What do you think?
Rate this book
Sucker Punch: The Art of the Film
From Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and Watchmen, comes Sucker Punch; an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of Babydoll - a young girl, whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality.
Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, but her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary…with potentially tragic consequences.
In this official book, Snyder guides you through the many amazing worlds and characters of the film, with eye-popping production art and stunning photographs by Clay Enos (Watchmen: Portraits).
Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, but her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary…with potentially tragic consequences.
In this official book, Snyder guides you through the many amazing worlds and characters of the film, with eye-popping production art and stunning photographs by Clay Enos (Watchmen: Portraits).
256 pages, Hardcover
Published February 22, 2011
2 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Zack Snyder
11 books18 followersZachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics miniseries of the same name, and later went on to direct the 2009 superhero film Watchmen, an adaptation of the comic book of the same name. He is the co-founder of Cruel and Unusual Films, a production company he established in 2004, alongside his wife Deborah Snyder and producing partner Wesley Coller. His first family film was the 2010 animated family adventure film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, based on the first three books of the series by Kathryn Lasky. His most recent film is Sucker Punch, which he directed and co-wrote. He has also been hired by Warner Bros. to direct a reboot of the Superman film series currently titled Man of Steel.
Personal life
Snyder was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. His father was an executive recruiter and his mother was a painter and a photography teacher at Daycroft School, which Snyder later attended. Zack attended Camp Owatonna in Harrison, Maine during the summer months as a child. Snyder's mother inspired him to study nude paintings[citation needed] a year after high school at Heatherley School of Fine Art in England, although he had already begun filmmaking. Afterward, Snyder attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California (where his classmates included Michael Bay and Tarsem Singh). Snyder still lives in Pasadena with his second wife, producer Deborah Snyder, and has seven children.
Career
Snyder went on to shoot, as a director and as a cinematographer, television commercials for such clients as the automobile companies Audi, BMW, Subaru and Nissan, among others. Other commercial work has been for clients including Nike, Reebok, and Gatorade.
Snyder made his feature film debut with the remake Dawn of the Dead (2004), and scored a box office hit with 300 (2007), adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics miniseries of the same name. His Warner Bros. film Watchmen was released on March 6, 2009. His follow-up project/animation debut titled Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole was released on September 24, 2010. Snyder produced, co-wrote, and directed Sucker Punch, which was released on March 25, 2011. The film, based on a script written by Snyder and Steve Shibuya, was about a young woman in a mental hospital who fantasizes of escape with her fellow inmates.
He has announced that he will be directing the upcoming Superman: The Man of Steel film for Warner Bros., which will be a reboot of the franchise, and plans to write and direct a sequel to Legend of the Guardians.
300 controversy
Before the release of 300, Warner Bros. expressed concerns about the political aspects of the film's theme. Snyder relates that there was "a huge sensitivity about East versus West with the studio."[4] Media speculation about a possible parallel between the Greco-Persian conflict and current events began in an interview with Snyder that was conducted before the Berlin Film Festival. The interviewer remarked that "everyone is sure to be translating this [film] into contemporary politics." Snyder replied that, while he was aware that people would read the film through the lens of contemporary events, no parallels between the film and the contemporary world were intended.
Style
Snyder often uses slow motion in fight scenes in his films, which Amy Nicholson of Boxoffice magazine remarked separates the director from other filmmakers who make multiple cuts and close-ups during a fight. A minute-long shot from 300 shows King Leonidas walking down as he slaughters his enemies, and the camera only dollys in and out to emphasize each kill.
Personal life
Snyder was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. His father was an executive recruiter and his mother was a painter and a photography teacher at Daycroft School, which Snyder later attended. Zack attended Camp Owatonna in Harrison, Maine during the summer months as a child. Snyder's mother inspired him to study nude paintings[citation needed] a year after high school at Heatherley School of Fine Art in England, although he had already begun filmmaking. Afterward, Snyder attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California (where his classmates included Michael Bay and Tarsem Singh). Snyder still lives in Pasadena with his second wife, producer Deborah Snyder, and has seven children.
Career
Snyder went on to shoot, as a director and as a cinematographer, television commercials for such clients as the automobile companies Audi, BMW, Subaru and Nissan, among others. Other commercial work has been for clients including Nike, Reebok, and Gatorade.
Snyder made his feature film debut with the remake Dawn of the Dead (2004), and scored a box office hit with 300 (2007), adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics miniseries of the same name. His Warner Bros. film Watchmen was released on March 6, 2009. His follow-up project/animation debut titled Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole was released on September 24, 2010. Snyder produced, co-wrote, and directed Sucker Punch, which was released on March 25, 2011. The film, based on a script written by Snyder and Steve Shibuya, was about a young woman in a mental hospital who fantasizes of escape with her fellow inmates.
He has announced that he will be directing the upcoming Superman: The Man of Steel film for Warner Bros., which will be a reboot of the franchise, and plans to write and direct a sequel to Legend of the Guardians.
300 controversy
Before the release of 300, Warner Bros. expressed concerns about the political aspects of the film's theme. Snyder relates that there was "a huge sensitivity about East versus West with the studio."[4] Media speculation about a possible parallel between the Greco-Persian conflict and current events began in an interview with Snyder that was conducted before the Berlin Film Festival. The interviewer remarked that "everyone is sure to be translating this [film] into contemporary politics." Snyder replied that, while he was aware that people would read the film through the lens of contemporary events, no parallels between the film and the contemporary world were intended.
Style
Snyder often uses slow motion in fight scenes in his films, which Amy Nicholson of Boxoffice magazine remarked separates the director from other filmmakers who make multiple cuts and close-ups during a fight. A minute-long shot from 300 shows King Leonidas walking down as he slaughters his enemies, and the camera only dollys in and out to emphasize each kill.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 2, 2023
Beautiful film, beautiful art is more suitable for the female half of the readers, but I also really liked this edition ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2021
I totally forgot I had This book .
Although from watching the film as a woman the feminist themes are present although not in the most obvious ways.
I feel reading this book opened my eyes a little more to the details I didn’t see , I can see why the film is so misunderstood by critics.
But I will never understand why the audience didn’t explain the true meaning of the film to critics.
Having ventured into the films knowledge from the directors point of view I can see what the films ending truly stands for , Baby doll is not the main character,Sweetpea is.
This can be understood from the opening narrated by sweetpea herself claiming “everybody has an angel, they show up at strange places and at strange times, challenging us daring us to fight” .
This being a literal metaphor for the strength she possess in being able to create this world in her head , one where the person she wishes to become (Babydoll) saves her from the situation she is in.
This is what I feel in terms of the feminist aspects of the film was done very well, however the delivery is quite wobbly unless you see the film itself as real time and events which it isn’t .
Everything ultimately is in Sweetpeas head, she wishes she was Babydoll but she isn’t , yet in her mind she is and this is what sets her free I knowing she can be as strong as her because they are one in the same .
In conclusion Zack Snyder must be greatly respectful of feminist culture in making the film revolve around strong, sexy and stylish women whom both support and escape through one another .
Although from watching the film as a woman the feminist themes are present although not in the most obvious ways.
I feel reading this book opened my eyes a little more to the details I didn’t see , I can see why the film is so misunderstood by critics.
But I will never understand why the audience didn’t explain the true meaning of the film to critics.
Having ventured into the films knowledge from the directors point of view I can see what the films ending truly stands for , Baby doll is not the main character,Sweetpea is.
This can be understood from the opening narrated by sweetpea herself claiming “everybody has an angel, they show up at strange places and at strange times, challenging us daring us to fight” .
This being a literal metaphor for the strength she possess in being able to create this world in her head , one where the person she wishes to become (Babydoll) saves her from the situation she is in.
This is what I feel in terms of the feminist aspects of the film was done very well, however the delivery is quite wobbly unless you see the film itself as real time and events which it isn’t .
Everything ultimately is in Sweetpeas head, she wishes she was Babydoll but she isn’t , yet in her mind she is and this is what sets her free I knowing she can be as strong as her because they are one in the same .
In conclusion Zack Snyder must be greatly respectful of feminist culture in making the film revolve around strong, sexy and stylish women whom both support and escape through one another .
March 15, 2022
Si te gustan las chicas, y más las chicas anime, el libro te encantará.
Para mi gusto, no hay mucho. Estuvo bien. Geniales fotos y en mi caso solo encontré de nuevo los bocetos de los zombi nazi, los soldados, los prototipos del tanque conejo y sobre todo que la katana de Babydoll tiene toda la historia contada en el tatuaje o grabado que recorre la espada.
Sí está genial, pero como pasa con los libros de arte, las explicaciones son muy obvias o muy cortas.
Para mi gusto, no hay mucho. Estuvo bien. Geniales fotos y en mi caso solo encontré de nuevo los bocetos de los zombi nazi, los soldados, los prototipos del tanque conejo y sobre todo que la katana de Babydoll tiene toda la historia contada en el tatuaje o grabado que recorre la espada.
Sí está genial, pero como pasa con los libros de arte, las explicaciones son muy obvias o muy cortas.
December 7, 2013
A nivel de disfrutar el maravilloso trabajo de arte y diseños de esta (tristemente mediocre) película, no podría estar mas complacido, pues analizan al detalle cada elemento visual, mostrando incluso versiones rechazadas y bocetos asi como poder analizar detalles y guiños que en la película poco se notan. Pero me decepciono no encontrar con un mayor análisis de la trama, sobre todo de una película con tanto simbolismo como esta. Tal vez estoy malcriado por los detallados artbooks sobre videojeugos que acostumbro ver.
September 3, 2021
Wild and beautiful imagery. Unique story-telling and world-building.
March 7, 2022
Little disappointing. For a film that's chock full of creative art direction, the book lacks a display and insoght of the development. Still some great pieces though.
December 4, 2012
(More pictures at parkablogs.com)
This art book is way thicker than I expected. It's 256 pages in a wide format hardcover. Nice.
Zack Synder's previous films (300, Watchmen, Legend of the Guardian) have a thing for CGI and Sucker Punch is not exception.
This art book (and film) is like a pop culture hurricane. There girls with guns and blades, robots, orcs, castles, machine gun welding giant samurais, dragons, zombies, orcs, castles, theater and brothel. All these are from the vivid imagination of the lead, Babydoll.
The visuals in the book is a mixture of photos and art. There aren't much character art for the girls with the exception for Babydoll which has more (but in manga style). The art is various (few) alternate costumes. What you have is lots of stunning photography that ranges from the I'm-cute-and-I'm-in-an-asylum look to the I'm-going-to-kill-you-with-my-gun-and-dark-eye-shadows portraits. I like the idea large two-page portrait but unfortunately the photos aren't sharp enough at that size.
There are more art for other characters, such as the awesome samurai who likes big guns, Meka (yes, a mecha), soldiers, knights, a generic looking dragon, robots, zombies and orcs who look like cousins from their LOTR counterpart. Other art includes the sets like the castle, the mental institution, cathedral, city and Japanese temple. There are also miscellaneous stuff like the flying bomber and weapons (few). Most of the art looks digitally created.
Commentary is rather sparse other than the captions. Zack Synder seems to be the author. It would be better if there were more insights on the art which is what is lacking.
Overall, the book is a very decent art companion and is well worth the price.
September 16, 2016
This is a gem! I just rewatched the movie and looked at this book for the first time and it's just everything you can want from such a book. Just beautiful!
October 12, 2014
As one of the rare avid fans of this film, I was excited to get my hands on a book where art & production design took such a prominent role in the telling of a story. What I found is that this book is... fine.
It is page to page art, but the text is geared more towards "selling" you on what's going on then giving any real insight. Nothing bad, just not what I'm looking for.
I was not a fan of the way this film was advertised, especially in print where as it seeks the idea of a pinup girl fest whereas the film has a deeper emotional and abstract depth. There was criticism calling the film "exploitive" but actually watching the film can see that the the visuals are both a veil and a backdrop for the drama playing out and the "sexiness" involved is played out as a woman's power fantasy(which is VERY different then a man's sexual fantasy). There are no walking shots of any girls' backside. there are no lingering cleavage shots aiming at titillation. It is the The marketing pieces displayed in the book reminded me why people might assume otherwise.
Don't get me wrong, it's an "Art of..." book and there is plenty of beautiful art so it delivers on it's promise, it just feels more like a film "companion" than an insightful piece. I prefer the latter.
Put simply - do I regret the purchase? No - it's good, just not my favorite.
It is page to page art, but the text is geared more towards "selling" you on what's going on then giving any real insight. Nothing bad, just not what I'm looking for.
I was not a fan of the way this film was advertised, especially in print where as it seeks the idea of a pinup girl fest whereas the film has a deeper emotional and abstract depth. There was criticism calling the film "exploitive" but actually watching the film can see that the the visuals are both a veil and a backdrop for the drama playing out and the "sexiness" involved is played out as a woman's power fantasy(which is VERY different then a man's sexual fantasy). There are no walking shots of any girls' backside. there are no lingering cleavage shots aiming at titillation. It is the The marketing pieces displayed in the book reminded me why people might assume otherwise.
Don't get me wrong, it's an "Art of..." book and there is plenty of beautiful art so it delivers on it's promise, it just feels more like a film "companion" than an insightful piece. I prefer the latter.
Put simply - do I regret the purchase? No - it's good, just not my favorite.
August 26, 2014
LET DOWN
This book is a joke. Most of the images are screen-caps of the film and very amateur-looking fan art, NOT development art. I repeat, practically zero concept art!
Confession time: I loved the film. Yes, the film is flawed, but I loved it anyway. It has heart, fun, and I respect its ambitions. As a huge fan of the visual development and fashion in films and games (not to mention as a visual development artist). I was desperate to get my hands on this book, consumed with desire to see more of the great genre-inspired designs and development from the film, the behind-the-scenes type of concept work. *sigh* Oh naive me.
Instead of showcasing a few of the thousand sketches, characters, costumes, monsters, machines, or environments that surely went into making the film, the book completely cops out and drops worthy artwork sparsely throughout pages that read no better than a coloring-book-style summary of the plot and characters. Sadly, it was a huge let down and an absolute waste of money.
This book is a joke. Most of the images are screen-caps of the film and very amateur-looking fan art, NOT development art. I repeat, practically zero concept art!
Confession time: I loved the film. Yes, the film is flawed, but I loved it anyway. It has heart, fun, and I respect its ambitions. As a huge fan of the visual development and fashion in films and games (not to mention as a visual development artist). I was desperate to get my hands on this book, consumed with desire to see more of the great genre-inspired designs and development from the film, the behind-the-scenes type of concept work. *sigh* Oh naive me.
Instead of showcasing a few of the thousand sketches, characters, costumes, monsters, machines, or environments that surely went into making the film, the book completely cops out and drops worthy artwork sparsely throughout pages that read no better than a coloring-book-style summary of the plot and characters. Sadly, it was a huge let down and an absolute waste of money.
January 2, 2014
It's a little bit confusing at first.. but good that it's entertaining..
July 8, 2015
This is a great coffee table book if you loved the visual dynamics of the movie. It has some information but mostly it's just photos, posters and artwork.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews