Anyone see Pan's Labyrinth?

[JaxComet]

I didn't even know this was coming out

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth/

[Corvin]

I want to see this badly, but I don't think it has opened in Chicago yet.

[DeputyDave]

I'm seeing it this Friday. Finally a fantasy movie my wife will see with me.

[Daytripper]

I'm seeing it this Friday. Finally a fantasy movie my wife will see with me.

"Pan's Labyrinth" and "Superman Returns" are the two movies I looked forward to the most in 2006. "PL" opens on 12/29. Not sure if it's limited at first.

[splattii2]

Ya, I saw it at the TIFF back in September. Amazing film, and I actually ranked it #1 for my top 10 list this year. I can't wait for the DVD release.....

[Kudama]

Limped half a mile after work (two sprained toes in my left foot) and got my ticket for tomorrow’s 5:05 showing. Only two theaters in all of fucking San Francisco are playing this! :confused: !!!

I should be able to get there 40-30 minutes early. I …cannot …wait.

[RichC2]

I loved it. Though feel some may be let down by (mild spoiler) the small amount of fantasy actually involved. That aside, a wonderful movie.

[Kudama]

I loved it. Though feel some may be let down by (mild spoiler) the small amount of fantasy actually involved. That aside, a wonderful movie.:mad: You tempt me with a spoiler?!? On this day of all days????

(Is it worse than the spoilers I've already read in the reviews?)

[tasha99]

Not playing in Eugene, goddammit. :mad:

[UncleGramps]

Not open in Philly yet either. The local chain of arthouse theaters doesn't list it as opening for 1/5, but it is on their Coming Soon list. Hopefully it'll open 1/12 around here.

[splattii2]

:mad: You tempt me with a spoiler?!? On this day of all days????

(Is it worse than the spoilers I've already read in the reviews?)

It wasn't much of a spoiler, and I agree with RichC2 to some extent although there is more then enough to warrent the marketing efforts. Don't worry, the movie is great. I think the DVD is coming in March, along with a trilogy box set. I can't wait!!!!

[UncleGramps]

It wasn't much of a spoiler, and I agree with RichC2 to some extent although there is more then enough to warrent the marketing efforts. Don't worry, the movie is great. I think the DVD is coming in March, along with a trilogy box set. I can't wait!!!!
Trilogy? With other del Toro movies, or what?

[Kudama]

AAaaaaaand ...I'm OUT THE DOOR! :D

[calhoun07]

When is this one getting a wider release?

[Nth Power]

When is this one getting a wider release?

Looks like a couple weeks for some new cities.

From http://movies.aol.com/movie/pans-labyrinth/25436/news

Guillermo del Toro's fantasy horror pic "Pan's Labyrinth" will represent Mexico in this year's foreign-language film Oscar race. Picturehouse, which picked up North American rights at Sundance for close to $6 million, will release the Spanish-language drama Dec. 29 in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago before expanding to 35 other markets on Jan. 12.

[splattii2]

Trilogy? With other del Toro movies, or what?

I can't find the information right now, but I recall seeing that there would be a 3 disc set including Cronos, Pan's and Devil's Backbone.

Anyhow, R2 DVD March 12th;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pans-Labyrinth-Doug-Jones/dp/B000L42MUQ

[Kudama]

I loved it. Though feel some may be let down by (mild spoiler) the small amount of fantasy actually involved. That aside, a wonderful movie.
That actually did it for me. The real life violence leant so much weight to the fantasy threats. When you saw the toad, it was scary to the point of her first encounter with Vidal ("The other hand!"). But by the time she got to the Pale Man, she had been in the real (our) world long enough to see a truly more terrible monster. And I gotta say: Pale Man was up there with any Goddamn monster I've ever seen on screen. And the scene had absolutely perfect brevity. The monster was still amazing and the score still reinforcing the terror when ...I was, jaw agape, still flipping out when the scene concludes. One the best monster scenes if not the best IMO.
There is way too much. This, for me, would take a real time discussion to actually express my feelings. I went in with high hopes and experienced this:
Annoyance
Trying hints.
(Finally) Me: "Couldn't you guys discuss this at dinner? After you've seen the movie?"
(afterwards my Bay area chic poseur seat-neighbors tried to keep it down)
Then...Was this overrated? (half in) Nope. (by the end) Gah gah.

The last time I came out of movie this flipped out on endorphins was SE7EN. Different feeling(s), but same intensity.

+ I forgot to mention: This chic poseur, ever the worldly dude, said this right when the first credits appeared-"Is this in English?" :lol: "Winner: Best Foreign Language Film" Moran!
I guess people who don't like to read subs also don't pay attention to the glaring text on the ads when picking the newest thing to impress their idiotic, texting during the movie, dates with.

I really want to see this again, but:
1) I feel it takes a little digestion.
2) It will probably take at least the weekend to weed out the yocums that think this is del Torro's first movie and treat films as background noise or conversation starters.

[Drop]

Saw it today, and thought it was really great. It was really effective, and the fantasy elements were well balanced with the real world elements. I, of course, wanted to see more of the fantasy world, but I think that was intentional. It's better to want more than have too much.

Overall, great experience, and really look forward to seeing it again.

I also wanted to say I couldn't disagree more with Brian Orndorf about how the "two" plotlines were handled and how they worked together. I actually see them working entirely with each other, and can't oppose each other because they are a singular plot.

[MASAMUNE2]

It's better to want more than have too much.


What kind of mentality is that? That's like me offering you $1 or $1,000,000,000 and you take the one dollar :D2:

[Drop]

Masamune I know you are joking, but when it comes to money there is no such thing as too much. More than necessary is one thing, but who would complain about having too much money?

In film, and the other arts, there is certainly such thing as too much. They are supposed to special things, too much of something makes it become normal. Unlike money you can't just give away too much of a film element. What's there is there.

[Kudama]

I can’t leave this alone! The curved needle sequence (the crowd groaned) so established the villain as a monster who would walk the walk. The whiskey (or bourbon) spilling out the side of the gauze was priceless.

[Flay]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but the score is pretty damn haunting. I'm listening to it right now.

[Jackskeleton]

Del Toro in my eyes can do no wrong. This movie was beyond words on how well it was made. Simply amazing and haunting.

[Corvin]

I can’t leave this alone! The curved needle sequence (the crowd groaned) so established the villain as a monster who would walk the walk. The whiskey (or bourbon) spilling out the side of the gauze was priceless.

I had to look away. So nasty.

[breadlymoore]

I also wanted to say I couldn't disagree more with Brian Orndorf about how the "two" plotlines were handled and how they worked together. I actually see them working entirely with each other, and can't oppose each other because they are a singular plot.

Please explain your thoughts further.

Other reviews have commented on how the two subplots don't really connect. I would love to hear your thoughs on how they do.

[Kudama]

Please explain your thoughts further.

Other reviews have commented on how the two subplots don't really connect. I would love to hear your thoughs on how they do.
I know this wasn’t directed at me, but…
The appearance of the stick bug came at a time of initial distress. Therefore it became the avatar for a new world. Did you notice that the hand Ofelia tricked the toad with was the same one Vidal had just rebuffed as “the wrong hand”? Pan’s outburst to Ofelia at the close contained exactly the same logic as Vidal’s confusion toward the Doctor right before he killed him (“Why won’t you obey me?”). The mandrake mirrored the embryonic threat to Ofelia’s mum. The Pale Man…Jesus Christ! Who knows, but the world at peace scares me enough! And the coda! I’ve long believed that our final thought is what determines where we spend eternity. This fit in with that so nicely. (all IMO)
One (incredibly portrayed) story.
Del Toro in my eyes can do no wrong. This movie was beyond words on how well it was made. Simply amazing and haunting.
The term "One Hundred Percent" does not do justice to how much I agree with you. This guy has been my favorite since Cronos (on VHS-I didn't have a car at the time). I even love Mimic, although it's obvious the studio stepped in to alter the end. When his hands are unfettered, though, this guy will go down with Kubrick. He is so dedicated and such a cool motherfucker to start with.

[breadlymoore]

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but…
The appearance of the stick bug came at a time of initial distress. Therefore it became the avatar for a new world. Did you notice that the hand Ofelia tricked the toad with was the same one Vidal had just rebuffed as “the wrong hand”? Pan’s outburst to Ofelia at the close contained exactly the same logic as Vidal’s confusion toward the Doctor right before he killed him (“Why won’t you obey me?”). The mandrake mirrored the embryonic threat to Ofelia’s mum. The Pale Man…Jesus Christ! Who knows, but the world at peace scares me enough! And the coda! I’ve long believed that our final thought is what determines where we spend eternity. This fit in with that so nicely. (all IMO)
One (incredibly portrayed) story.

Great stuff. Thank you.

But where's the thematic connection?

[JIF]

I liked it. The marketing makes it look like a kid's movie -- it's not. There were a few kids in the theatre when I viewed it. I can only imagine what their nightmares will be about.

[Daytripper]

It's torture waiting for this film to open in my city. Just curious, where in the U.S. is it playing? Other than L.A. or N.Y.?

[tasha99]

Just watched this and loved it. I have to admit, I'm crying like a little baby--it reminded me a lot of The Devil's Backbone (still probably my favorite movie of all time, though this was excellent also.)

The scene were the captain had to sew up his mouth reminded me of my favorite Japanese urban legend (the kuchisake onna--mouth ripped woman).

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6162/kuchisakeonnabyshinanaima6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Daytripper]

Just watched this and loved it. I have to admit, I'm crying like a little baby--it reminded me a lot of The Devil's Backbone (still probably my favorite movie of all time, though this was excellent also.)

The scene were the captain had to sew up his mouth reminded me of my favorite Japanese urban legend (the kuchisake onna--mouth ripped woman).

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6162/kuchisakeonnabyshinanaima6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Hold up. This movie is playing in Eugene, OR.....but not Washington D.C. (yet)? W to the T to the F !?? :)

[MASAMUNE2]

It's torture waiting for this film to open in my city. Just curious, where in the U.S. is it playing? Other than L.A. or N.Y.?


San Francisco

[Kudama]

But where's the thematic connection?
I don't know if it's necessarily thematic, but Ofelia had to escape. The route she set for the escape wasn't easy and was fraught with consequences (real or imagined-viewer’s choice). Also, the thought that your final thought determines where you spend eternity (will you have a smile on your corpse?) resonates very strongly with me. I felt that the two elements were very closely bound. –Just a thought, Did Vidal not see Pan precisely because he was hopped up on opiates?

I saw this with two friends again, yesterday, who were not (before the movie) fans of del Torro. Watching their reactions to the film was like reading a textbook of how to tell a story in first class. I was having the same reactions. I can’t wait for At The Mountains of Madness. Lovecraft + del Torro = Kudama’s head explodes

[MASAMUNE2]

Brian Orndorf says: Where my mind and heart differ on the film is how it all ties together. I understand that del Toro is leaning toward a more interpretative experience by blurring the edges of Ofelia's sanity and thickening the Fascism commentary, I only question why the two stories aren't allowed a distinct meeting point; a place of respectful simplicity that binds the stories in an indisputable way to help better intend the goals of the picture.


I thought the ending was that meeting point where the 2 plotlines crash into each other. A very well done ending.

I think the whole point of the 2 plots was to contrast the harsh brutality of reality with the innocence of fantasy, a contrast of maturity and youth, life and death, and then merge them all together in a swift stroke at the very end with Ofelia's death/entrance into her "heaven". The polar opposites are all blended as one in that moment... Ofelia dies, her newborn brother lives, Ofelia gets cruelly shot to death, she is reborn in an innocent fantasy kingdom.

One of the key quotes of the film was when Ofelia's mother tells her when she grows up she'll learn the difficulties/harshness of the world- that can crush the spirit. It's Ofelia's escapism (her innocence and power to dream) which allows her to transcend beyond that.

It really is a Transcendentalist film, even hinting at Plato's Allegory of the Cave in the beginning fairy tale narration: A girl going out of the dark underworld (her kingdom) into the light and being blinded by it. Ofelia makes the descent back down into the cave (returning to her kingdom) at the movie's end after her "enlightenment"- her lesson learned- self-sacrifice- which allows her to die happily in peace.

I don't think that Ofelia's fantasies have any direct allegory/link to her reality, i.e. the Toad is not some escapism form of Vidal. No, there is only a thematic connection. And that is the power of self-sacrifice (both from the civil war rebels and that of Ofelia).

It's largely open to intreptation- Vidal didn't see Pan because Pan is a figment of Ofelia's imagination.. Thus, why Ofelia's real mom, dad, and brother end up being the royalty of her imaginary kingdom- that all exists in her mind.





Anyhow, I thought it was a brilliant film. My favorite of 2006

[slop101]

Did anyone else think all the fantasy stuff was just in her head? That's how I saw it, but I'm pretty sure DelToro left it open to interpertation by the audience - i.e., if you're a hopeful sort of person, the fantasy elements really happened, if you're a cynic, they were all in her head, as a means to cope with her brutal surroundings.

[breadlymoore]

I saw the film last night, and I'm still wrestling with it. I think's Orndorf's review is really good describing the feeling of the film, and I'm somewhat there when he writes about the lack of a "meeting point." I think a lot of reactions here are buttered up with already flaming expectations for the film. If you come to picture cold, I'm positive a good chunk of it will fly over your head.

[Giles]

It's torture waiting for this film to open in my city. Just curious, where in the U.S. is it playing? Other than L.A. or N.Y.?

and my understanding, Chicago.

[tasha99]

Did anyone else think all the fantasy stuff was just in her head? That's how I saw it, but I'm pretty sure DelToro left it open to interpertation by the audience - i.e., if you're a hopeful sort of person, the fantasy elements really happened, if you're a cynic, they were all in her head, as a means to cope with her brutal surroundings.

I prefer to think of them as all in her head. Her real world was so cold and cruel that it makes sense that she would retreat to a fantasy world (I'm a princess is almost the cliche child escape dream).

I think in the end, she faced her reality by refusing to blindly obey the fawn.

There were a lot of issues with obedience in the film--her being obedient with the first task, accidentally disobedient with the second, and willfully disobedient with the third. The doctor (was it the doctor? someone. . . ) told the Captain that blind obedience was wrong, so that ties in there.

I did read an interview with del Toro, where he said that for him, the fantasy was real, but only for those who looked closely. I like it that he left it open though, because to me, it's a better story left in the real world.

Edit--took out the paragraph about how I'd wait to see it again till later. I will see it again (I'll admit that even though I'm a woman, "fanboy" is not a far off description for me when it comes to del Toro) but I watched it again this afternoon.

[Perkinsun Dzees]

Saw this last night:

At first I thought it was too much like "The Devil's Backbone" with the sadistic male antagonist and the innocent little kid who seems to have a connection to the supernatural. I thought there were too many scenes that kept showing us what a jackass the military captain was. Him shooting the farmer guy and his son established him as a nasty villain early on in the film that it started to become redundant as scene after scene kept reminding us how evil he was.

I felt the whole subplot of evil military vs. good revolutionaries was pretty conventional movie stuff that didn't offer many surprises. The revolutionaries weren't fleshed out enough other than the fact that were supposed to be the good guys, and I thought the military captain came off as too dumb that it was pretty obvious who was going to triumph in the end.

The little girl eating the grapes to awaken the monster was a bit contrived and you could see it coming a mile away, even though it wasn't set up well enough. The monster was a really imaginative creation and I would have liked to have seen even more of it, but if there was a sleeping monster sitting at a table and pictures on the wall depicting him eating kids, would you stop to chomp on a couple of grapes instead of just getting the hell out of there? Maybe if they had established that she was starving or showed the grapes beckoning to her it would have made more sense.

However, by the end I thought the film had earned its big emotional climax and I was moved by the little girl's sacrifice. I was glad that Del Toro didn't try to sugarcoat the ending and really left it up to the viewer to interpret what exactly had transpired.

Overall I'd say it was a very good movie, though not quite great.

[tasha99]

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but…
Did you notice that the hand Ofelia tricked the toad with was the same one Vidal had just rebuffed as “the wrong hand”? Pan’s outburst to Ofelia at the close contained exactly the same logic as Vidal’s confusion toward the Doctor right before he killed him (“Why won’t you obey me?”). The mandrake mirrored the embryonic threat to Ofelia’s mum. The Pale Man…Jesus Christ! Who knows, but the world at peace scares me enough! And the coda! I’ve long believed that our final thought is what determines where we spend eternity. This fit in with that so nicely. (all IMO)




I thought Ofelia's tasks and Mercedes tasks matched very nicely and tied the stories into one.

Task 1:
Ofelia--get the key from the toad
Mercedes--use the key to help the Resistance open the storeroom

Task 2:
Ofelia--get the knife from the Pale Man
Mercedes--use the knife to escape the captain

Task 3:
Ofelia--deliver her baby brother to the fawn (which she chooses not to do)
Mercedes--take the baby from the captain

While I prefer the story as imaginary (ie, Ofelia dies at the end), I thought it was really cool how Ofelia tells her brother about a rose that grants immortality, but no one will pick it because of the thorns. Then the movie ends on a flower that is the promise of Ofelia's immortality, but I and many audience members will refuse to "pick it," because we are too grounded in reality.

Also, I loved how Ofelia's first encounter with the fairy bug involves finding the eye to that statue, since so much of this movie depends on blindness (the captain being blind to a woman traitor in his house, the adults being blind to Ofelia's fantasy world, etc.)

[Jippy]

Thanks to this thread, I caught a matinee showing yesterday. Fantastic film. I've really enjoyed Del Toro's work and ashamed to say I haven't seen "Devil's Backbone". It went into my rental queue this morning. Can't wait to see what kind of extras we may in store for on the DVD release.

[Jackskeleton]

Del Toro was on the treatment today talking about the film. You can hear a podcast of it here

http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt

[slop101]

You know, this is neither here nor there, but I find it interesting that two of the very best films of the year (Pan's L. and Children of Men) had Mexican directors. Now if Babel had been great, it woulda been a Mexican hat-trick.

[Ovid]

Maybe it is just my experience in hearing it the last few years, but there is a large consensus that Mexico is hitting a cinema golden age.

[RichC2]

You know, this is neither here nor there, but I find it interesting that two of the very best films of the year (Pan's L. and Children of Men) had Mexican directors. Now if Babel had been great, it woulda been a Mexican hat-trick.

Aye, everything Alfonso Cuaron touches anymore seems to turn to quality (he was a producer on Pan's, director of Children of Men).

[Kudama]

Aye, everything Alfonso Cuaron touches anymore seems to turn to quality (he was a producer on Pan's, director of Children of Men).
I love Cuaron, but you're not attributing the quality of Pan's Labyrinth to him...are you? :confused:

[RichC2]

I love Cuaron, but you're not attributing the quality of Pan's Labyrinth to him...are you? :confused:

Not in the least :) Just saying, it doesn't hurt.

[Kudama]

Not in the least :) Just saying, it doesn't hurt.
:up: I thought it was cool when I found out he and del Torro were long time buddies. That made me want to go see Children of Men even more (and I'm very glad I did).
I hope I can get someone to go see Pan's tomorrow. These work friends are people, that when I can actually drag them to the theater, always say, "Holy shit! That was great. You were totally right." Then look at me skeptically, stroking their chins, when I get all excited about a new one.

"Hmmm. So it's a good movie, is it?"
(bouncing off walls)"No! It is GREAT!!!"
(pursing lips, tapping them with index finger)"HHmmmmmm."

[Terrell]

Never thought Del Toro was worth a damn as filmmaker. However, when I saw the trailer to this, I knew it wasn't typical Del Toro crap. Personally, I think someone ghost-directed it for him. Because I refuse to believe Guillermo Del Toro is capable of anything even approaching this. ;)

Haven't seen the film yet, but the trailer looks incredible and the critical reception is fantastic.

[kaze0]

Terell, havent seen devil's backbone?

[RichC2]

Haha I'm assuming Terrell must have really hated Cronos and The Devil's Backbone.

...that or Mimic, Blade II, and Hellboy.. Hmm tough call :p

[Suprmallet]

Finally caught this in Los Angeles. To tell the truth, I was disappointed. Part of that was clearly due to the marketing.
I had images of a grand fantasy film in my head, that happened to take place against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. I did not at all expect a story of the Spanish Civil War that happened to have a few fantasy elements in it. That being said, i think a second viewing might make me appreciate it more, since I now know what to expect. But, aside from the Pale Man sequence, I thought this was Del Toro's second weakest film (first being Mimic). Granted, Del Toro's worst is still better than most filmmakers' best, but I didn't have much emotional connection to the film. It was a technical marvel but it didn't engross me. Even with the symmetries people mentioned, I didn't feel like the two stories connected well, or, in fact, that Ofelia's story had a satisfactory conclusion. Again, with the exception of the Pale Man, her fantasies were cliche to a fault. It's not the worst film I've seen recently (that would be Inland Empire), but it wasn't the best, either.

[slop101]

Yeah, people should go into this knowing that the real-world setting takes up a much larger portion of the movie's run-time than the "fantasy" elements do.

Considering it's a fairly brutal, R-rated film, I'm surprised that they're focusing so much of the marketing on the fantasy elements, especially since it's so disproportionate to the civil war elements in the movie.

[Terrell]

Haha I'm assuming Terrell must have really hated Cronos and The Devil's Backbone.

Have seen Cronos and didn't care for it. Never saw enough of The Devil's Backbone to even form an opinion.

However, I didn't like Hellboy at all. Mimic was crap as far as I'm concerned. So was Blade II. Let me put it this way. His track record as been decidedly below average. Even if I give you The Devil's Backbone, the rest of his resume is ugh!

But like I said, I definitely want to see Pan's Labrynth and would love for him to prove me wrong.

[Kudama]

...and would love for him to prove me wrong.
:confused: When did we go from "IMO" to "Empiric Fact"?

[Suprmallet]

Yeah, people should go into this knowing that the real-world setting takes up a much larger portion of the movie's run-time than the "fantasy" elements do.

Considering it's a fairly brutal, R-rated film, I'm surprised that they're focusing so much of the marketing on the fantasy elements, especially since it's so disproportionate to the civil war elements in the movie.

I think if I saw it again, now knowing how it's constructed, I'd probably enjoy it more.

[monkeyboy]

I guess I can see how someone might think this is a kids movie from the trailer, I was also expecting more fantasy, but with an R rating, why are there still freakin' kids in the theater? Isn't the R a tipoff that this isn't a movie for kids? I saw this today at a matinee, and some jackass had 4 9 year old kids with him. My first thought was, this is subtitled, how long are these kids gonna last. Then I heard 2 of them crying "Papi, Papi!" when some of the violent stuff happened. So I guess they didn't need subtitles. At that point I figured the guy would realize this wasn't a children's movie when they started acting up, but they stayed for the whole thing. I think everyone was pretty pissed. Why are theaters even letting children into R rated movies at all?

As for the movie, I thought it was great. Although a bit disappointed with less than expected fanatsy, it was still a very moving film. And the little girl was such a good, young actress. You compare performaces like hers to the over the top, eyes welling, lip trembling performances of Dakota Fanning and can't imagine what all the fuss is about.

It was much more violent than I was expecting. It's rare that I avert my eyes from the screen, but I did on this one.

[ToddSm66]

Wasn't this supposed to open in wide release today? It's still not playing anywhere in Atlanta yet. This sucks.

[MBoyd]

Anyone else get a Clive Barker vibe from that monster?

I thought the movie was okay. I didn't love it like Children Of Men. Cinematography was nice. The young lead was excellent. With a few tweaks and deletions I think it could have been a stellar movie for kids.

I was pretty disturbed by the girls shooting and death. I also didn't really like the Wizard Of Oz ending where it all never even happened. I didn't think there was enough interaction with the captain and the girl before her mother died.

I wouldn't mind seeing more flims on the Spanish Civil War. We don't seem to get that many, at least in the US.

[innocentfreak]

Wasn't this supposed to open in wide release today? It's still not playing anywhere in Atlanta yet. This sucks.

Not in Tampa either. According to the website a lot more cities are being added the 19th.

[danstheday]

I too was expecting a dark R rated fantasy film. What we got was a film that was 90% about the War and 10% about dark fantasy. Although I think It was a good film. I was really dissapointed that they are misleading in the marketing of the film which pissed me off.

[f1shf00d]

holy crap! I can't say how great I thought this was....it was the saddest, most beautiful thing I've seen in a long time...now I need to find a copy of Paperhouse (http://imdb.com/title/tt0098061/) because part of this made me think there were similar themes...
I thought about this movie for a long time and still can't find any flaws in the story or direction.

It's just really sad that all the fantasy elements were most probably (ok, definitely) only in Ofelia's imagination. I felt like I was watching a feminine version of Brazil where fears of a dangerous society were supplemented with fears of childhoood and womanhood. I like that Ofelia trusted the faun until she was told not to, then he became a little more menacing. I like that her tasks appeared in a book. As far as I can remember, all of the events happened to support her fantasy world, and nothing in the real world contracted her fantasy.

I thought this was a truly beautiful production.

[Drop]

I too was expecting a dark R rated fantasy film. What we got was a film that was 90% about the War and 10% about dark fantasy. Although I think It was a good film. I was really dissapointed that they are misleading in the marketing of the film which pissed me off.

I'd say it's more 60-40.

Personally I liked it that way. Watch it again with the proper mindset, now that you know what to expect, hopefully you can enjoy it for what it is, not for what the commercials fooled you into thinking.

f1shf00d, you may be interested to know that,Del toro feels it all really happened. That's how I feel aswell.

[f1shf00d]

f1shf00d, you may be interested to know that,Del toro feels it all really happened. That's how I feel aswell.

ok...

but since it seemed like some time had passed at the end and the tree didn't look like it was thriving, I felt like it was all in her head, but maybe her imagination was powerful enough to have a tiny effect on the real world which caused the flower to bloom. so good, if the intent was for her to really go back to the underworld, then I won't feel that bad about her fate.
...yes, I know it's just fiction, but tell the millions of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars nerds that and they'll strike you with their plastic swords/sabers. a good story is a good story, and we might as well appreciate them when they show up.

[Premise]

After watching this film earlier, the first thing I thought was how great a movie about the back story of the fantasy world would be. Also,why would the sand timer matter, if she could just make another door?

[f1shf00d]

why would the sand timer matter, if she could just make another door?

it's silly, but it wouldn't matter as long as you remember to bring the chalk. if you draw the door then leave the chalk with the hourglass, then yep, you better do your task quickly

[Artman]

Everything I'd hoped it would be. My fav of last yr (though I have not seen Children of Men or Babel)

****

[Zodiac_Speaking]

I'll finally see it this weekend as it finally opens here in my market of Omaha, NE.

Now for Inland Empire....

[mdc3000]

I loved it. It was dark, fascinating and moving. Del Toro is a favourite of mine and he doesn't disappoint here - easily one of the 10 best of 2006 and almost instantly demands a second viewing. I'm glad it lived up to the hype (from the media and my own personal hype) which has been pretty rare of late. Well worth seeking out. (However, my only gripe about the film is that the Captain is given a few too many "he's evil" moments, more specifically the sewing up of his wound. We get it, he's an evil badass - we don't need another one of these moments...it felt like a bit of overkill but that is a MINOR flaw in a very engaging and original flick.

MATT

[alfredog1976]

Saw this last night. Beautiful, dark and superb movie. Touches all sorts of emotions. I definitely agree with mdc3000, one of the 10 best movies of 2006. Parents be warned, this is NOT for kids.

[atari2600]

quick question (havent read the thread due to potential spoilers) - is it in english?

[Brent L]

It's in Spanish.

[Drop]

I disgaree with you, mdc3000, about that moment being evil. That isn't something that only evil people do to begin with. I think it was there more to show how self-reliant Vidal was. He did do everything himself and that was just another instance, at its most extreme, of him being self-reliant. I think it was one of the most important scenes for Vidal's character.

[mrhan]

I thought it was great. It's like a live action Miyazaki film but darker.

[The Bus]

Maybe it is just my experience in hearing it the last few years, but there is a large consensus that Mexico is hitting a cinema golden age.

Well, they've got Iñarritu, Cuarón, and Del Toro. Two of those guys happen to be some of my all-time favorite directors.

[Vendetta-AKK]

Saw this last night and I can't get it out my head, It's certainly my favorite movie of 2006.

A weird coincidence...I just started a class this semester called History of Literature for Young People and we have been reading alot of gothic fairy tales. Most of these original fairy tales are actually quite a bit darker and more adult than they have evolved into, more like Del Toro's film. And it struck me when watching this movie that it is probably the most effectivlely constructed Live Action fairy tale ever made

...although I am a pretty big fan of Jim Henson's Dark Crystal as well.

[funstan]

I guess I can see how someone might think this is a kids movie from the trailer, I was also expecting more fantasy, but with an R rating, why are there still freakin' kids in the theater? Isn't the R a tipoff that this isn't a movie for kids? I saw this today at a matinee, and some jackass had 4 9 year old kids with him. My first thought was, this is subtitled, how long are these kids gonna last. Then I heard 2 of them crying "Papi, Papi!" when some of the violent stuff happened. So I guess they didn't need subtitles. At that point I figured the guy would realize this wasn't a children's movie when they started acting up, but they stayed for the whole thing. I think everyone was pretty pissed. Why are theaters even letting children into R rated movies at all?

As for the movie, I thought it was great. Although a bit disappointed with less than expected fanatsy, it was still a very moving film. And the little girl was such a good, young actress. You compare performaces like hers to the over the top, eyes welling, lip trembling performances of Dakota Fanning and can't imagine what all the fuss is about.

It was much more violent than I was expecting. It's rare that I avert my eyes from the screen, but I did on this one.


I'm one of those who is going to take my 11 year old son to see it. Why? Because he is a little movie buff who will probably grow into a big movie buff. I knew that he would love movies because when he was 5, I started watching 2001 at midnight. He came in to watch it with me and put his head in my lap during the movie. Two hours later he asked me "Dad is the computer going to let him in the space ship?"

I have screened it, determined the level of violence is acceptable, and we will go. If he does not like it, (there are many he doesnt) he will fall asleep.

I think the problem with many kids in R rated movies is that parents do not know their children nor to they research the movie. There are so many movies I will not let my son see, I know what he can stand and understand. There are also many parents like myself, who do the research and take the time to determine the threshold (and steer well clear of it) of what their children's movie going experience can be like. It is to bad that the parents who do not know this and cause their children to wince and whine during the movie gets all the attention.

[Patman]

I'm not as high on this film as many others are. Perhaps it's the character of Capt. Vidal that just didn't work for me, basically evil incarnate, in this tale. I would call the film brutally unflinching, but its impact on me just left me cold or indifferent to the outcome, be it ambiguous or wide open to personal interpretation. After the film ended, some scenes just made me scratch my head as to why they were even in the film, besides to just make the viewer uneasy. The pacing of the film wasn't all that tight, and the intermingling of the real world and Ofilia's "mythical" world never meshed for me.

I guess it's worth a matinee, but it didn't work for me.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

[brainee]

Finally started playing in my backwoods, so I got a chance to see it. Of course, there was one jackass in the audience who had to exclaim loudly at the start: "Oh no! Don't tell me this isn't in English!" On the other end of the spectrum, I overheard one woman after the end, struggling with some tissues: "I saw it was about children and fairies and labyrinth's and thought it was going to be a HAPPY movie."

Thought it was great ... one of those special movies (for me) that I get swept up in and really connects on an emotional level. Deserves its place in top ten lists. One thing didn't sit right with me: Why didn't Mercedes kill the Captain when she had the chance? I hate it when smart movies have a smart character do something stupid, seemingly just for the sake of propelling the storyline towards the ending they want (and obviously, this story has a drastically different ending with the Captain dying there). What possible reasoning is there for her leaving him alive, disfigured, and taunting him ("You lay a hand on her and I'll gut you") on the way out the door, rather than just slashing his throat?

[hardercore]

I'm seeing this in a couple hours and I'm really excited for it. A metascore of 98 - earned, unlike some other high scores, from a full compliment of ~40 reviews - is hard to ignore. I'll definately let you all know what I thought.

[Patman]

Thought it was great ... one of those special movies (for me) that I get swept up in and really connects on an emotional level. Deserves its place in top ten lists. One thing didn't sit right with me: Why didn't Mercedes kill the Captain when she had the chance? I hate it when smart movies have a smart character do something stupid, seemingly just for the sake of propelling the storyline towards the ending they want (and obviously, this story has a drastically different ending with the Captain dying there). What possible reasoning is there for her leaving him alive, disfigured, and taunting him ("You lay a hand on her and I'll gut you") on the way out the door, rather than just slashing his throat?

The answer is obvious:

Like you said, the writers had to have Vidal (pure evil) provide the final test for Ofilia, so they had to contrive to keep Vidal alive up to that point of the film before he meets his final fate. It's a dumb thing because if I were Mercedes, I would have gutted Vidal for being the evilest man alive.

I can't believe Mercedes was played by Maribel Verdu, who was smokin' hot in "Y tu mama tambien", but not so in this film.

[hardercore]

I've just returned from it, and wow. What an enchanting and beautiful film. Del Toro visualises his ideas like a painter would. The storytelling is compelling, the fantasy aspects filled with wonder, the violence a forceful and brutal counterpoint. I loved how he stiched together scenes - not anything new or revolutionary - but it gave the film a certain aspect of fluidity totally befitting the fairytale nature of the story. And the ending was a masterfully accomplished emotional gut-punch, the kind I haven't experienced since I sat through the devastating final 10 minutes of United 93. An easy 5 stars from me, and absolutely among the best pictures of the year.

Did the Captain remind anybody else of the Amon Goeth character from Schindler's List?

[FantasticVSDoom]

I can't believe Mercedes was played by Maribel Verdu, who was smokin' hot in "Y tu mama tambien", but not so in this film.
Holy shit, I didnt even realize this, but wow!

Anyways, finally saw this yesterday and I liked it. Not as much say as the Fountain, but a bit better than Children of Men ( I only use those 2, as it seems these 3 films seem to have some kind of connection, although Im not sure what). I was disappointed that there wasnt more of the "fantasy element" in it, but I actually found the war story a bit better and I like how he connected them together at the end. I would have like to here more about her father and how the captain and mom met, but those were just minor issues to me.

[brainee]

Top per screen average of any movie in the top 10 box office this weekend :thumbsup: It's great to see offbeat quality movies get support from the audience.

[Brent L]

I saw this at the Hollywood 20 in Greenville, SC last night (an hour away from home), and it was outstanding. It's one of those films, in my opinion, that is so multi-layered, it's hard to really give an exact review of it, while diving into the different meanings and such, so soon after I've seen it. I'll let it sink in, then maybe write a review for it. I will say that it's one of the best movies that I've seen in the past ten years.

I was very pleased to not see any walkouts after the subtitles showed up. I've never been to a foreign language film where that wasn't the case. I was also very pleased to see that the theater was a packed house. It wasn't totally full, but it was so packed that it was hard to find two seats together. I could tell that the crowd I saw it with really enjoyed it also, just for the reactions.

It was a great time, that's for sure. I love seeing movies like this actually being enjoyed by so many different people.

[Patman]

The faun reminded me of the Jigsaw's puppet in the Saw franchise.

[ceeece]

Saw this last night. Great movie but I agree with some other posters here. It didn't have enough fantasy elements to it. The war story was gripping enough and could have been it's own movie. While the Labryinth part could have been it's own movie. I wish there were more "challenges" to Ofelia's quest. You pretty much see all the cool creatures in the trailer. I was expecting more of them.

[porieux]

Really enjoyed this movie. It would have been great if she had done one more 'task' IMO, but it was still good. My favorite part was the monster with no eyes.

[Heat]

Six academy award nominations:

Best foreign language film of the year
Original screenplay
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Achievement in makeup
Achievement in cinematography
Achievement in art direction

I can't wait for this to come out on DVD so that I can see it.

By the way, Volver was only nominated for one award (Performance by an actress in a leading role (Penelope Cruz)).

[Giles]

Six academy award nominations:

Best foreign language film of the year
Original screenplay
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Achievement in makeup
Achievement in cinematography
Achievement in art direction

I can't wait for this to come out on DVD so that I can see it.

By the way, Volver was only nominated for one award (Performance by an actress in a leading role (Penelope Cruz)).

there was a great interview/segment on XM's Cinemagic station with Del Toro, and featuring some of the wonderful music. (gotta run over to Borders and actually buy the soundtrack).

[Kudama]

I can't believe Mercedes was played by Maribel Verdu, who was smokin' hot in "Y tu mama tambien", but not so in this film.
Damn! I guess I’ve gotta see "Y tu mama tambien" because I thought she was gorgeous in this.
Six academy award nominations:
I can’t believe that it wasn’t nominated for Best Paring KnifeThat part gets more righteous with every viewing! I love seeing that part with first time viewers. :)
I hope Clint Eastwood, at his acceptance speech, says, “Well. I really wish Pan’s Labyrinth had gotten this one*”



*BFLF

[neocheddar02]

Saw this last night:

The little girl eating the grapes to awaken the monster was a bit contrived...Maybe if they had established that she was starving


It's been about a week since I saw it, so I could be wrong, butafter the "toad incident," she went straight to bed with no dinner, being the reason she was hungry

And I agree that there should have been more fantasy, but next to Children of Men, I'd say this was the best film of the year. (Though I haven't seen The Fountain yet)

[BuddyRevell]

Saw this the other night and thought it was a mixture of Labyrinth and Commando. There were a few "you DUMB ass" moments that kind of spoiled the movie for me.

[clemente]

Six academy award nominations:

Best foreign language film of the year
Original screenplay
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Achievement in makeup
Achievement in cinematography
Achievement in art direction

I can't wait for this to come out on DVD so that I can see it.

By the way, Volver was only nominated for one award (Performance by an actress in a leading role (Penelope Cruz)).

I'm hoping that all of the major awards are split and Pan's clean's up so the headlines the next day have to at least acknowledge the film and get it in front of people's eyes.

I saw it a second time this past weekend and I loved it even more. It had been in my top 3 of 2006, but after seeing it again, I can say its my top film of 2006.

[hardercore]

Six academy award nominations:

Best foreign language film of the year
Original screenplay
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Achievement in makeup
Achievement in cinematography
Achievement in art directionI think it's almost a lock for Foriegn Film, and has a good shot at Score, Makeup, and Art Direction. Screenplay is either Sunshine or The Queen's to lose and Cinematography should go to Children Of Men.

[jdpatri]

Thought it was great ... one of those special movies (for me) that I get swept up in and really connects on an emotional level. Deserves its place in top ten lists. One thing didn't sit right with me: Why didn't Mercedes kill the Captain when she had the chance? I hate it when smart movies have a smart character do something stupid, seemingly just for the sake of propelling the storyline towards the ending they want (and obviously, this story has a drastically different ending with the Captain dying there). What possible reasoning is there for her leaving him alive, disfigured, and taunting him ("You lay a hand on her and I'll gut you") on the way out the door, rather than just slashing his throat?

Well, my rationale here was her speech to her brother about how much of a coward she was because she spent every day with the man but couldn't bring herself to kill him. When she was paring him up, she looked like she went after his heart but missed on purpose. She just didn't have it in her. And this had to be established so that, like Patman said, Ofelia's final test would be confronting Vidal.

[maingon]

I'm not as high on this film as many others are. Perhaps it's the character of Capt. Vidal that just didn't work for me, basically evil incarnate, in this tale. I would call the film brutally unflinching, but its impact on me just left me cold or indifferent to the outcome, be it ambiguous or wide open to personal interpretation. After the film ended, some scenes just made me scratch my head as to why they were even in the film, besides to just make the viewer uneasy. The pacing of the film wasn't all that tight, and the intermingling of the real world and Ofilia's "mythical" world never meshed for me.

I guess it's worth a matinee, but it didn't work for me.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.


i went today and I agree with you, Its not a bad movie but didnt work for me some of the creatures were cool though.

[Patman]

I did see it once more, but I only bumped up my grade to a B-. To me, the real and the fantasy aspects just come across like trying to mix water and oil together, it's slick, but neither components ever become a cohesive whole. del Toro had a great idea, but somehow in the execution, it just didn't quite come together for me, even on a second viewing. Don't get me wrong, it's worth seeing, but I'm still not sure it's worth all the hype.

[RichC2]

I did see it once more, but I only bumped up my grade to a B-. To me, the real and the fantasy aspects just come across like trying to mix water and oil together, it's slick, but neither components ever become a cohesive whole. del Toro had a great idea, but somehow in the execution, it just didn't quite come together for me, even on a second viewing. Don't get me wrong, it's worth seeing, but I'm still not sure it's worth all the hype.

I can see where you're coming from, but I still feel that it was mostly war through the eyes of a child. She correlated what was happening around her to what happend in the fantasy realm (getting the key from the frog being her brother/mom, the storage shed and resisting temptation to survive with vidal in reality and the eye monster in fantasy, and her chance to escape and make everything right, which she ultimately failed. Though I can see that as stretching it, and it's been a while since I've seen the movie. plus I was just really, really entertained by it.

[Drop]

It's funny how that works, Patman. The films two worlds aren't even something one can seperate if you ask me. While they could each work on their own, together they make for a more compelling story that achieves a much greater depth.

Let's face it, fairytales can be pretty shallow. They are usually highly symbolic or didactic stories that have one-dimensional characters, who barely go through any change. Pan's Labyrinth goes well beyond a typical fairytale, and gives us real characters, while still allowing for incredible fantasy.

Yet, stories don't always work for everyone as we can see. It's not anything tangible either so it can't really be explained.

[scott1598]

One thing didn't sit right with me: Why didn't Mercedes kill the Captain when she had the chance? I hate it when smart movies have a smart character do something stupid, seemingly just for the sake of propelling the storyline towards the ending they want (and obviously, this story has a drastically different ending with the Captain dying there). What possible reasoning is there for her leaving him alive, disfigured, and taunting him ("You lay a hand on her and I'll gut you") on the way out the door, rather than just slashing his throat?
i had the exact same thought and was a little put off by it. 'jdpatri''s explanation was just what i needed to get past it in my head.

what a wonderfully magical movie. it was done so well and will fester within me for sometime. i was gonna see this or 'CoM' and went with this. great, great film.

[Baron Of Hell]

Loved this movie. I want to see it again. Its a dark fairly tail but not just that. Sleepy Hollow would be a pure dark fairy tail. This on the other hand is different. It has a lot more of the real world in it.Event though we see wonders we never go to far from reality.

To sum it up in one word, escape. The girl escapes to her world and the view escape to movie.

[arsmith7]

Just saw this today as it opened locally just yesterday. I really enjoyed it and it is definitely in my top 3 of the year. Probably top 2. I need to see it again to really decide if it is better than Children of Men though.

I think the movie can almost be read as an outright rejection of the "real" world. The girl's mom explains to her that she will understand the pain and suffering of the world when she grows up. This, of course, makes the ending sad, happy, and unbearable. Sad because, obviously, the girl dies. Happy because she did not have to endure the torture of living in the "real" world. And unbearable due to the absolute depression such a view of the world gives us.

On a side note, two women came to the theater with children, I'm guessing 8-10 years old. They left the theater right after the first f-bomb was dropped, barely missing the rabbit hunter's head being beat in.

I can't imagine why someone would bring children to this film without doing a bit of research first.

[Patman]

Sadly, there's no IQ test administered for suitability of parenthood.

[The Bus]

I'm not going to spoilerize the movie at this point. Once you're five pages in, just go see the damn movie. :)

Saw this last night. Through the end of 2006, I was expecting miracles from this movie: cancer would be cured by watching it, you'd win the lottery that day, you'd be together with your true love for the rest of your life. (I had these same expectations from Babel and Children of Men).

Then a funny thing happened: a few negative reviews came in (from this board) and that balloon was pricked and deflated. So much that this movie was almost out of theatres before I went to see it.

I'm glad I did. Del Toro is great at mixing fantasy horror with the horror of the real world and like in The Devil's Backbone he again picks Franco-era Spain as his backdrop. I heard complaints that there were "not enough fantasy elements" in this movie. Pish-posh I say. What did you expect? A Gaspar Noé's version of The Bridge to Teribithia? Tim Burton presents A Stitch in Time?

I'm glad there weren't more fantasy elements, because once it got very fantastical (the end dream sequence) it completely fell apart (visually, on a technical level). I am a bit sad that I had seen the Faun and the eye-less monster before so besides the frog there weren't any surprises.

Del Toro, in terms of fantasy and fright, can do no wrong. You can see his ideas are bursting at the seams and what would've made the grand centerpiece of some other fantasy movie (perhaps by Burton) instead becomes an idea that is acknowledged briefly, and then we move on before we get to the real stuff.

Oh, and there is no doubt the fantasy is real. How else to explain the mother's recovery?

I'm stopping and starting in writing this review so it may not be 100% clear. But overall I thought this movie as great and one of the year's best but not the best. It deserves praise, but not accolades.

[Drop]

Saw it for a second time over the weekend and I enjoyed it even more.

I noticed a lot more this time, and felt the film worked even better when I could actually analyze as it unfolded.

I also feel that this is a perfect film for 11 and 12 year olds. If a child could understand spanish or have the will power to read subtitles it's really a perfect fairytale. It's brutal where it should be and treats children with respect while confronting so many issues that children have to deal with. If I was child it would easily be my favorite film ever, and it would scare the crap out of me, both the real and fantasy worlds (not that I wasn't disturbed as a 21 year old).

Just a really excellent film.

[Suprmallet]

I heard complaints that there were "not enough fantasy elements" in this movie. Pish-posh I say. What did you expect? A Gaspar Noé's version of The Bridge to Teribithia? Tim Burton presents A Stitch in Time?

I think the real problem is that it was marketed as some magnum opus fantasy film, and when we actually see it, it's very, very different. I think the blame lies with the marketing department on this one.

[RichC2]

It is the fault of the advertisers, they're doing the same with The Bridge to Teribithia -- covering the trailers and ads with fantasy to sell the movie.

[Josh H]

Saw this today and absolutely loved it. Very tense and disturbing movie, had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I was very surprised as I've hated the couple of del Toro flicks I've seen (Hellboy, Mimic, Blade 2. I'll have to check out the Devil's Backbone though, hadn't heard of that one until this thread.

[Arpeggi]

Just saw this. Great movie.

[zombeaner]

I saw it last wednesday, I thought it was amazing. Very violent, much more than I expected, but not gratuitously. I actually took a friend of mine who just moved to Texas from Barcelona, and it affected him a lot, because that was his nation's history, and it was a little hard to watch the Fascist elements. When the movie was over, there was a woman sitting right next to me BAWLING. Seriously, we waited through all the credits and when we left, she was still crying as her friend and her date were still trying to console her. Thats the sign of a good movie! I should be getting the Korean disc in the next 7-10 days, I'm psyched for that now!

[B.A.]

I finally went to see it yesterday and I liked it. ***1/2 out of *****. I didn't think it was the cat's pajamas like many of you seem to, but it was very good nonetheless. I was expecting more fantasy, and I was happy to see that it didn't overwhelm the movie. The lack of logic during certain sequences and the predictability kept if from being a masterpiece.

Several scenes involving Vidal made me wince and/or groan. Damn, some of that was graphic.

Anyhow, I am happy that I saw this on the big screen.

[Caliking]

I have now seen it twice and will add to any comments on how good it was...

...best move EVER!!!!

[shifrbv]

Like others have posted, I thought this film provided a breath of fresh air for originality, but did not feel it was worthy of accolades, either. Also, my Russian friend who saw it with me was ticked that the lullaby Mercedes kept humming was a Russian tune about fairy tales. No way Mercedes would have known this being in rural Spain at this time.

I kept thinking there could have been so many cool things done with these characters but somehow, Del Toro doesn't go far enough and misses the mark. People keep talking about Vidal being so evil, I didn't feel the characters got developed enough to even go that far. Most evil man alive - I think that's stretching it a bit much. Movies either focus on characters or a storyline and this movie seemed to focus more on the story. It just didn't have the "punch effect" for me to sit back and say "wow, that's really something". It's too bad because it definately had potential.

It's worth seeing, but if this is considered "the best", I feel bad for film.

[The Ferret]

Movies either focus on characters or a storyline and this movie seemed to focus more on the story. It just didn't have the "punch effect" for me to sit back and say "wow, that's really something". It's too bad because it definately had potential. Exactly how I feel. The movie is a solid 8/10 for me. Like you said, it's the story that succeeds, but theres no real connection to the characters. It's original and kept my interest, but in the end it didn't wow me. Especially;
When Ofelia dies, I didn't really care. It was more, "Oh, that's too bad", than the emotional response an event like that should trigger at the end of a movie. Fine acting all around, but the characters were lacking.

[C-Mart]

I just saw this last week and I was greatly impressed. I had wanted to see this since it came out and have been unable to... but I'm glad that I made the effort to catch a late night showing. I didn't have much in the way of expectations, other than I knew it was an "adult fantasy" (even though the star was a child) and you don't see those very much any more. Pan's Labyrinth greatly exceeded what I expected.

I thought the fantasy aspects were all real until I realized that Pan kept appearing in and disappearing from her bedroom. Then I started to question it. When Vidal sees Ofelia talking with Pan, but doesn't see Pan, and finally when she returns to her kingdom and her original parents are the king and queen sealed it as just imagination.

A few things cause me to question that however: How does Ofelia get out of her room to get her brother if the chalk-doors weren't real? And as someone else mentioned, the mother's recovery and subsequent death were real enough, and what could cause that save the mandrake? Even the doctor commented on how he was unsure why she was recovering.

Now I have to see Devil's Backbone, and as so many of you are comparing this to Children of Men, I will have to see that soon as well (I also wanted to see that one when it first came out, but have been unable to as of yet.)

[Rogue588]

Exactly how I feel. The movie is a solid 8/10 for me. Like you said, it's the story that succeeds, but theres no real connection to the characters. It's original and kept my interest, but in the end it didn't wow me. Especially;
When Ofelia dies, I didn't really care. It was more, "Oh, that's too bad", than the emotional response an event like that should trigger at the end of a movie. Fine acting all around, but the characters were lacking.I felt the same way about the spoiler. Other than that, it was a pretty good movie.

[baracine]

My IMDb comment:

What they won't tell you, of course, is ..., 15 May 2007

Author: Benoît A. Racine (baracine@idirect.com) from Toronto, Ontario, Canada


*** This comment may contain spoilers ***


PRACTICAL PIECE OF ADVICE: IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO ENJOYED THIS FILM, DON'T LET THEM BABYSIT YOUR KIDS!!!

This highly critically praised "magical fairy-tale" is rated R for a very good reason. In its 120 "enchanting" minutes :editking:, I counted no less than 85 homicides, all extremely and graphically violent, many by the most sadistic and revolting means imaginable and all guaranteed to repulse. For good measure, this "surrealistic escapade into a childhood land of imagination and wonder" also has as many body fluid scenes as any Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel: after the obligatory appetizers of vomit, muck and slime, blood starts pissing from open wounds, a pregnant woman has "complications", hatred and violence being the prime motivators of all characters, an innocent peasant has his face literally caved in with a wine bottle for no apparent reason in front of his father, who is also killed for no reason, a mandrake root is fed the blood of a little girl, squalor is rampant, there is a completely gratuitous amputation scene (what serious film could be without it?) and an equally gratuitous do-it-yourself plastic surgery scene, scenes of disfigurement, military executions and cold-blooded torture, and, for good measure, even cute little pixies get decapitated along the narrative way. In this sophisticated age, it is assumed sufficient for the viewer to know that this is "an intriguing film", made by someone from a foreign country and with an imposing-sounding name and that it is "thought-provoking". It would be considered in bad taste or simply jejune to mention that this kind of film can seriously harm a child and is certainly warping quite a few adult minds as we speak. Or that it is a seriously depressing and morbid gore-fest from beginning to end and a revolting and cynical misappropriation of the spirit of childhood and poetry by deeply troubled minds working under the banner of lowest-common-denominator CGI-augmented slasher horror and freedom of expression.

What particularly miffed me about this film is the ending, whose moral seems to be (albeit a little late): "There is no greater love than to give your life for those you love." This is a Christian principle which the character Ofelia would have naturally learned from her Catholic upbringing in the most fiercely Catholic country in the world and whose own Fascist government was purportedly doing everything it did in the name of the Catholic Church. Yet, the Church, its priests, its rituals and its morality are totally absent from the film. Were the filmmakers afraid of controversy? The result is the "fairy-tale/fantasy/surrealistic/pagan" ending (whatever you call it) feels absolutely heartless, artificial and tacked on and doesn't at all redeem the sadistic festival that watching this film actually is.

[Drop]

baracine, get over yourself. Not everyone is the same. I would let (almost) any 13 and older watch Pan's Labyrinth, and I would let children under 13 watch it if I had a good grasp on their maturity levels and what they could handle. I would've loved to have seen Pan's Labyrinth when I was 11 or 12, it would've filled me with more confidence in those awkward years. It's a really perfect fairytale.

And whenever or not the film is depressing depends on the viewer.

[Randy Miller III]

Thanks for the recommendation, baracine.
I'll rent <i>Night at the Museum</i> for the kids instead. :up:

[Jackson_Browne]

My IMDb comment:

Just FYI, there are only 60 minutes in an hour, not 100. So 2 hours is 120 minutes, not 200.

[baracine]

baracine, get over yourself. Not everyone is the same. I would let (almost) any 13 and older watch Pan's Labyrinth, and I would let children under 13 watch it if I had a good grasp on their maturity levels and what they could handle. I would've loved to have seen Pan's Labyrinth when I was 11 or 12, it would've filled me with more confidence in those awkward years. It's a really perfect fairytale.

Now that, to me, is the ultimate horror.

[baracine]

Just FYI, there are only 60 minutes in an hour, not 100. So 2 hours is 120 minutes, not 200.

Sorry, it felt like 200 minutes. But you're right, of course, which brings the body count to one violent and gruesome death every 85 seconds.

[baracine]

Thanks for the recommendation, baracine.
I'll rent <i>Night at the Museum</i> for the kids instead. :up:

You're joking of course but I can't say I liked that film much either. Its moral seems to be that the only way you can interest today's brain-dead kids in a little culture is to let the dinosaurs rampage through the museum's corridors at night.

[baracine]

This is by far the most accurate and insightful review of this film I have read so far (from IMDb):

3 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Gruesome Violence Ruins What Could Have Been A Great Movie!, 12 February 2007

Author: liberalgems from Baltimore, Maryland


*** This comment may contain spoilers ***


After the movie was over I felt outraged and shocked. The violence in this film is so morbid and intense it was overwhelming. In this movie you will literally learn how to torture someone with the correct tools. You will see so many people have their brains blown out, most at point blank range, you will lose count. You will see the brutal murder of a father and son, a kindly teenage girl, a benevolent doctor, a man with a handicap, not to mention numerous young men. We get to see a river of blood while a woman bleeds to death from childbirth. A man have his leg amputated due to gangrene. Another man (who is merely human, in case you're wondering) is brutally stabbed in the back, heart and face, and he gets up a few minutes later as if he just stepped on a tack. (Some guys have all the luck!) We even get to see him stitch his face back together again in graphic detail. (Sorry, I can't tell you more, at this point I was looking away).

The world of "fantasy", on the other hand, is virtually devoid of all violence. This ancient pagan world is, for the most part, quite loving and sane. A very sad commentary on Franco's Spain during the early the 1940's. Unfortunately this magnificent "fantasy" world makes up less than a 1/4 of the movie, while the constant brutal violence and turmoil of the "real" world make up the rest.

Here are some of my conclusions: If you bring a child or an emotionally fragile person to this particular movie they may end up needing the services of a psychiatrist. THIS MOVIE IS RATED R FOR A GOOD REASON - EXTREME VIOLENCE! The critics who raved about how great this movie is should be on the front line covering the war in Iraq. Pan's Labyrinth is a fantastic example of lazy film-making. It's cheaper to show flying brain goo than it is to create a magnificent fantasy world in all its complex beauty. Many of today's filmmakers and screenwriters think the general movie going public are idiots - nothing can possibly be left to the imagination. We need to be shown everything like a five year old child. The general public is divided in two very broad groups: One that either enjoys and/or couldn't care less about watching intense violence and suffering - and those who find it troubling or annoying and do not enjoy watching people being maimed and murdered.

The movie ratings system in this country is a joke, and an extreme example of hypocrisy. When Al Gore's brilliant documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, received an "R" rating for an under five-second scene of a Katrina victim's corpse floating on his stomach, and a movie like Pan's Labyrinth gets the same exact rating - then it's time to radically change the movie rating system in the USA, pronto!! Perhaps, instead of an "R" rating we could have two new ratings: XV for extreme violence and XN for extreme nudity & sexual situations. P13 would become MV for moderate violence & MS for modest nudity and sexual situations. Meaningless PG would become G. Then those of us who don't want to read opinionated and biased reviews picking apart a film before watching it could get an honest indication of how much sex & violence one could expect. ( By the way, there is absolutely ZERO nudity or sexual situations in Pan's Labyrinth! I guess sickening violence is more profitable!) I know we don't live in enlightened times, and present day film-making is a graphic indicator of this unfortunate fact of life! But I have learned a valuable lesson - Expect an "R" to mean gruesome violence except if you are doing a documentary on Global Warming!

I would simply add that what makes this film "the ultimate fantasy" (i.e. totally cut off from reality), IMHO, is the radical absence of the Catholic Church - in any shape or form - in a tale about Franco's Spain, a feat similar to making a film about Iraq that would conveniently forget to mention Muslims.

[Tarantino]

Gotta post, not only because I just saw the movie, but to break up <b>baracine</b> and his four straight comments.

Great flick. And I disagree that this wouldn't be suitable for a 13 year old kid. It really does depend on your kid. I was going to theaters to watch R action movies when I was 12/13 and I really can't see what the big deal is.

= J

[purplechoe]

This director is so over rated it's not even funny. The only "decent" film Del Toro made was Hellboy. The Devil's Backbone and now Pan's Labyrinth (not to mention the worst Blade movie, Blade II) are mediocre at best. He has some talent as a director but he can't pick a screenplay worth of shit. I have no problem with the violence in this film, but if you would show this movie to your 13 year old, you need fucking help and if I had kids I would not want them hanging out with the kids of parents who let them watch shit like this. What's next? Are you gonna show them Irreversible? Little boys not men having kids... and I'm no fucking prude either like baracine who I mostly disagree with, but he has a point here.

Loved "The Fountain" though...

[baracine]

It is to be noted that the evil stepfather in the film never exposes the young girl to the gruesomeness of his killing spree until the very end, which is more consideration than most posters here would show their own children.

[FinkPish]

It is to be noted that he evil stepfather in the film never exposes the young girl to the gruesomeness of his killing spree until the very end, which is more consideration than most posters here would show their own children.
Do you have another point or are you just trolling now?

[Kudama]

This guy suks. The film suks. Oh shit! I never made a movie: How do I not suk.

Wear is my buckt?

[Nesbit]

http://www.thecarspace.com/photos/d/d/d/dddc49dbbe7b.jpg

[Dashed]

I thought that the intence violence is what made this movie. Not that I liked seeing it, but it showed a strong point, of how in such a horendious place, a little girl can escape from reality.

And on comentiong on earlier, Violence is a fact of life. Though hard to watch its something we should know about and not forget about it and sweep it under the carpet.

[Tarantino]

Guess it's a good thing I don't have kids then, eh, purple?

= J

[baracine]

Do you have another point or are you just trolling now?

Considering you had absolutely nothing to say - zilch! - about this film during its 6-page discussion until I joined the fray, how exactly do you define "trolling", FinkPish?

This director is so over rated it's not even funny. The only "decent" film Del Toro made was Hellboy. The Devil's Backbone and now Pan's Labyrinth (not to mention the worst Blade movie, Blade II) are mediocre at best. He has some talent as a director but he can't pick a screenplay worth of shit. I have no problem with the violence in this film, but if you would show this movie to your 13 year old, you need fucking help and if I had kids I would not want them hanging out with the kids of parents who let them watch shit like this. What's next? Are you gonna show them Irreversible? Little boys not men having kids... and I'm no fucking prude either like baracine who I mostly disagree with, but he has a point here.

Thanks for the assist, I guess... I agree that Del Toro is a very minor talent, mostly visual, and mostly suited to comicbook adaptations and that the supposedly "profound" subject matter of Pan's Labyrinth is way out of his league, with the effect that the film effectively glorifies violence and mass murder for 89 minutes until he posts a flowery "Thou Shall Not Kill" sign just before the end titles.

It's a bit like the NRA marketing a Virginia Tech Massacre videogame with the profits going to the victims' families... Part of you wants to buy it and then you think: "What?!"

[Kudama]

...with the effect that the film effectively glorifies violence and mass murder for 89 minutes until he posts a flowery "Thou Shall Not Kill" sign just before the end titles.
:confused: I must have missed that part. Are you talking about the faun's congratulation to Ofelia that she made the right choice to sacrifice herself before the baby making her blood innocent?
The message I took at the end was "Shoot that asshole in the face!" so it wasn't the most flowery of feelings.
Was this movie sadistic? Yup. But if you've ever seen a movie like The Devil's Rejects or The Hills Have Eyes, you should be able to see a difference between a sadistic film that respects violence and puts weight and meaning behind and one that just glorifies in it.

For the record, I kinda liked The Devil's Rejects and The Hills Have Eyes. I just get a much heavier feeling from the violence in this film.

[FinkPish]

Considering you had absolutely nothing to say - zilch! - about this film during its 6-page discussion until I joined the fray, how exactly do you define "trolling", FinkPish?
I wasn't aware I needed prior consent to join the discussion. Am I not allowed to follow the discussion and speak up when I have something to say?

Let me retype what you posted in another way and you (or anyone else) tell me if it sounds like trolling.

Unlike the characters in this film, most posters on this board would willfully expose their children to a gruesome killing spree.

You have this bizarre overriding tendency to make your point, usually in an eloquent well-written way, and then to continue making your point by making small (and sometimes large) digs at other people involved in the discussion.

[baracine]

I wasn't aware I needed prior consent to join the discussion. Am I not allowed to follow the discussion and speak up when I have something to say?

Let me retype what you posted in another way and you (or anyone else) tell me if it sounds like trolling...

That's the trouble with joining the discussion at the last minute and only when you "baracine alert" flashes. At least two members (Drop and Tarantino) so far have explicitly expressed the opinion that the film is suitable for 13 year-olds (and/or under), with only one poster besides myself (Purplechoe) disagreeing with them as much as he hates my guts. So I take it it's a majority opinion.

[FinkPish]

That's the trouble with joining the discussion at the last minute and only when you "baracine alert" flashes. At least two members (Drop and Tarantino) so far have explicitly expressed the opinion that the film is suitable for 13 year-olds (and/or under) and many are sharing their view.
OK, so 2=most? We all understand you think the film is too violent, but there is no need to start making blanket statements about most people in the forum.

And so you know, I have been following the discussion, I just haven't felt the need to speak up until now, because most people in the discussion have been able to make their points without widespread digs at the rest involved.

[baracine]

OK, so 2=most? We all understand you think the film is too violent, but there is no need to start making blanket statements about most people in the forum.

And so you know, I have been following the discussion, I just haven't felt the need to speak up until now, because most people in the discussion have been able to make their points without widespread digs at the rest involved.

To me there are two kinds of discussions: a regular discussion and a FinkPish discussion. The first one involves talking about the merits of a particular film. The second one involves talking about a poster FinkPish dislikes.

[FinkPish]

To me there are two kinds of discussions: a regular discussion and a FinkPish discussion. The first one involves talking about the merits of a particular film. The second one involves talking about a poster FinkPish dislikes.
Ding! You got it! I don't like you. You are a good person, I am sure, but I hate the way you post. You seem unable to just make your point and move on; you always have to come back with some overarching cutting jab at whatever you have a problem with.

[baracine]

Ding! You got it! I don't like you. You are a good person, I am sure, but I hate the way you post. You seem unable to just make your point and move on; you always have to come back with some overarching cutting jab at whatever you have a problem with.

That's all very well but don't you think expressing your individual dislike of one poster without reference to the subject at hand is just as much an abuse of the forums as making so-called "blanket statements"?

[baracine]

At least some "trash purists" ( http://www.appreciatinggreattrash.com/pa_la_f.html ) didn't like it much either:
Pan’s Labyrinth (AKA El Laberinto del Fauno)


Genre: Fantasy / War / Horror

Rating: B-

Moral: Fascists aren’t nice.

Guillermo del Toro’s brutal Pan’s Labyrinth is drowning in forced, wide-eyed faux-wonderment for its first half, but eventually it overcomes itself by dint of its sheer violence; at times I wondered if I’d accidentally wandered into a Korean horror movie, what with del Toro’s insistence on macabre torture and gory grotesqueries. Still, that first act is a stalled-out bore: fantasy in film seems particularly difficult to pull-off, because it necessitates a quality of fantastical awe that should feel natural and effortless, whereas FX sequences are intrinsically difficult and laborious to produce. As a result, movies tend to fall in love with their own gimmickry and leer over their set-pieces to the point of pornographic whimsy, all of which tends to quash any sense of genuine stupefaction. Pan’s Labyrinth does this to a point: it’s never as intolerable as, say, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but it nevertheless sits under a cloud of over-manufactured dullness.

Then del Toro gets to a set-piece involving a monster that looks like Silent Hill’s worst nightmare; it’s seriously creepy stuff, and thenceforth the movie is consistently traumatic enough to counterbalance its tendency towards gee-whiz CGI. That its ending isn’t half as affecting as it should be is unsurprising, considering how the film operates more on ‘fucked-up set-pieces’ (as in, “dude... that’s fucked up”) than actual emotional resonance, but hey: I can’t entirely dislike a movie so virulent towards fascism.

[atari2600]

I cant appreciate a movie review that is more concerned with trying to sound smart than trying to review the movie.

[Randy Miller III]

At least some "trash purists" ( http://www.appreciatinggreattrash.com/pa_la_f.html ) didn't like it much either:
OK, so we've established the "score" to be 246-3. Keep it up!

[baracine]

OK, so we've established the "score" to be 246-3. Keep it up!

The "score", as you say, is only made up of American critics. The reason this film didn't do well with critics in Mexico - even though the people loved it - is that the critics over there immediately recognized the film for what it was - basura, i.e. trash, the name given the X-rated comicbooks (or historietas) which represent the daily reading material of 80 % of the Mexican population and which are all about violence, murder, torture, guns, evisceration, police corruption, abuse of power, dismemberment, war and revenge - and which are illegal for export to other countries, by the way, because they would reflect so badly on their country of origin. The critics of America are obviously too high-minded to have made the connection (or to admit that they read comics).

I guess you can take the director out of the comics but you can't get the comics out of the director...

[fryinpan1]

I have seen Pan's Labyrinth twice on DVD (once with director commentary). I thought it was a good movie and I would give it a grade of "B." My only real complaint was that even though the fantasy elements were in every other scene, it felt more like 80% Spanish civil war and 20% fantasy. One headline I read that seemed on point was, "Too much Kansas, not enough Oz."

I do not feel Pan's Labyrinth ranks on par with "A list" fantasy movies like Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Narnia, Wizard of Oz, etc. However, I would rank Pan's Labyrinth on par with other fantasy movies like Edward Scissorhands and Legend.

[funstan]

baracine, I read your comments and I think it is in extremely bad taste for you to make comments on one's parenting ability based only on the fact that a parent let their child(ren) see PL. I let my 12 year old see it and he absolutely loved it. Even though it was subtitled and he did his best to keep up with it, he still stayed in the story. Why, really do not know, I am guessing that it is because he built a fantasy world for himself for a short period of time when his mother and I split.

Most children are naturally repulsed by violence. They become attracted to it either by:

1. A violent abusive parent where violence is routine.
2. A passive/absent parent who is unable to harness a child's (usually boys) agressive tendencies or will to compete.
3. I know very few Alex DeLarge's in training, but also children who are violent/overly aggressive not getting the psychiatrict help that they need.

You detecting a pattern here? It's parents that most likely turn their kids violent and it is usually by their daily routines. Do you have kids? I am guessing not because more often than not, people who make comments that talk about how bad a parent is if they let there child see "such and such" or eat "such and such" or play "such and such" usually do not have kids. So yes, quite a few kids do not need to see PL. I made the determination that my son can, other parents also know their kids and know what they can handle and can't handle. My problem is with parents who drag their child to a movie they can not handle because a $8 movie ticket is cheaper than a babysitter.

But I will close out by saying in letting my child see movie's like PL and Grindhouse, I have made mistakes and let my child see movies he should not have seen, either because he does not understand the content or the violence was just to much.

[Giantrobo]

Rented it, and I thought it was ok but nothing special. Seeing a different culture during a difficult time in their history was interesting.

[troystiffler]

Do you have another point or are you just trolling now?

Leave him alone, you big meanie. He's Canadian.

[Josh H]

I have seen Pan's Labyrinth twice on DVD (once with director commentary). I thought it was a good movie and I would give it a grade of "B." My only real complaint was that even though the fantasy elements were in every other scene, it felt more like 80% Spanish civil war and 20% fantasy. One headline I read that seemed on point was, "Too much Kansas, not enough Oz."

I do not feel Pan's Labyrinth ranks on par with "A list" fantasy movies like Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Narnia, Wizard of Oz, etc. However, I would rank Pan's Labyrinth on par with other fantasy movies like Edward Scissorhands and Legend.

This is where I think the marketing of the films went astray. IMO it is NOT a fantasy film and shouldn't really be judged as one. It's a movie about the horrors of war that happens to have some fantasy elements in it.

I knew that going in from reading reviews, and I absolutely loved it. My favorite film of 2006 thus far (as I still have several to catch up on).

[RichC2]

I have seen Pan's Labyrinth twice on DVD (once with director commentary). I thought it was a good movie and I would give it a grade of "B." My only real complaint was that even though the fantasy elements were in every other scene, it felt more like 80% Spanish civil war and 20% fantasy. One headline I read that seemed on point was, "Too much Kansas, not enough Oz."

I do not feel Pan's Labyrinth ranks on par with "A list" fantasy movies like Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Narnia, Wizard of Oz, etc. However, I would rank Pan's Labyrinth on par with other fantasy movies like Edward Scissorhands and Legend.

Pan's really isn't a fantasy, but it is a very good movie with a great flow/pace.

And I hate to do it, but Narnia has no business being in the company of any great fantasy, one of the most lifeless adaptations I've ever seen.

[The Bus]

I dunno. Pan's Labyrinth is a few hairs below something like Irreversible on my radar. Pretty violent, pretty disturbing, but also pretty good.

I agree with Rogue588 about the death of Ofelia. I had no real emotional response except to the ridiculous Narnia-esque scene at the end.

I don't know if I would take a 13-year old to this movie. I guess I'd feel better showing "fake" violence rather than "real" violence to a 13-year old and the violence in Pan's Labyrinth is pretty real.

But I am underestimating what I saw until I was the age of 13.

[GoldenJCJ]

I'm starting to wonder if I saw the same movie as everyone else here. I watched it the other night and while I thought it had some violent scenes I didn't think it was a disturbingly violent film by any means. If you're offended by this film, you have my sympathy. Enjoy watching Baby Einstein and Barney cause you'll be offended by almost everything else out there.

I also am of the thinking that the fantasy was all in Ofelia's mind to escape the cruel world she was living in. Why make a film about that if you are going to dumb down the cruelty of her reality. If everything was fine and dandy in Ofelia's world she wouldn't have a need to escape (figuratively and literally).

[costanza187]

I just finished watching this, I thought it was pretty good, it really kept my attention. I went in with no expectations and an open mind.

Did anybody else think the scene with the frog was remarkably similar to to the ending of Super Mario Bros 2 (the Nintendo Game)?

[slavetotherave]

I don't know if I would take a 13-year old to this movie. I guess I'd feel better showing "fake" violence rather than "real" violence to a 13-year old and the violence in Pan's Labyrinth is pretty real.

I know this is hardly a new concept, but I would much rather show a 13 year old gruemsome, realistic violence than the cartoony, and glorified bloodless fake violence. I'm not criticizing, but just pointing out a different school of thought to consider. If I have kids, I'd rather them see the painful, bloody death from a gunshot wound than the romanticized little smoking hole, you know? Perhaps then they'll be horrified by that sort of thing - and in the end isn't that what we want? For our kids to be horrified by violence rather than attracted to it?

[Hiro11]

I just saw this last night. I thought it was an incredibly powerful movie that works on several levels. The overriding theme is children and how they cope with terrible and dangerous situations.

To me, the movie is incredibly affecting: here's a girl who's life is so awful that she has to create her own world to escape. The child-like drawing of the door in chaulk next to her bed, Ofelia's glee at the naive applause fantasy at the end, her touching love for her brother... the details of the movie from an adult perspective just about broke my heart.

Ofelia is a real, fallible child. She eats the grapes because she's been denied dinner, she desperately clings to her mother even though she suspects she's a fool, she wants to be with Mercedes without understanding how dangerous it will be. When she's threatened by Vidal, she reacts like a real child would: with shock and terror not defiance and spunkyness. This movie is about innocence crushed.

The performance of the film goes to Sergi Lopez as Vidal. I've seen this type of character many times before: a throughly despicable, self-hating masochist with psychopathic tendances. With such a bombastic character, it's easy to go over the top. Lopez manages to avoid making the character cartoonish by bringing real subtlety and nuance to the performance. This is a real bastard and his believability makes him that much more effective. He's the equal of Ralph Feinnes' towering performance in Schindler's List.

Overall, I thought it was an amazing movie. It works as a dark, classical fairy tale, it works as a wartime drama and it's a perceptive movie about (not for) children.

[mndtrp]

I'll just agree with Hiro11. That was a good post. I thought the movie was great, very highly recommended.

The video store clerk mentioned to me that it was subtitled, stating that many people returned it to the shelf once they found out.

[RichC2]

I know people who were pissed off when they found out the movie was subtitled.

People hate the idea and never really give it a chance, it isn't that distracting. But I guess thats why you have stuff like Night/Day Watch where the subs are animated, trying to make reading fun for the non-readers.

[Michael Ballack]

I just caught this on demand. Loved it. I have to agree with the people that believe everything in the fantasy world was Ofeilia's way of coping with what was happening with the war, the stepfather, and the death of her mother.

[wm lopez]

It's original!

[grim_tales]

I thought it was a superb film. IMO the fantasy world was Ofelia's way of coping with the war and all the horrific things that were happening, with her mother, and the evil captain so the fantasy world wasn't real, although the director claims otherwise.
IMO Ofelia dies at the end of the movie, and the Narnia bit was like her "heaven" or afterlife. At least it is nicer to believe that :)

[wm lopez]

The movie kinda reminded me of (1983) THE KEEP.

[Rypro 525]

Watched it this afternoon on a day off. didn't really care for hellboy too much and Blade 2 is only on my shelf cause i own the blade trillogy set. So i wasn't that pumped for it, and I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy films (lotr is the exception). All i can say is wow, what a movie. I was actually surprised that the fantasy sections didn't take up too much time of the movie. I thought the so called "graphic violence" would be more creature type stuff. Boy was i wrong. Brutal and nasty stuff. More so then that crapfest known as hills have eyes 2 which i had to suffer through.
Might have to go and rent the Devil's backbone next.

[big whoppa]

I was disappointed with this movie. Thought it was going to be a fantasy movie but instead was more about a war and disturbing graphic violence. I felt misled and I can barely watch those scenes. I can see how some people might enjoy it but a reviewer here gave it the highest rating. Don't understand that at all.

[The Infidel]

I have to agree. Even with all the glowing reviews and awards, I waited until I found this used at Blockbuster to pick it up. It kind of let me down too. I was expecting, from what I did read and hear about the movie, this special effects/fantasy extravaganza. It is a good movie. That much is certain. Once I got used to what kind of movie it actually was and followed what was going on in the story and with the characters, I appreciated it for what it is. But, unlike Vidal, I wasn't blown away.

[Panda Phil]

This is one where it pays to read a few reviews, so you're not going in expecting Labyrinth 2.

I knew the fanstasy scenes were a bit light when I bought it as a blind buy, and ended up loving it.

Squalled like a baby at the end.

[TallGuyMe]

my review from www.dvdspot.com

Pan's Labyrinth - 4.5/5 stars

This must have been a tough movie to get financing for. A fairytale with brutal scenes of torture, gruesome violence, and oh yeah, totally in Spanish with, depending on how you choose to interpret it, a not-quite-so-happy ending. Thankfully the studio brass had the foresight to greenlight this picture as it is truly a wonderful modern masterpiece. Ofelia is a young girl forced to live with a ruthless dictator trying to quell the revolution brewing outside the gates of his compound. She retreats into a fantasy world as her only means to escape her awful situation. You are left to decide if Ofelia's magical "Underworld" truly exists, or if it was purely the figment of her imagination. This film is full of wonderful yet wisely understated special effects, incredible creature design (which makes you almost wish that Del Toro would spearhead a Hellraiser relaunch!) and excellent performances all around, especially the young girl, Ivana Baquero, as Ofelia, and a truly menacing and layered performance by Sergi Lopez as the merciless Capitan Vidal. Even if you avoid subtitled movies like the plague, do yourself a favor, and see this film, I guarantee you've never seen anything quite like it.

[clemente]

my review from www.dvdspot.com

Pan's Labyrinth - 4.5/5 stars

This must have been a tough movie to get financing for. A fairytale with brutal scenes of torture, gruesome violence, and oh yeah, totally in Spanish with, depending on how you choose to interpret it, a not-quite-so-happy ending. Thankfully the studio brass had the foresight to greenlight this picture as it is truly a wonderful modern masterpiece.

Strange thing about those Spanish and Mexican film investors, they don't so much mind films being in Spanish. :) The movie gets away with those thing (and benefits because of) not being made in the US Studio system.

[Panda Phil]

Strange thing about those Spanish and Mexican film investors, they don't so much mind films being in Spanish. :) The movie gets away with those thing (and benefits because of) not being made in the US Studio system.


Not to mention the fact that most of these people know Del Toro can deliver the goods.

[Anubis2005X]

Rented it, wasn't a big fan. I was expecting more fantasy to it, and was put off by the excessive violence. Some beautiful imagery, but I was never really touched by the film.

Compared with another artsy type film, The Fountain, where I was crying like a baby in various parts of the film...

[baracine]

Amusing exchange on the IMDb discussion board ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/board/nest/83920354?d=84466406&p=4#84466406 ):

Re: Questionable marketing
by mizhelenuk 17 hours ago (Wed Sep 5 2007 14:03:47)
UPDATED Wed Sep 5 2007 14:04:14

benoit3 wrote:
I'm an adult and I NEVER check the rating on any film. I went by the general buzz ("work of genius... ovation at Cannes... yadda-yadda-yadda") and I was severely shocked and disappointed. This is EXACTLY the kind of film that I have been ranting against for 35 years, except WORSE because it's obviously aimed at illiterate, comicbook-reading, fantasy-driven children.

I would like to see Del Toro' supersized behind dragged into court for a class action suit as an example against this kind of false marketing being repeated for any other horror film.

Good grief, Benoît, are you still here peddling your pointless and pontificating rants!? You're an adult and you didn't check the rating? Erm ... doesn't that indicate what kind of film to expect, irrelevant of whether you're taking under-age beings to see it or not? Not exactly something I would brag about if I was you ... which, thank goodness, I'm not.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Questionable marketing
by benoit-3 14 hours ago (Wed Sep 5 2007 17:19:27)

(...) are you still here peddling your pointless and pontificating rants (...) You're an adult and you didn't check the rating (...) You're a doofus (...) You're an ignorant beast (...) etc.

Translation: "Come over to the dark side, Luke."

Benoît A. Racine
Toronto (Ontario) CANADA

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Re: I wouldn't say 'overrated' more than questionably marketed
by mizhelenuk 8 hours ago (Wed Sep 5 2007 23:26:15)

Dark side? Indeed it is, and wonderful, and poignant, and magnificently enthralling the experience has turned out to be. El Laberinto del Fauno is a remarkably multi-layered film, truly imaginitive and mesmeric. I loved it and think it is a work of genius, something rarely mastered in this day and age of big-bang, low-brow and dumbed-down cinema. And what is more it has universal appeal, reaching into that little oft-neglected place in people that contains their imagination. Alas and alack, in some people that place has been shut, locked and the key thrown away. Such a shame.

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Re: I wouldn't say 'overrated' more than questionably marketed
by benoit-3 2 hours ago (Thu Sep 6 2007 05:04:30)

UPDATED Thu Sep 6 2007 06:36:11

If it takes a nitroglycerine suppository wrapped in a coating of lies and bad taste to unplug that dark place where your imagination is hiding and finally open your eyes to the horrors of violence, torture and fascism which surround you daily in public and political life, I say "Bend over and pass the suppositories!"

But some viewers who already have a perfectly functioning imagination and a reasonable grasp and understanding of the world around them resent having their own intelligence trampled upon by a filmmaker who insists on showing graphically what can be best suggested.

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Benoît A. Racine
Toronto (Ontario) CANADA

[Mikael79]

Old thread, I know - but I'm well versed in using the Search feature! :)

I just watched this film for the second time, and the first time on Blu-ray. An absolute wonderful film, in my opinion.

I understand why some people don't like the violent war scenes, but for me it helps me understand how there is nothing left in the real world for Ofelia.

[Solid Snake PAC]

I think it's a great fantasy film. The best fantasy film of this Decade so far....

[project86]

I think it's a great fantasy film. The best fantasy film of this Decade so far....

Have you seen "The Fall" yet?

[Solid Snake PAC]

I really really love the visuals of the film..but the story lacks a bit at times. Tarsem has issues with that...it's a damn good film though..

[The Bus]

I don't trust Tarsem. The Cell was a 90-minute perfume commercial at best.

Pan's Labyrinth was great but I don't think it's the beST movie EVARR!!!one.

[Dashed]

This is on the short list of my favorite movies of the past few years. I’m going to have to explore this movie again tonight. Not only is the movie visually stunning but it give you a glimpse of what some people had to endure through a fascist regime. Sure this didn’t exactly happen, but its the story of the village as a whole. The movie is extremely dark and at times hard to watch but I think the end of the movie gives you just enough hope to think things are alright. This and Children of Men are the two movie I recommend everyone watch at least once.