Alice: Madness Returns vs. Sucker Punch

As most of you have probably already guessed from my profile and favourites, I am a huge fan of American McGee's Alice. The demented twist on the original source material, creepy atmosphere, excellent story, everything that I love about horror/fantasy is in this game. Recently, the sequel Alice: Madness Returns was released and I obviously loved it. It kept the same dark under(and over)tones of the first game while also adding something new, the story, while a bit confusing at times, was intriguing and added more depth to the character of Alice, and the quality and graphics VASTLY improved over the years. Naturally, it has its flaws, but what game doesn't have the little annoyances and niches? But one thing's been really erking me and while not a whole majority of people have been talking about it, I still have to talk about it.

Why're people comparing Alice: Madness Returns to Sucker Punch?

Okay, to be fair, Sucker Punch is Zack Synder's latest film title that follows conventionally attractive girls that live in an asylum who escape to various video game environments to get five things that will set them free. I can see people making the comparison of emotionally tormented girl goes off to fantasy world, but you might as well compare the original American McGee's Alice to Sucker Punch. Heck, go compare Pan's Labyrinth to Sucker Punch. Oh wait, people are already doing that.

But to get to my point, besides the above statement, Alice: Madness Returns and Sucker Punch are two completely different entities. For one thing, one's a psychological horror epic that has you go to different realms, each one vastly different and even more twisted than the last. And each world has some meaning and significance to the main character. The other follows a couple of girls in skimpy outfits going from action set piece to action set piece that are just there to look cool. While a lot of Sucker Punch fans will argue that the movie has a more deeper meaning (and trust me, I know Sucker Punch fans. You do NOT want to get on their bad side), it honestly seems convoluted and, pardon me for sounding dumb, confusing. Yes, Alice: Madness Returns does have a bit of a confusing story, but it causes the player to actually think and come up with logical reasons themselves. With Sucker Punch, you'll be racking your brain over what this and that meant, and the only person who'll know the real answer is Zack Snyder. And this can be good in a movie, but in this one it's just frustrating.

Also, while the girls were trying to be 'the empowering force of female freedom for whatever the hell's going on', it didn't work with what Snyder did with them. Yes, female empowerment means making all the attractive girls work for a sleazy boss in a burlesque venue then go off and fight 50ft. mecha samurai while showing crotch and ass shots. Even though Alice is mentally damaged beyond repair, she was ten times more empowering (and interesting for that matter) than any of the girls in Sucker Punch. Plus, she's the only female video game character that can kick ass in the traditional blue and white Alice dress with a freaking hobby horse.

To finish off, stop comparing the two. One's complex, intriguing, and at times terrifying. The other's a masturbatory fantasy with an attempt at a deeper meaning. I know that I might piss a lot of people off with this entry, but keep in mind that this is just my opinion. Note the word OPINION, kiddies. That means that it's not fact.