Pan's Labyrinth Reviews

This is a movie with a simple and straightforward plot which contains layers and layers of intelligent writing, metaphors and message.

To speak further about the script will end up in spoilers and that would be pointless since my very purpose writing this review is to encourage people to see it.

This is no small feat, interpreting fantasy as something of a product of a real world, cross-referencing how the child acts to her real surroundings and the "other world", metaphors that describe the accelerated state of growing up some of us are put through... Incredible. Simple, straightforward yet there is so much to be appreciated.

Those who are saying how it's predictable and thus not enjoyable, I ask of you, which movie nowadays aren't predictable? Hell, even 21 grams was predictable but so damned good. It's not about how it ends, you can always predict how a movie would end if you've ever taken a half-decent script writing class or have some common sense. It's always about how well you tell a story.

I'm grateful there are still directors who aren't tied down to this new epidemic of including a plot twist simply because they need a plot twist.

Pan's Labyrinth features some of the best storytelling and attention to detail without being affected by the now ever-popular opinion of cameras having to be put through several technical difficulties to make the shots eligible to be called a brilliant shot.

I am also grateful for them not dubbing it. Watching it in its' original language is much, much more rewarding even if I had to rely on the subtitles for most of the time.

This is a brilliant movie. Watch it.

Warning: Spoilers
Much has been said/written about the underlying tones in this picture. The fascist regime on the one hand, the dream(?) world on the other hand. Del Toro leaves it up to you, so everyone can decide what they make of it ...

That also can be said about the fantasy world. Does it really exist or is it all in the imagination of Ofelia? I only watched the movie once, so I'm not quite sure what to make of it ... but my first guess would be that it all was a dream or an escape reality Ofelia had. I'm sure some psychologist would/could use that to analyse me ... ;o) But that doesn't matter after all, you have a really good fairy tale for adults here. Some might find it a little bit too offensive or too bloody. One thing is for sure, it's not for children.

A few minor things bothered me, while I was watching the movie. Nothing of importance, but here are two examples ... When Ofelia escaped from the monster that had his eyes in his palms, she left a piece of chalk behind ... Now why didn't the "monster" use this to come into the real world? (a logical explanation would be, my believe that it's all a dream) ... or why did the faun forgive Ofelia, that she did eat at the table? Just because she is a child? Two of the "fairys" were killed because of that (although in the end they seem to be back again ... if that's them) ... That also could be explained, if it was all a dream ...

Anyway, I might have thought too much about it. It still is a good picture, with some explicit scenes of violence!

Guillermo del Toro first movie that I've seen, i was planning to watch Pacific rim, but decided to watch his old movies first, and i'm glad i did, the movie is amazing.
The Special effects were beautiful executed and felt so real even though the creatures aren't real (don't ask me how).
I really like the way that he mixed reality with fairytale, mixing an actual war with a fairytale balanced that movie and made it likable, aside from that the story was beautiful, the performances was also great and this is really an amazing movie that you don't want to miss.

This is likely Guillermo del Toro's best film he has ever done! A fantasy for adults that's extremely violent, but at the same time, it's the most beautiful artistic achievement in production values, music, and cinematography.

This is not about any British boarding school, or any thing like that.

It is about magic, and the world that destroys magic.

It is as to the tale of Briar Rose, for every prince who came seeking to rescue her, during all the time when the power of the evil spell still reigned, was held fast by thorns, as though by strong hands, so that they bled until they died.

And some folk scoff at magic, but the world is an ugly place without it.... When beauty sleeps, what is left-- except all that is ugly?

(9/10)

'Pan's Labyrinth' truly is a fairytale for adults. Do not be fooled by the fairytale like appearance of its trailers or posters, there is a sinister side to this movie. The production is fabulous, as is the acting and the story. What disappointed me a bit was the fantasy subplot. There really wasn't much in the way of magical worlds and creatures, which I what I was expecting. The heroine of the movie, Ofelia, is given three tasks to perform by a faun for her to return to her kingdom where she is a Princess. The first task is very short, the second is the most impressive, both fabulously filmed and wonderfully suspenseful, and the third isn't really a task at all, but rather an emotional scene. Apart from a few bits and pieces here and there, they are the only parts of the film that feature a fantastic fantasy world. The rest, although enjoyable, is the story of Ofelia fitting in to her new house, and her step father, the sinister Captain Vidal, tracking down the last rebels in post-Civil war Spain, with other real time subplots going on as well.
The film is gory, thrilling and wonderfully well made, but was also very dark and I found the transitions of fantasy into the story sometimes hard to follow. Nevertheless, it was an excellent film and one which I recommend to people who like dark war films and twisted fantasy.

Director Guillermo del Toro shows us what he has been working on for over a decade in this highly imaginative and visually stunning film, and it does not disappoint. Ofelia’s mother is pregnant but very ill, so they pack up and move to live with her new husband—a brutal Spanish Nazi commander. Things are not going well at the post. They are being attacked by rebels and there is a sense that the Nazi’s promised victory will not be realized. On top of this danger, Ofelia’s new step-father does not like her, and treats her as he would a bastard. This is no place for a child, so when Ofelia is alone, her imagination goes wild. She would much rather spend time in her fantasy because she is important there, and her actions are necessary to cure her mother. It is sometimes hard to watch the hardships she puts herself through, even in her fantasies, but they reveal every human’s need for some sort of control, some sort of cause and effect that they have a hand in. This is not a movie for children. It is tragic, but beautifully so. Del Toro has an eye for the fanciful and is careful not to overdo the CG effects, which is wise. But he is also a great storyteller, and this story is helped immensely by Ivana Baquero who plays Ofelia. You can’t help but put yourself in her perspective, root for her and hope that everything she imagines is real.

Guillermo Del Toro has a directed a surprisingly low of number of movies but great ones (Hellboy, Cronos, Devil's Backbone, Mimic) and Pan's Labyrinth beats them all. Gone are the days when fairy-tales were colourful and exciting. This one is dark, violent, gritty and top of all, disturbing. This is a stunning piece of work, with fluid, smooth CGI and great performances by almost everyone, a rarity in fantasy films. I liked the dark & unpredictable mood of the film and the life-and-death message. Since he had directed Hellboy before, I definitely saw few similarities between these two, ex: the spiral ground, officers, beasts and of course, Doug Jones.

Pan's Labyrinth unfolds like a torn old book recently uncovered from a long forgotten cupboard. It's so gripping and enchanting that the viewer is given no reason to press the pause button. The music is enthralling and the visuals are gorgeous. All the forest scenes are my favourite. It's so greatly choreographed and excellently detailed, especially the whole shoot-out sequence.Guillermo Del Toro should really direct more films like this and he should bring back most of the cast because they were, simply put, perfect!

Speaking of which, the number 1 best performance was by Maribel Verdú as Mercedes. I liked her performance and now I'm definitely seeing Y tu mamá también. Then the others I liked were Ivana Baquero as the lead role as Ofelia, one of the best child-performances I've seen, Sergi Lopez as the primary antagonist, Captain Vidal, one of the damn effective performances ever and Doug Jones as The Pale Man & Faun, with the former being a recent disturbing icon and he only appears for 5-6 minutes. The whole scene is so scary and intense.

All in all, strictly for Del Toro fans and/or fans of dark fantasy. A modern classic and won't disappoint you one bit, at least not the last quarter.

8.8/10

Since it was a huge critical success, I was really dying to watch this flick. Eventually, I had 2 issues with this movie. First, it was very overhyped when I watched it the first time so my expectations were too high. Second, I was expecting a fantasy picture and the fantasy is only half of the movie, the other half being a war drama. Basically, I didn't get what I expected. In spite of all this, I really liked it as there was some very good directing and a fascinating story. Some years later, I watched it again to make up my mind for good and, honestly, the second time around, it gave me about the same feeling. I mean, the directing was indeed very good, the special effects were quite awesome, the story was intriguing and entertaining enough but, honestly, I never really felt swept away by this fantasy world. In my opinion it is a very well made and interesting dark fairy tale but it is not much more than that. Sometimes, you connect with a movie and sometimes, you don’t. Apparently, this movie was not really my thing but it doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. To conclude, even though I was expecting more, it still remain a very good picture and it is definitely worth, especially if you are interested in Guillermo del Toro's work.