Director Guillermo del Toro returns with this tale about a young girl and the mythical monsters she confronts.
Getting over the fact that this is a Spanish film with English Sub-titles I settled down to watch this with an open mind and a blank canvas as to what the story would be about.
Not long into the film you realize this is no young children"s movie and coupled with the fact that the dialogue is with an easy to read pace you begin to immerse yourself in the world these characters find themselves; both the real and the fantasy.
Not wishing to give anything away this is a simple plot but with that rare OMG what will happen to him and her and them feeling and I bet he gets his just desserts. In the end this is a well worth while film to watch so long as you are not distracted so you can read the plot as it unfolds and I like the gown up ending and not the fairy tale it could have been.
First thing to say - this film is not for everyone. If you cannot stand sub-titles (or can't speak Spanish) you probably won't enjoy.
That said the film is a tragic mix of tense war story and horror fairytale. A young girl and her pregnant mother move out to the countryside to live with the mothers new husband. He unfortunately is a sadistic, self centred dictator and so the young girl withdraws into a world of fantasy, which also has it's own horrors. Good special effects take you into the fantasy world, with creatures that would not look out of place in a Clive Barker film.
The mix of genres works to provide a engaging climax which is either gut wrenching or tragically sweet depending on your world view.
If you want a change from the usual blockbusters or Hollywood dross, then give this a good. You never know, might help you learn Spanish too! Buena película.
This film is simply awesome. It doesnt matter that it is in Spanish - most of the time you are not concentrating on the subtitles but the brilliant performances and masterful camera work. The story is intense and draws you in quickly, and to top it all off it has a superb soundtrack.
A must see!!!
It's easy to get carried away when writing a review, whether that's bigging-up something that was just quite good, or slating something that was a only a bit patchy in places.
I'm going to avoid that trap - THIS FILM IS A---MAZING!!! (I'm being as objective as I can!!). The fact that The Departed won best picture at the Oscars this year showed what a joke those awards can be.
This film reeks of originality and yet also has ties to Del Toro's previous work, most notably Chronos and The Devil's Backbone - his ability to get mesmerizing performances from children is wonderful, with Ivana Baquero a revelation as Ofelia.
Critics have made lazy comparisons with Edward Scissorhands because of the film's dark fairytale nature - that's unfair and innacurate, this film isn't played for laughs or overly sentimental. Instead it is heart-wrenching, uplifting, shocking and unnervingly beautiful in equal, frequently changing measures.
How many times can you say you've seen a film full of monsters where man is the worst kind? How many times can you say it was a relief to see the heroine die (to find true happiness)?
Thie film will mess with you but in the best possible way - give it your time and you will be rewarded...
A dark, innocent, brutal and enchanted fairy tale!
With lavish costume and makeup, Pan's Labyrinth is stunning.
Set just after the Spanish Civil war, 'Pan's Labyrinth' follows a young girl, Ofelia, who is drawn into a dangerous, yet beautiful, fantasy world. When she meets a faun she discovers she is a enchanted princess, lost for centuries. In order to return 'home', she must complete a series of difficult tasks, but how much is she willing to sacrifice?
Enter Guillermo del Toro's elaborately crafted fantasy world and see the magic for yourself!
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Accompanied by her parents Ofelia moves from a large Spanish city to a more rural area in the North of the country. Faced with the upheaval of moving home an abusive stepfather and the general unpleasantness surrounding Franco's victory in 1944 Ofelia enters an imaginary world of creatures and demons in a bid to escape. From Guillermo del Torro the visionary director of THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE and CRONOS comes this frightening yet fantastical film.
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