Sucker Punch Soundtrack Review - Open Your Eyes (and Ears)

One of the most striking things about Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch is its brilliant use of music to help tell the story. The movie is not a musical by any stretch, (despite a veiled reference during the credits) but what it does extremely well is utilize music to propel the film's exposition and over the top action sequences. It also features some daring covers of classic songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Even if the film doesn't show up on your radar, open your eyes (and ears) to its soundtrack. You will be unprepared for what you hear.

The Sucker Punch soundtrack is composed of seven covers, one mash-up and one extended remix, all made specifically for the film. Despite this, the soundtrack can still be considered "an original", since these re-imaginings of other artists material is what gives Sucker Punch its unique sound, especially when heard in context with the film. The album follows the same order which the songs appear in the film, so tracking through it will spark on-screen memories for those who have seen it.

Zack Snyder and producers Marius de Vries and Tyler Bates take the bold approach of using several of the film's stars to perform vocals on the album in big screen musical fashion. The album leads off with star Emily Browning delivering Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) in sweetly dark fashion, punctuating the already sinister lyrics.

Next is an extended Sucker Punch Remix of Bjork and Skunk Anansie's "Army of Me", setting it apart from its previous in-film use in Tank Girl. The song still features its signature bombastic drums, but the producers have seemingly made them even louder and extended the song by over two minutes from its original version.

Emilíana Torrini is a name I was unfamiliar with prior to hearing her vamp through the the vocals of The Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". Kudos to the producer for doing what I have always thought needed to be done with this song: make it longer and repeat the closing verse.

A rather unusual hip-hop mash-up of Queen's "I Want it All/We Will Rock You" follows, featuring rhymes from Armageddon aka Geddy. I wasn't crazy about this one at first, but repeated listens have caused it to grow on me.

Next is the song that literally had me cheer out loud when it exploded forth from the speakers during the screening of the film I attended. Skunk Anansie absolutely kills it with this blistering take on The Stooges' "Seek and Destroy". Please turn up your speakers before pressing play and enjoy it as you continue reading.

Without spoiling the plot, this piece was part of one of the mind blowing action sequences from the film and was matched particularly well with the on screen action, hence my excitement when hearing the intro evolve from something unfamiliar into that explosive opening riff.

Next up is a solid interpretation of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" performed by Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather) and Carla Azar (Autolux). Now, it is only the bravest of musicians and producers who dare tread into the sacred realm of covering The Beatles. Mosshart handles the psychedelic vocal lines well and Azar's drums get nearly front and center attention in the mix.

Emily Browning, who plays Baby Doll in the film, returns for her second of three performances on the album, this time dueting with Yoav on hauntingly fragile performance of Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?". Browning delivers back to back performances with another strong and haunting vocal, this time of a Smiths B-side, "Asleep". These last two pieces, are again highly effective story telling pieces within the film, if the film viewer listens as attentively as they watch.

The film and soundtrack end on a slightly odd, yet not unwelcome, curve ball of a performance. Shown during the closing credits, co-stars Carla Gugino and Oscar Isaac perform Roxy Music's "Love is the Drug". The piece has an utterly different feel from the rest of the album, but is still a decent performance. I am looking forward to hearing Zack Snyder's commentary about this song on the eventual DVD release of Sucker Punch.

Of particular note about this soundtrack is the cohesive production. This wasn't just grab a bunch of performances and stick them in the film. The album lists dozens of performers, from a large group of rock musicians, to the members of The Hollywood Studio Symphony. All of the performances (including the extension of "Army of Me" were done specifically for the film, making it all feel incredibly organic to the final product. Snyder and his team also do exceedingly well in adhering to the unwritten law of "if you are going to cover a song, make it your own" but all the while, the original spirit remains intact in each piece.

Sucker Punch seems destined to be an example of polarizing film making, with most people either loving or hating it. Based on it's rather disappointing opening weekend box office numbers, many people haven't even see it yet, which is sad. Frankly, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would encourage you, dear reader, to form your own opinion and don't listen to what the movie critics have had to say about.

No matter your opinion of the film, it is impossible to deny that Zack Snyder has proven that song-based film soundtracks are not completely extinct and that the seemingly arcane art of creative use of songs in films is something he is fully capable of. Something which fewer and fewer film makers seem to be willing to take a chance on.

The interior artwork of the album's liner notes utilizes this stunning artwork.