SUCKER PUNCH (Rated PG-13)

Fanboy, a word not found in the dictionary sitting on my desk, refers to those who appear to be obsessive about such things as comic books and video games.

As such, fanboys may rejoice at the arrival of director Zack Snyder’s so-called visionary “Sucker Punch,” because the film is an epic fantasy science-fiction thriller that straddles the universe created by comic books and video games.

But anyone who values meaningful characters, reasonably smart dialogue and a coherent story would be well advised not to get suckered into this incredible mishmash of cinematic junk.

“Sucker Punch” begins with the plausibly fascinating scenario of a young girl institutionalized by her evil stepfather on a false pretense.

Baby Doll (a pouty-lipped Emily Browning), dressed in tight blouses and short skirts that appeal to the fanboy’s ultimate fetish, immediately starts to plot her escape from the Lennox House asylum for the mentally insane.

In this endeavor, she provides encouragement to fellow inmates, all young hot females dressed like they were waiting for clients at a Nevada brothel.

Come to think of it, they are pressed into service by the wicked warden Blue (Isaac Oscar) and his henchwoman, Madam Gorski (Carlo Gugino), a teacher who preps the girls to use dance routines to entertain an assortment of creepy male patrons.

Until the action becomes increasingly repetitive and boring, it was fun to watch Baby Doll’s recruits.

There’s Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) and her sassy younger sister, Rocket (Jena Malone).

The dark-haired Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and the sensible Amber (Jamie Chung) round out the quintet of inmates who work up an escape plan, the execution of which relies upon Baby Doll’s mesmerizing trance during dance routines.

While dancing to techno music, Baby Doll conjures up visions of strange, distant worlds where she and her pals are engaged in battles with ancient Chinese warriors, fire-breathing dragons, armies of zombie Nazi soldiers, big snakes, and bomber pilots, just to name a few.

The only good thing about Baby Doll’s imaginary world is that Scott Glenn shows up as the guide to help the girls survive in the various alternate universes they happen to visit.

Still, even Glenn’s guiding hand helps not at all to make sense of these mind-numbingly dumb flights of fancy.

It’s really not worth mentioning, but Baby Doll sets in motion each dance routine for the sole purpose of acquiring items needed for an escape.

Because the action is like checking off a shopping list at the grocery store, that’s when it really feels tedious and repetitive.

Zack Snyder, who directed “300” with visionary zeal, appears capable of doing better than this trite, rote piece of work.

When Jon Hamm (Don Draper in “Mad Men”) shows up to perform a lobotomy at the film’s end, “Sucker Punch” has already succeeded in numbing the minds of the audience.

 

 

PAUL (Rated R)

Oddly enough, fanboys are front and center in the science-fiction spoof “Paul,” the story of two Brits visiting the geek’s celebration of the fanboy heaven that is the annual Comic-Con convention in San Diego.

The two British nerds on vacation are aptly played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who paired up so nicely in the comedies “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.”

Based on their previous collaborations, it is wholly within the realm of credibility that these two guys are perfect comedy fodder for a buddy road trip movie with an alien on board.

Attending the convention where the visitors dress up in character, Pegg and Frost are, respectively, aspiring graphic designer Graeme Willy and would-be sci-fi novelist Clive Gollings.

As first-time visitors to the United States, Graeme and Clive rent an RV so that they can take a road trip across the Southwest in search of the landmark sites associated with UFO sightings.

But ending up in the rural areas of Nevada and New Mexico causes them to feel like aliens themselves. Imagine their surprise at encountering a real space alien by the name of Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) on a deserted road late one night.

Though he has the huge head, wide eyes and skinny frame typically associated with our earthly vision of an alien, Paul is one strange laidback dude who fancies wearing tight shorts.

He’s crude and vulgar and has numerous bad habits, such as chain-smoking and constant boozing. His bad manners may be the result of the fact that he’s being hunted by the relentless agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) and two other goofy guys who look like wannabe Men in Black (Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio).

Not surprisingly, in a fitting homage to other sci-fi movies, there are references to Steven Spielberg’s seminal work while Sigourney Weaver has a brief, but key role that should remain a surprise.

While Graeme and Clive are the kind of guys who dream of an alien encounter, as long as it doesn’t involve intrusive probing of body parts, Paul’s arrival on the scene creates unsettling tension.

Almost immediately, Graeme bonds with the space creature, while Clive remains aloof and jealous of the budding relationship between his old pal and Paul. But everything that happens in “Paul,” including a good share of profanity and crudeness, is designed to garner laughs.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are clever and funny, and it shows in their script for “Paul.” They also have fun with their secondary characters, from Jane Lynch as a wisecracking roadhouse waitress selling alien-related trinkets to Kristen Wiig as the eye-patch wearing religious zealot who falls for Graeme.

The tongue-in-cheek style of the two British comedians is very much in evidence in this very funny film’s spontaneity, resulting in laughs galore for “Paul.”

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.