El laberinto del fauno (2006)'s comments

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CinemaDump

Pan's Labyrinth is best described as a fairy tale that isn't all that kid friendly. Some imagery is pretty frightening, the film has a very dark and depressing vibe. There are also some pretty brutal scenes that you won't forget. It's the kind of movie you show your kid if you want them to be haunted by it forever.

The thing is though, Guillermo del Toro has created a perfect fairy tale. Pan's Labyrinth is set in the real world with a fantasy world that exists alongside it. The story deals with a princess, fantastical beings and magic but never does any of it actually feel fake. That's one of the great things about Pan's Labyrinth. These elements can be explained by the main character's imagination or indeed real as Ofelia sees them. The decision rests with the viewer.

It's 1944 and Spain is embroiled in a another conflict five years after the Spanish Civil War. There are rebels who oppose current dictator Fransisco Franco and Captain Vidal (Sergi López) is in charge of a camp attempting to exterminate any dissent. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) arrives to the camp with her pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) who recently got married to Vidal. This was done mostly because of circumstance following the death of Ofelia's father. A little beyond the camp, Ofelia meets Fauno (Doug Jones) in the middle of a labyrinth who proclaims her to be the princess in another world. She must complete three tasks and she will be allowed to take her place in this kingdom.

The story is really the centerpiece of Pan's Labyrinth. There always seems to be some kind of problem while Ofelia tries to accomplish her tasks and hardly anyone that she can every truly trust. Captain Vidal is a nightmare of a man who doesn't care for Ofelia one bit so she can't turn to him. All he cares about is the son that Carmen will give birth to. Even the Faun who says that she's a princess is suspicious and probably untrustworthy. Little hints here and there prod you as a viewer in a certain direction without ever being 100% sure of anything until the very end and it's just glorious.

For a fantasy movie, never do the CGI elements become overbearing. With a combination of makeup, costumes, animatronics and CGI, del Toro has created some beautiful designs without going overboard. The human characters are very much the main stars of Pan's Labyrinth and are supplemented very nicely by the fantasy elements. Doug Jones in his dual role is unrecognizable as anything resembling a human being. All of the sets where the story takes place are also extremely well done and believable.

One thing I really like about Pan's Labyrinth is how the actions of Ofelia in her fantasy world have a real impact on the real world. It adds a certain amount of additional danger and always makes you feel ill at ease for what the possible consequences will be when she goes back to the real world.

Pan's Labyrinth is mildly violent on a couple of occasions but that's not to say that anything is glorified. What makes the violence seem worse is how calmly brutal the violent scenes really are. Captain Vidal is without a doubt the main reason for this and Sergi López deserves a lot of credit for his portrayal. A lot of the time though, when something that would be gory is about to happen, the scene cuts which in a sense makes things worse because you're left imagining what will happen.

del Toro has written an absolutely beautiful story that has the right combination of fantasy and real life. It's not an easy movie to watch for how much powerful it is but one that is worth watching even for those who aren't used to watching foreign movies. The great thing is that the subtitles are of extremely good quality because del Toro wrote them himself which isn't a common thing to do for filmmakers. It's his movie 100% and it's one that will leave a lasting impression on you. Although I'm hoping for another Hellboy movie, I hope that del Toro thinks about pursuing some sort of fairy tale like Pan's Labyrinth again. Just some sort of spiritual successor and I would be a happy camper.

8.5/10

9 years 10 months ago

indiastokers

Very beautiful movie, it went directly on my list of favorite movies.

12 years 9 months ago

Brantastic16

PERFECT.

12 years 7 months ago

Siskoid

It LOOKS like it's going to be only a hop and skip away from the Chronicles of Narnia, but the film is much, much darker than that. If you don't know it (and I always feel silly giving even a brief synopsis of films on this list, because the whole point is that I'm the only cinephile alive who hasn't seen them), it's about a young girl who hides from the horrors of the Spanish Civil War by entering a fantasy world. That's how people describe it, but it's a little misleading. Ofelia's world intersects the real world, but what motivates her is the possibility of entering it fully and permanently. It's a world that is mirrored in the real events of her life as well, intricately designed by del Toro, in the tradition of many Latin American writers' magical realism. This isn't a puzzle movie that forces you to decide whether magic is real or it's all in Ofelia's imagination, because both realities are true. To ask the question is to miss the point. Powerful, well shot and acted, surprising, thematically coherent... del Toro has yet to equal or better this masterwork.

8 years 10 months ago

danisanna

Gutwrenchingly sad and beautiful.

10 years 2 months ago

Scratch47

I understand the parallels between the two worlds, but the divide between a brutal civil war and a child's trip into fantasy didn't really gel, bar the sense that she was escaping. That this latter fact wasn't made particularly explicit lead me to largely write this off. I don't think it's perfect or even that remarkable, despite some excellent visual creations and a punchy tone.

11 years 9 months ago

Miss Jitterbug

at least 8/10...!

10 years 4 months ago

sammysin

An extremely dark fantasy film. I really appreciate that. Some of the scenes of implied torture were difficult to watch, although the half Chelsea smile was awesome.

If this doesn't have the best character design ever, I don't know what does.

It's hard not to be moved by that beautiful ending. Phenomenal.

11 years 4 months ago

frankqb

A great movie despite the manner in which it was marketed (as a fantasy film not unlike LOTR).

13 years 2 months ago

SkilledLunatic

Some characters decisions annoyed me for their lack of discernment, especially one decision by Ofelia you will know when you see it. Also I disliked the very last piece of narration, since it just tied up the film too nicely.
Outside of that though, this film is insanely creative, stunning and original. I never seen anything like it, the way the real world and the magical world are interwoven is something I cannot find the words to explain, you have to experience yourself. Loved it.

7 years 4 months ago

scoutmasterward

One of the most enchanting films I've ever had the pleasure to watch. This film is beautiful and terrifying. Del Torro didn't need a 200 million dollar special effects budget to attract his audience. The Cinematography, production design, and make-up was all fantastic, hence all three winning the oscar. This film is even more amazing coming from Mexico, which doesn't usually submit its artworks into the big league movie world, but I am sure glad it did. Watch this if you can. The scene with the thing that has eyes on its hands will give you more chills than any horror movie you will ever watch.

10 years 10 months ago

Elica

Much darker and more brutal than I expected it to be, few gross scenes. It's a little too predictable for my taste and it didn't really move me.

It may have been different if they worked more on the feelings between the selected people, and let us get to know the characters better. It felt like the girl was willing to just run away and abandon everyone without sheding a tear, which I doubt was the producer's intention.

11 years 6 months ago