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Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

2007

Director del Toro will warn you himself: “I hope no one takes their children to this movie. I hope no one mistakes it for Harry Potter”. Pan’s Labyrinth is a brutal fantasy-horror set in fascist Spain, that most rare of genres. Ofelia (Baquero), a 12 year old girl, lives with her pregnant Ma and tyrannical stepfather (Lopez). To escape her harsh realities, Ofelia retreats into her own imagination.

The film cuts to and fro from her 1944 life in Spain, and the no-less kind mythical Labyrinth where a disgustingly ugly faun by the name of Pan (played by mime Doug Jones, from del Toro’s Hellboy) sets her a series of challenges. If she achieves them, she’ll take the crown as princess of this underworld kingdom and simultanesouly save her family.

Starring Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Doug Jones

Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Mimic)

Written by Guillermo del Toro

Festivals & Awards The People's Champion, Flicks.co.nz; April 2007 | Winner of 3 technical awards at the 2007 Academy Awards. | Winner of 3 awards, including Best Foreign Film at the 2007 BAFTA awards

Drama, Fantasy, Horror | 1hr 52mins | Rated (R16) | contains violence, offensive language & horror | Origin: Mexico, Spain, USA | Language: Spanish with English subtitles | Official Site »

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Flicks review

  •  4

    Hold onto your asses. Pan’s Labyrinth is as brutal as it is whimsical, a bold and original fable. You haven’t seen much like this.

    Whilst its complexity and grandeur has been a bit overrated, and its appeal is greater to those inclined to the fantasy film, director del Toro (Hellboy) gives it enough darkness and grit to tap into something both childlike and depressingly adult.

    There’s no love lost in this world – set in fascist Spain 1944, young Ofelia goes with her pregnant mother to live her with her iron-fisted step father Capitan Vidal (Lopez). The Capitan is in charge of a small army and hell bent on protecting the forested area from rebels (the good guys). He and his forces capture, torture and murder the opposition. He’s cruel to Ofelia, concerned only with victory and the safe delivery of his son.

    To cope with the darkness & loneliness of her reality, keen fairytale reader Ofelia escapes via her imagination. The area is home also to a garden labyrinth; here she meets a creaky, crafty old faun who presents her with a mission - to complete a series of tasks and prove she’s a princess of this underworld. The journey leads her to a place not of majestic talking lions nor cute fur balls, rather bizarre, ugly, fantastical creatures brilliantly brought to life via semi-pantomime performers and the imagination of director del Toro. Ivana Baquero as Ofelia is very memorable, combining a big eyed innocence with the restraint of maturity.

    As has been mentioned a dozen times over, Pan’s Labyrinth is a fable for adults. Which is true because there’s too much gore for kids, but also in that it has the effect of a fairytale on an adult audience - it’s imaginative and taps into something elemental. Pan’s Labyrinth’s grip is all the stronger for having little resemblance to a ‘Hollywood’ film, especially with its downbeat ending. del Toro’s refreshing, dark and arguably cynical sensibility makes for a classical tale delivered in unique fashion.

    Reviewed by Ed
    Agree? Disagree?...

The people's reviews

14 reviews

  • Rated B for Boredom!

     2

    Naomi

    Nobody (?)

    I really despise this movie. Although I have to agree that the visuals are stunning and the story is solid, I really think Guillermo did it wrong. Really wrong. The moments I wasn't bored to tears, I was either thinking "Gee, that's nicely gorey but seems awfully unrealistic / misplaced," "wow, this sucks," or "Argh Ofelia just die already. Messing up her dress, leaving chalk places.. honestly."

    All in all, I don't even think the girl was even traumatized enough to "retreat" back into this dark wonderland. For pete's sake, she was with her mother - she wasn't being abused - she was given a nice dress and other things - her mother asked her sweetly not to do things. She didn't even SEE any violence! Ofelia just struck me as an annoying undisciplined child.

    I am so disappointed.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • Disappointment

     2

    Emma

    Nobody (?)

    This movie underscored for me why I need to stop accepting without question the opinions of the professional movie reviewers. I didn't enjoy the storyline to Pan's Labyrinth - the main character, an exquisitely sensitive and bright little girl, suffered schizophrenic episodes which manifested themselves as withdrawal into fantasy worlds when the real world became too brutal. Easy, predictable, and unsatisfying ending. Fantastic acting though.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • Genuine wonderment

     2

    Tom

    Nobody (?)

    Believe me when I say it gives me no pleasure to hold this position: Pan's Labyrinth, the movie that is, it seems, impervious to dislike, really left me cold.

    It's an unfair starting-point, but the fact is that the pic's hype didn't get it off on a good foot. All this malarkey about a hidden gem for discerning, Hollywood-scorning audiences just primes one for a redux of the near-unwatchable Night Watch; and as for the "fairy tale for grown-ups stuff", well, it just smacks of those facile "Mature" comic books boasting teen-angst storylines couched in superfluous menstruation references and people getting shot in the head.

    Which are something Guillermo Del Toro loves. Being excited about this movie because it was from the director of Mimic and Blade 2 always seemed like an exercise in revisionism, trying to get het-up about these masterpieces of popcorn while forgetting that Del Toro's Hollywood output has been geared entirely toward testosterone-blinded UMD-viewing teenagers and usually meanders somewhere between bland and vomitous.

    And, yes, Pan's Labyrinth is instantly better than the above. It's even better than the comparatively able Hellboy, taking a leaf from Mike Mignola's book and ably working an original story into a pastiche of fairytale archetypes.

    This is where things start to disappoint, though. The most apparent problem is that experiencing Pan's Labyrinth is about nothing so much as how wonderful Pan's Labyrinth is to experience. Whereas the experience of the fairytale archetype invariably involves a measure of wide-eyed childlike wonderment, the thrill of being transported into a world of alien spectacle and terror, this is sustained by such details being an integral part of the narrative.

    Pan's Labyrinth will draw comparisons to Harry Potter - it must be better, it's subtitled - but as the age's foremost provider of wonderment, JK Rowling understands that stories about magic are only themselves magical if the story itself is too a work of art (or magic). Pan's Labyrinth, while visually noteworthy, has very little real magic to its story: The narrative proceeds gracelessly from point to point, often sacrificing character at the expense of an arbitrary sense of trope. What's intended to feel True in the deepest most metamythic sense just feels Obvious.

    Less sorcerer than cheap parlor magician, Del Toro's tactic for dealing with this shallow frippery is to make his film Gorgeous with a capital G: to misdirect you from the fairly humdrum and utilitarian plot with visuals designed to thrill and amaze. But here, too, the visual showmanship on offer seems to say nothing so much as, "look what visual showmanship is on offer here!" It's not actually all that solid in and of itself (much of the effects work is markedly less convincing than any decent pre-CG fantasy from 15-20 years ago), and the grandeur and intricacy don't really inspire awe so much as communicate - via incessant yelling, all bluster and swooping cameras and grating orchestral lullabies - the notion that awe is the appropriate response to this sort of thing. Again, we're not watching a movie that takes us away, we're watching a movie that tells us we really ought to feel taken away right now. The confidence on show is admirable, but it feels hollow.

    And to return to that "fairy tale for grown-ups" line, Pan's Labyrinth's deeper malaise is that it really doesn't succeed as a fairy tale for anyone. Fairy tales aren't about wonder: the wonder is a side-product of the actual business of the narrative. Fairy tales stay with us because they tap into the primal, carrying us through fantastic worlds while they go: Pan's Labyrinth wants to take short-cuts, to get the wonderment without any of the tricky business of placing it within an appropriately sublime story.

    It doesn't even shock like a fairytale should. Sure, there's some unpleasant torture, and one plot revolves around the female reproductive system, and a lot of people sure do get shot in their heads, but there's nothing to approach Grimm or Struwwelpeter in terms of hauntingly horrifying imagery or concept. After the film has finished, there's little to take away one way or the other. It's the perfect DVD special edition: filled to the brim with details that scream to be paid attention to, designed to convince viewers they're enchanted in lieu of the actual ability to enchant, geared toward repeat viewing in that it's bereft of lasting depth once the credits roll.

    Genuine wonderment is far from dead: it's just in short supply here.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • I had forgotten how great movies can be...

     5

    Phil

    Nobody (?)

    A movie like this brings into stark relief the fact that we have all become Hollywood lackies. We are like grateful trained pets accepting the lack lustre, canned drivel that flows from the American film making machine. Films can be so much more...

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • Wow. This is "Out There"

     4

    Pete & Donna

    Nobody (?)

    Brutal fairy tale thats brilliant in its portrail of brutality without the Hollywood type "Safety Hat Violence".
    In this i have to take my hat off for the accurate portrail of a mans face being bashed in and the eye filling up with blood in the final headshot...both sickening and appreciative of the realism potrayed. Bravo!!!!
    Not for children, but what demented parent would exposed young minds to this?

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • Pan's Labyrinth - No Bowie, No Muppets

     4

    RhondaS

    Nobody (?)

    Touted as a type of Brothers Grimm dark fairytale, the fanciful and ominous characters and original story give way to a new kind of fear, a slow moving deep seeded fear that keeps you in a tight lock on your seat.
    The visuals of this picture were very graphic and violent at times which I was in no way expecting. In one part seeing a man have his face bashed in with a bottle which I likened to a CPR dummy with the way the bottle bounced off the man’s face, as you hear the bones cracking and see the blood spilling out.
    Far too graphic for such a general rating.
    Guillermo del toro has made an amazing cinematic achievement with this film, providing fantastic effects and an exit feeling not felt since the early directors- sort of a Burton meets Hitchcock meets Aldrich.
    A definite must see, but in no way one for the kids.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • A feast for the eyes

     5

    Kate Walsh

    Nobody (?)

    I forgot I was watching a foreign film, I was so lost in the fantasy. The characters are interesting and multi faceted, the story is mystical and heart breaking, and the cinematography, well... unbelievable.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • pleae show this on the hibiscus coast

     5

    helena

    Nobody (?)

    adults live here too

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • Defenitely a Must - See!!

     5

    Dinithi G

    Nobody (?)

    Loved this movie!! Unexpected thrills (and involuntary screams) all the way through!! defenitely the best Fairytale id ever watched!

    The story line is so unique... it's in a class of its own! How many people can make a story of fairies, princesses and fauns look this dark??

    Couldnt look away even during the gory scenes!!

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • I've never seen a film like this before.

     5

    Jenny R.

    Nobody (?)

    One might be tempted to rave about this purely on its unique-ness - but it's not only that. It has superb performances (from cast and people in the creature suits), inspired set/costume design & has a wonderful mix of brutal reality and fairytale-like fantasy.

    And, I suppose above all, is highly entertaining. We couldn't look away.

    Agree? Disagree?...

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Press Reviews

  • BBC

     5

    Del Toro's trademark visual flair gets its finest ever chance to shine, rendering the tale onscreen so perfectly that the subtitles are barely needed. Every actor - most notably, Ivana Baquero's wide-eyed Ofelia and Sergi López's vicious, glittering Captain – excels. Compelling from first frame to last, Pan's Labyrinth never misses a chance to wrench, quell or quicken your heart: this visionary project propels Del Toro into the highest league of filmmakers. There can be no excuses. See this film...
    Read full review

  • Empire Magazine [UK]

     5

    Dark, twisted and beautiful, this entwines fairy-tale fantasy with war-movie horror to startling effect...
    Read full review

  • NZ Herald [Russell Baillie]

     5

    an affecting fable, made more so especially by the luminous performance of young Baquero and the truly frightening two worlds she finds herself in...
    Read full review

  • Premiere Magazine [USA]

     4

    This intense film, a mix of horror, fantasy, and history that convinces on all those levels and mixes them up with dizzying brio, is a searing cinematic experience, a beautiful, terrifying vision from writer-director Guillermo del Toro...
    Read full review

  • San Fransisco Chronicle

    Visually stunning, it meshes haunting images with a complex multilevel story about the enchantment of youth...
    Read full review

  • The Hollywood Reporter

    The performers are all good with Baquero poised and beautiful as Ofelia and Verdu vital and spirited as the rebellious Mercedes. Lopez gives an extraordinary performance as the bestial captain, an irredeemable villain to rank with Ralph Fiennes' Nazi in "Schindler's List"...
    Read full review

  • The New York Times

    A swift and accessible entertainment, blunt in its power and exquisite in its effects...
    Read full review

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