[Weekly Whimsy] Sucker Punch

[Welcome to Weekly Whimsy! Changing it up a little this week and just rambling.]

Sweet dreams are made of these
Everybody's looking for something - Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams

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I saw SuckerPunch on Thursday at midnight with my family and a bunch of friends. I didn't write about it right away because I wanted to think it over, and consider my opinion more closely.

At first glance, the movie was a polished cherry of all the stuff I like: explosions, action, something to cheer for, and an iconic "hero". That first impression was gained from a 22 second trailer. It was only after I saw the movie in its entirety that I could gather anything like a considered perspective.

I am the kind of movie-goer that studios dream of; I like everything (at least at first). It's only after a lot of thought that I can come away from something and say, no that really was not good. But while I am IN the movie: I love it. 

While watching the movie, I saw myself being drawn into the emotional context of the plot: cheering for the girls as they go through all their tribulations in an effort to be freed from their prison. I felt myself believing it might be possible for them to achieve their goal, and feeling saddened when one of their own tripped them up. I felt the "sucker punch" of going through all that just to see the self-sacrifice at the end, and emboldened by the consequences of that action.


Then I got to thinking about it more, and examining not just how I liked it, but how it effected me.

As a gamer, and especially as a roleplayer, the movie struck very close to home. I had actually written (and scheduled) the post chronicling the WOD game on Thursday; so Eile's decision was fresh in my mind as I watched the movie. I walked out of SuckerPunch being very reminded of Eile's "last stand" very clearly, and at least one other person said something similar.

In life or in gaming, making those kinds of choices effects you in strange ways. If you chose to offer a sacrifice, a true piece of personal gifting, it can change you in ways you might never expect. If you do it for the wrong reasons, it can have incredibly negative results. Those results can be immediate, or long reaching.  If you make those choices because you believe it is expected of you, or because it's easier than fighting for something important, or because you just don't know what else to do, that choice can come back on you in unexpected and often painful ways. Having personally made choices that gave up essential parts of myself for reasons that weren't truly voluntary, I have seen the damage and fallout of recovering from bad sacrifices.

I've truly recovered from those choices, and now any sacrifices I make are completely thought out and understood; and completely of my own making rather than built out of false expectations or considerations that aren't: "is this worth it?".

I had made a very tough choice Wednesday, and by Thursday I was at peace with it, and watching the movie simply made the reasoning and considerations behind that choice all the stronger. When I was walking out of the movie early Friday morning,  I was reminded of the choices we make every day, and the ways we decide how to balance decisions against each other. Not every deliberation gets the weight, time and consideration that a true sacrifice does- but when you go to those lengths, you know it, and feel it.

Like a SuckerPunch.