Emily Browning takes point in this sexually charged, kick ass comic flick. We all remember Emily as the quiet, mentally unstable brunette from 'The Uninvited', and that same brown hair was tied into her signature ponytail in 'lemony snickett's a series of unfortunate events'. Come to think of it- every movie I've seen her in, she's been the victim... I suppose it's the helpless school girl look she has- big eyes, big lips, small frame... Bleach her hair and she's suddenly super hero material.Add in Jena Malone (Pride & Prejudice), Abby Cornish (Bright Star), Jamie Chung (Grown Ups), Vanessa Hudgins (still cant figure out how she made it into this movie...), and Carla Gugino (who played the original Sally Jupiter in the Watchmen), give them all stripper names, like Baby Doll, Rocket and Sweet Pea, and you've got a cast that could make the pope blush.
While the cast and effects made this movie fun to watch- I found it incredibly hard to follow. In the introduction itself, we see Baby Doll (Browning) at her home- her mother has just died, leaving her and her younger sister in the care of her sinister looking step father. He obviously has ill intent when he forces his way into B.D.'s bedroom and begins unbuttoning his shirt. When she lashes out at him, he makes his way to little sister's bedroom. BD grabs his gun and fires- only to kill the wrong person. Stepfather then has her committed to an 'insane asylum for really hot girls' . Note- that there is no speaking in the first 5-10 minutes of the film. We're left to assume everything while a wickedly awesome soundtrack blares. Also- there is a non-descript narrator talking about our life's missions and guardian angels- but honestly, she might as well have been talking about twinkies and the stock market, because really, who was listening during that sequence? It made me feel like I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Can't watch this epic scene and put the visual clues together and listen to a lady talk about... wait, what was she talking about again? Who knows.
At the Asylum, we find that Stepfather has bribed an orderly to make sure that BD is lobotomized. She then retreats into a fantasy like state, where she's a dancer in a mob owned club, managed by the same orderly, "Blue", who is to see her lobotomized. She befriends the other dancers (patients) and they embark on a mission to break out of the 'club'. A little lost? So was I.
This is where is starts to get really tricky. While Baby Doll dances at the club, she and the girls fall further into another level of their fantasy- they all go into leather laced fighter mode-and must complete a designated mission to find an object that will help them escape. So they go from strangely hot mental patient garb, to decidedly hot dancer costumes, to pretty freaking awesome leather hardware. Their missions vary from diffusing bombs, to fighting the Kremlin, to slaying dragons. Like I said- a school boy's fantasy.
However dangerous these missions might seem to five girls wearing heels, it's nothing compared to their life back at the club, where Blue is determined to assert control, even if it means killing some of his prized 'toys'. I won't spoil the ending for you- because it was almost as confusing as the intro. It's kind of a WTF ending. So take it as you will.
Things I liked about this movie:
The whole cast, espeically Madame Gorski- (Carla Gugino) was awesome as always in her thick Russian accent (even though she's supposed to be polish). The effects were great, even though I could have gotten the same thing watching my husband play Xbox. The sound track and costumes were pretty epic- I'm sure there will be hundreds of of tween blondes dressed up as Baby Doll at this year's comic conventions.
Things that I just didn't get: What's up with the perpetual narration- are we supposed to be pondering the meanings of the universe or watching some wicked action sequences- pick one or the other.
The endings left me hanging, and not in a good way- it left so many unresolved issues...AND I they had too many disposable characters, that were meant to be likable, but weren't.
In the end- this was made by boys, for boys and it just happened to be full of girls.
