Writer/director Zack Snyder creates a truly original, eye opening and visually stunning movie that thrusts you into the story in the very first minute. “Sucker Punch” is the director’s first major film in which he has written the story, after previously remaking the George Romero classic “Dawn of the Dead,” and turning story into big screen hit in both “300” and “Watchmen.” Like the others, “Sucker Punch” is filled with stimulating visual effects that are not cheesy or over done and will keep most viewers, especially the ones that are fans of the sci-fi action and comic-book genre, very entertained.

Set in the early ‘60s, “Sucker Punch” is about a young girl known as Baby Doll, played by Emily Browning, who has been locked away in a mental asylum by her terrible stepfather. She is scheduled to undergo a lobotomy that is being set up by the crooked head orderly Blue, played by Oscar Isaac of last year’s “Robin Hood."

Baby Doll blends the real world with her imagination in an attempt to cope with the ever tormenting situation that she has been wrongfully hurled into. She brings on board some of her inmates where they work together to pull off a hand-full of tasks all in a plan to escape from the sideways dealing mental asylum. Since the vast majority of the proceedings are done in Baby Doll’s imagination anything becomes possible. Each task the girls attempt is done simultaneously in the imagination and the real world. Eye-popping action sequences feature mixes of guns, swords, dragons and orcs. And yes, Snyder even manages to thrown in a few Nazi zombies to keep things interesting.

Snyder filled the roles of the other characters well without really having any A-list actors on board. One of the girls, Amber, is played actually quite well by former “Real World” reality star Jamie Chung. The biggest role she has been in thus far in her acting career. There are a few recognizable actors in Rocket, played by Jena Malone of “Donnie Darko,” and the Wise Man, played by Scott Glenn who any movie junkie will know is best known for his roles in films like “Silence of the Lambs” and “Apocalypse Now.” Snyder also used Carla Gugino of “Sin City” and “Night at the Museum” to play the girl’s polish therapist. This is her second film working under Snyder as she played Sally Jupiter in “Watchmen.” There was also a couple of lineless appearances by another unknown actor from the same previous film.

One of the most enjoyable parts was something Zack Snyder has done well in all of his movies, the sound. The soundtrack is filled with dramatic covers of classics from stars like The Beatles, Iggy Pop and The Pixies. Some of the soundtrack is even performed by Browning herself although the viewers probably won’t notice this, as there are no musical numbers breaking out in this one. All the songs are done very well and flow perfectly with every scene. The sound effects are phenomenal and attention grabbing. The sound of heavy machine guns on 1940’s war planes, grenade explosions, dragons, and swords are done so well they make you feel like you’re in Baby Dolls imagination as well.

The film having action-adventure, emotion, suspense, and tantalizing visuals make it a good experience for just about anyone. Putting aside one or two minor plot holes, as that is a tough thing to do in any story, it’s an overall job well done in my book on “Sucker Punch.” It’s no Academy award winner or quite as deep “Watchmen” but how can you really go wrong with a hand-full of lovely ladies kicking butt to escape a side-ways dealing mental asylum? B+