Review: Pan's Labyrinth
Review: Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Rated R for graphic violence and some language.
So whoever said that fairytales had to be lame inspirational stories meant only for children? Obviously someone who has never seen Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.
Set in the fascist-controlled Spain of the mid 1940's, Pan's Labyrinth tells the tale of timid Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her mother who move in to live with the ruthless Capitán Vidal (Sergi López). After wandering the grounds of her new home, Ofelia meets a strange creature who tasks her with completing various missions that will help her claim her birthright as a princess of the underworld.
At the heart of Pan's Labyrinth is the little girl Ofelia, played wonderfully by Ivana Baquero. She has a look of such pure innocence that her presence alone is enough to make any scene magical. This purity is contrasted by her stepfather, a sadistic army captain who has no quarrels brutally torturing people. Played by actor Sergi López, he does a fine job coming off as a convincing fascist monster.
Everything I had hoped M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water could have been, Pan's Labyrinth is a beautiful yet tragic modern fairytale for adult audiences. Although the story itself comes off feeling more than a little cliched (there's a scene in which Ofelia is told not to eat some forbidden fruit...but guess what she does?), the imagery and emotion used to tell it more than make up for touches of unoriginality.
Come for the visuals and stay for the emotion, Pan's Labyrinth is about as good as a fantasy tale can get. Deep, powerful, and depressing as all get-out, this is one movie that you will not soon forget. And don't let the English subtitles discourage you from this fantastic foreign film. Heck, even without understanding the dialogue, Pan's Labyrinth's visuals would be enough to tell a beautiful story.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
I saw this a couple weeks back and absolutely loved it. The creature with the eyes in his hands had to be one of the scariest creatures I have seen in a movie in a long time. The story is cliched, but as you said there is much that makes up for that and really I was so enchanted watching it that at the time that I almost didn't notice the cliches.
I would love to see more movies that are artistic and beautiful in the future. Hopefully this film will inspire other film makers.
I loved, loved, LOVED this movie. It was so beautiful. I cannot wait to own it on DVD.
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