The Devil's Backbone Reviews

Es de los trabajos más antiguos del director y ciertamente para los que hayan disfrutado de sus películas más recientes puede resultar muy interesante ver que el estilo de este señor se observa con todo y lo inexperto que era en este largometraje. Es una película lenta, pero puede ser muy entretenida si se tiene la paciencia para dejarse envolver por su atmósfera, sobretodo para los niños no tan pequeños.
Quiero resaltar que aunque un tanto insípido, me parece de los mejores villanos del cine de Guillermo del Toro (que normalmente siento son el elemento más débil de sus películas).

I can honestly say I don't know much about this except that it is pretty well known and the picture of the possessed boy is pretty much everywhere. I didn't even know this was written or directed by Guillermo del Toro. I don't have to say what I've seen from him as we know very well most of his films. I've never heard of anything else from the other writers associated with this film. Anyways let's see if this really is something that is as good as they say.

I have to say that was pretty brilliant. Guillermo Del Toro definitely used some of his atmosphere and ideas from this earlier tale of his for Pan's Labyrinth as well as Crimson Peak. You can even see that this is most likely a huge inspiration for The Orphanage of which he was the executive producer. It isn't really a scary horror tale in my opinion, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Besides of course having ghosts it does have a sense of true to life horrors. I love the whole thing with the bomb that is sitting in the middle of the grounds the whole time. I loved that they bring attention back to some of more minor plotlines here which many films don't do. It has some great twists and a fitting end as well.

The cast is quite excellent here. They all manage to make full and interesting characters even the kids. I loved the design of the ghost kid. Then again you can always trust Guillermo Del Toro to have his creatures and such always looking quite unique. The character development is quite well done. This is something you don't really see too often in horror films. The characters aren't even all that typical either which I liked.

I can't believe I have waited so long to see this. The acting was great even from the child actors. The characters were all full and interesting. The story was excellent. There were some good twists and turns. The ending fit really well with the story. It's not so scary if you ask me, but it's very well done. It doesn't even really on jump scares. It uses constant gloom and sense of doom for the atmosphere. It keeps you invested from beginning to end. If you haven't seen this yet I strongly advise it.

I love this film! It explores similarities to Pan's Labyrinth with a bit of Crimson Peak. This is a brilliant story. Sometimes I wish there were more movies with depth like this at the movie theaters.

Orphaned and alone, Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is abandoned by his Tudor at a grim gray orphanage, circa 1949. He does not know that his father, a casualty of the Spanish Civil War, is dead, nor does he know the secrets the orphanage holds. Meanwhile, bitter young bully Jaime (Íñigo Garcés) torments him and the spirit of a unforgotten student tries desperately to make contact with him.

"The Devil's Backbone" is an earlier film by Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth" directer Guillermo del Toro, and is said to be his most personal. The film is bleak and intense and keeps you interested throughout, as well as having strong performances from the cast. That said, it didn't really scare me, but I'm not easily scared.

Another strength is the development of the characters. Carlos seems initially to be a quiet, sensitive-slash-wimpy youngster, but he is soon revealed to have a big heart and a strong backbone.

Aspiring cartoonist Jaimie is a bully, but not a typical big stupid one, and his crush on groundskeeper's girlfriend Conchita (Irene Visedo) is actually kinda sweet.

Last but not least I'll mention Doctor Cesaras (Federico Luppi,) who is considered a meek intellectual but stands strong in the face of tragedy, coping with an unfaithful lover and his careful plans blowing up in his face. These characters don't always act in ways you expect them to, and their unpredictability is both refreshing and invigorating.

The villain is not immediately apparent, and may surprise you. The conclusion leaves the viewer breathless and waiting to see if good will triumph and justice will be served, or if we're hurdling towards another downer ending.

This is a horror movie in that we see the horrors of war, of keeping a secret, of seeing the best-laid plans go the waste. We get a truly innovative ghost in a truly innovative ghost story led by characters we care about. And isn't that a rarity in horror? Usually we're just counting the minutes til the bloodbath.

"The Devil's Backbone" is not a jump-out-of-your-seat, shit-your-pants jump-scare extravaganza, but it has it's own subdued charms, as the tension mounts into a beautifully orchestrated finale where Karmic justice finally pays off. It isn't just another dumb horror movie. And that's worth celebrating.

Since I’m really intrigued by Guillermo Del Toro’s work, of course, I was really eager to check this movie. My main issue with Guillermo Del Toro is that each time I watch one of his flicks, I tend to have some huge expectations and unfortunately, until now, none of them has succeeded in reaching those expectations and, unfortunately, this movie was not an exception to this rule. I mean, don’t misunderstand me, it was a solid feature, way better than ‘Mimic’ or even ‘Blade II’ or actually any other US productions directed by Del Toro. Simply put, I did like it. Indeed, it was very well directed, there was a very nice gloomy mood, something Del Toro always manages to provide in his features and the story was entertaining enough. But as always with Del Toro, I kept waiting to get really blown away but, somehow, it never really happened. I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with the pacing, maybe I just don’t connect with his stories, maybe the guy spends too much time making sure the mood is right when he should put a little bit more energy and attention to the story. Still, even though I didn’t think it was really amazing, the whole thing was very well done and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Del Toro's work.

Guillermo del Toro is a great talent. He writes, produces, directs and designs many of his films. I believe that twenty years from now he will be looked upon with the same revance, love and respect that directors like Coppola, Spielberg and Scorese have currently. His attention to detail and loving care put into every fabric of his films makes them works of great art. Yes, these are quite often horror, fantasy or supernatural films, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have to be artistic. The Devil’s Backbone is a spiritual cousin to Pan’s Labyrinth, and while it doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights and artistic greatness that Labyrinth did without even trying, Backbone is a great film from beginning to end and comes within inches of reaching those same plateaus.

The ominous, and golden hued, opening follows a dead boy’s sinking to the bottom of a body of water and a fetus in a jar. These images are interspersed and woven together so seamlessly that it’s hard to tell which is which. They act as foils to each other, and establish the tone for the rest of the film. Del Toro has professed that once a Catholic you’re always a Catholic, and there is a strong element of Catholicism permeating throughout the film. The artifacts, symbols, color palette – everything feels as if it was culled from the church. I am in awe of how he can make the image of a dead boy’s ghost both frightening, beautiful and vaguely religious. That floating blood from his wound and bubbles, or are those small bugs?, hovering around him add to the mystique.

But what is there to say of the story? I don’t want to reveal too much, but it involves a groundskeeper and his hatred for those around him. It is told from the point-of-view of a child left behind at the orphanage/school during the final stages of the Spanish Civil War. It wouldn’t be impossible to think that somewhere in the distantly viewed woods that Ofelia was finding her own supernatural/mystical adventures.

This film even shares some of the same cast. But I make it sound like Pan’s Labyrinth came first, it didn’t. The Devil’s Backbone and Cronos are horror films which pointed the way and illustrated the beautiful depths to which del Toro was willing to crave down into in order to churn out his art. Notice how he’s only made about seven or eight films since 1993 while numerous other directors that appeared around that time have gone on to make twice or three times that? Del Toro is about the art, and The Devil’s Backbone is his first great work of art, but not his last.