In Case You Missed It: Pan's Labyrinth 5/5 reviewed by Mike
It may not seem like it lately, but I really DON'T give 5's to movies off the bat often. Really, hardly ever. But I think this film is really a great, phenomenal piece of work. I honestly cannot find a single flaw in it. And I tried. This thing won 3 Oscars and deserved every one. And now, you can own it on a shiny disc.
Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro (yeah he did Hellboy, but if you didn't like that, don't let it color your opinion of him, it was a great adaptation), Pan's Labyrinth follows the story of a young girl named Ophelia who lives with her mom and evil Nazi step-dad in Spain during the second world war. Ophelia is in love with fairy tales, and before long finds herself in one--while exploring the grounds of her step-dads house, a mystical Faun gives her three mystical tasks she must perform to prove that she is indeed the princess of a mystical kingdom. Whether or not this fantasy is real, or an imagined coping mechanism for the horrors of the real world is left for you to decide (and no way will I spoil this ending for you). Either way, this movie is in one sense, a dark fantasy fairy-tale for grown-ups, and simultaneously a gritty, traumatic war film. It is also the saddest movie I have ever seen, I think.
The acting is brilliant. The all spanish cast (did I mention this is a Spanish language film?) does a magnificent job. The script is perfect. Yes, the story is predictable (the first frame tells you what's going to happen) in a way, mostly because it adheres to genre, but that's not the point. This movie isn't trying to trick you, or surprise you with "twists," it's trying to show you the heart-wrenching story of a young girl dealing with the horrors of war. Character development is great as well. I instantly adhered to Ofelia and Mercedes, who are trying to make the best of a truly horrid situation. The parallels drawn between the two characters are powerful and emotional. This movie will make you cry--and it SHOULD. We need to cry at this story, and stories like it, I think.
The directing is jaw-droppingly magnificent and perfectly appropriate for this sort of story. Transitions are wonderfully and beautifully handled, and there's some really nice juxtapositions, but the camera never feels like it's in the way, Toro is never showing off, he's just doing what's perfect for the story, and it works great. The soundtrack is also perfect, never in the way, but always enhancing. There's a lullaby theme that gets played with throughout the film that is absolutely perfect.
This is a powerful piece that, like certain films in my favorites list, I can hold up as incredible pieces of film, but I don't want to re-watch often. Although I will be in the mood for this film more often than, say, Children of Men, this still isn't a Saturday afternoon relax movie. Pan's Labyrinth is for when you're upset, and just need to escape, experience something powerful and magical, and just cry. This just came out on DVD recently, so go pick it up and weep your eyes out. Few movies will touch my heart like this one does.
Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro (yeah he did Hellboy, but if you didn't like that, don't let it color your opinion of him, it was a great adaptation), Pan's Labyrinth follows the story of a young girl named Ophelia who lives with her mom and evil Nazi step-dad in Spain during the second world war. Ophelia is in love with fairy tales, and before long finds herself in one--while exploring the grounds of her step-dads house, a mystical Faun gives her three mystical tasks she must perform to prove that she is indeed the princess of a mystical kingdom. Whether or not this fantasy is real, or an imagined coping mechanism for the horrors of the real world is left for you to decide (and no way will I spoil this ending for you). Either way, this movie is in one sense, a dark fantasy fairy-tale for grown-ups, and simultaneously a gritty, traumatic war film. It is also the saddest movie I have ever seen, I think.
The acting is brilliant. The all spanish cast (did I mention this is a Spanish language film?) does a magnificent job. The script is perfect. Yes, the story is predictable (the first frame tells you what's going to happen) in a way, mostly because it adheres to genre, but that's not the point. This movie isn't trying to trick you, or surprise you with "twists," it's trying to show you the heart-wrenching story of a young girl dealing with the horrors of war. Character development is great as well. I instantly adhered to Ofelia and Mercedes, who are trying to make the best of a truly horrid situation. The parallels drawn between the two characters are powerful and emotional. This movie will make you cry--and it SHOULD. We need to cry at this story, and stories like it, I think.
The directing is jaw-droppingly magnificent and perfectly appropriate for this sort of story. Transitions are wonderfully and beautifully handled, and there's some really nice juxtapositions, but the camera never feels like it's in the way, Toro is never showing off, he's just doing what's perfect for the story, and it works great. The soundtrack is also perfect, never in the way, but always enhancing. There's a lullaby theme that gets played with throughout the film that is absolutely perfect.
This is a powerful piece that, like certain films in my favorites list, I can hold up as incredible pieces of film, but I don't want to re-watch often. Although I will be in the mood for this film more often than, say, Children of Men, this still isn't a Saturday afternoon relax movie. Pan's Labyrinth is for when you're upset, and just need to escape, experience something powerful and magical, and just cry. This just came out on DVD recently, so go pick it up and weep your eyes out. Few movies will touch my heart like this one does.
posted by Hankinstien at 8:44 PM
2 Comments:
I'm really excited to see this after all the rave reviews I've heard from it, more so now because I trust your judgment more than every movie critic.
I'll tell you: I'm not much for fantasy. Sci-fi is much more of my cup of tea, but from what I hear about the cinematography and the emotional aspects of it, it sounds like a real winner.
Good review. It does exactly what it should: motivate me to freakin' see the movie.
i went to block buster to rent this movie short after you recomended it to me. only to find that all 30 some copies had already been checked out.
so i rented "The Proposition"
thoroughly impressed, that is definately a top 20 for me. thanks for the recomendation.
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