Conclusion
Sucker Punch is never going to be a perfect film - all of the criticisms levelled at it are genuinely understandable and approachable, even for a fan of the film like me. But in the end, I think it can represent a number of things on a number of levels - an adrenaline thrill ride during the action, an insight into the continuing subjugation of women, a look into the state of mental health. Of course I'm sure there are plenty of plot holes that I've overlooked in my analysis but I think that my theory does have some potential usefulness in understanding the hidden depths of a seemingly shallow film. But for me, not only does the film's name work in so many ways here - women are the heroines here, the ending is deliberately ambiguous and Babydoll's triumph is bittersweet, far from the Hollywood ending - but in my opinion, it's the journey of Sweet Pea's escape from her own damaged mind, emerging and leading into paradise that's the ultimate sucker punch. With this theory in mind, the ending can be an inspiring, optimistic view of one girl's journey to recovery from a mental trauma and to survive. But then again that's just my theory...