By Josh Williams

In preparation of seeing director Zack Snyder’s new release, “Sucker Punch,” a movie I knew nothing about, I surfed to rottentomatoes.com to see what the critics had to say about the second best box office production currently in theaters. As movie tickets are not cheap, running about $9 per entry, I was a little disgruntled by the fact that almost every top critic had rated this movie as horrible. My fears of this being a complete waste of money were confirmed when I checked the validity of these ratings by comparing them with other reviews. Apparently, the world thought that “Sucker Punch” was a terrible film. In my opinion, there has never been a larger amount of professionals wrong about the same thing.

Much like his previous works, “300” and “Watchmen,” Snyder’s newest release is packed to the brim with breathtaking visual effects, amazing stop-and-go action sequences and, even more interestingly, a unique and captivating storyline that is not only about killing the bad guys.

The protagonist, Baby Doll, played by actress Emily Browning, is taken to an insane asylum by her evil, plotting stepfather, after she is blamed for the death of her sister. Baby Doll, along with other scantily clad inmates played by the likes of Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung and Vanessa Hudgens, is forced to sell her body in what is actually an underground prostitution ring. In order to survive in her bleak new life, Baby Doll utilizes her vast imagination – which results in several action sequences varying from giant samurais to Nazi zombies – to create a plan of escape from her dark reality.

This film earns a lot of its unique value because of the several underlying themes that are visible to all who look past the attractive, butt-kicking exterior. Snyder touches upon several concepts, including feminine power, good versus evil, the idea of controlling your own fate and much more. All of this takes place while the movie offers a humorous and sometimes corny dialogue that strays away from mainstream productions and gives this film its own voice in a crowd of white noise. This, combined with intense action sequences and comedic situations, means you are in for a time worth more than $9 per person.

I am actually a little confused as to why I like this movie so much. Considering that there are people whose jobs include nothing but reviewing movies, I find it a little odd that the world of critics, with some exceptions, universally pegged this as a terrible movie. However, upon reflection of this idea, a key word stuck out to me: opinion. These top critics, although their opinions are definitely valued a lot more than mine, are doing nothing more than giving their opinions. With that thought in mind, I conclude with the idea that anyone can tell you what they think of this movie. However, you are the only one who can make up your mind by seeing it for yourself.