahead.)
Two girls suffer the death of their mother and being at the mercy of their physically and sexually abusive stepfather. After the funeral, he tries to take advantage of the girls, the older one grabs his gun, shoots and hits the baby sister, killing her. He then uses his pull to have her arrested for the sister's death and lands in a mental institution with a bunch of other young women who prefer fantasy to their harsh realities and inevitable fates. Having fun yet?
While I do applaud the visual effects of the fantasies themselves, they really do not make up for the rest of the film. The writing is stitled and offensive. The story itself is disjointed. The cinematography outside of the fantasies is occasionally difficult on the eyes. The acting, while good, does not make you interested in any of the characters, good or evil. The protagonists all suffer horrible, undeserved fates, save for Sweet Pea (the only one who got away, albeit left with residual psychological trauma) and Blondie (who stupidly messed up the plans of the girls' escape and who I didn't feel anything for when she got killed—and I'm not alone in that sentiment; when I saw this, a group of people actually cheered when she got shot). The antagonists are too plentiful, serve as little more than misogynistic stereotypes or peripheral characters planted in to hurry the storyline along and, most disturbingly, receive absolutely no comeuppance for their crimes. I actually felt both dirty and drained after leaving the cinema.
If this film was hoping to be the next Watchmen or even Kick-Ass, then it failed miserably. You know you've goofed up your film's story and pissed off the fans when you have to come out later and Retcon the characters' supposed deaths, much like in Planet Terror (only that film is actually enjoyable and well-written). I have no idea what Zack Snyder was thinking when he made this, but if I ever meet him, I'll be sure to use a less offensive term when speaking about my distaste for the film, like "garbage" or "dreck".
That was a well-plotted piece of non-claptrap that never made me want to retch!
What a waste of time and money this film was. I guess I should have realized from the Downer Beginning that the film was never going to get better. (Spoilers ahead.)
Two girls suffer the death of their mother and being at the mercy of their physically and sexually abusive stepfather. After the funeral, he tries to take advantage of the girls, the older one grabs his gun, shoots and hits the baby sister, killing her. He then uses his pull to have her arrested for the sister's death and lands in a mental institution with a bunch of other young women who prefer fantasy to their harsh realities and inevitable fates. Having fun yet?
While I do applaud the visual effects of the fantasies themselves, they really do not make up for the rest of the film. The writing is stitled and offensive. The story itself is disjointed. The cinematography outside of the fantasies is occasionally difficult on the eyes. The acting, while good, does not make you interested in any of the characters, good or evil. The protagonists all suffer horrible, undeserved fates, save for Sweet Pea (the only one who got away, albeit left with residual psychological trauma) and Blondie (who stupidly messed up the plans of the girls' escape and who I didn't feel anything for when she got killed—and I'm not alone in that sentiment; when I saw this, a group of people actually cheered when she got shot). The antagonists are too plentiful, serve as little more than misogynistic stereotypes or peripheral characters planted in to hurry the storyline along and, most disturbingly, receive absolutely no comeuppance for their crimes. I actually felt both dirty and drained after leaving the cinema.
If this film was hoping to be the next Watchmen or even Kick-Ass, then it failed miserably. You know you've goofed up your film's story and pissed off the fans when you have to come out later and Retcon the characters' supposed deaths, much like in Planet Terror (only that film is actually enjoyable and well-written). I have no idea what Zack Snyder was thinking when he made this, but if I ever meet him, I'll be sure to use a less offensive term when speaking about my distaste for the film, like "garbage" or "dreck".