NEW Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

 

 

Create your own review

If anyone wants to know where the dark, creepy fairy tales of old went, here's a hint: Guillermo del Toro is doing a pretty good job with the fairy tales for adults.

"Pan's Labyrinth" ("El Laberinto del Fauno") is a sequel of sorts to "The Devil's Backbone," a magical realism film about the Spanish Civil War. But this movie takes us deeper into a world that is half real, half ominous fairy tale, with a unique and imaginative story and some really excellent acting -- in short, a triumph.

Time and place: 1944, Spain. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her very pregnant mother travel to meet her new stepfather, the brutal and murderous Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Ofelia loathes her new stepfather, but is transfixed by the eerie forests around them -- and one night she is visited by a fairy, and encounters a giant faun who tells her that she is Princess Moanna of the netherworld, and must return there.

To do so, he tells her that she must do three things, and gives her a strange book. Ofelia menages first task, but is frightened out of her wits by the second task, which involves a hideous monster with eyes in its hands. Even worse, her mother's pregnancy is getting more dangerous. As the guerillas and the fascists clash, Ofelia faces being trapped outside the netherworld forever...

Fairy tales have become cleaned-up and cutesy over time, so that children can read them without nightmares. But del Toro knows that the best fairy tales are the eerie, bizarre ones for adults, that are connected somehow to the real world. That is what makes "Pan's Labyrinth" so brilliantly dark and heartfelt.

Del Toro obviously crafted this with care, directing it in a dreamlike style and brilliant visuals. The eerie atmosphere of Ofelia's wanderings -- the delicate yet menacing faun, the chalk doors, the monuments, and the pasty nightmare with eyes in its palms -- is both a contrast and a parallel with the everyday world, which Ofelia hopes to escape.

At first, it seems like the post-Civil War and fairy tale stories don't mesh, until you see that the "real world" story is Ofelia's motivation to escape from all the fear, pain and sorrow. But Del Toro's biggest triumph is an ending that is beautifully bittersweet, and which turns out to hinge on Ofelia's newborn brother.

But del Toro's biggest triumph is in the instant connection we feel to Ofelia, with her love of the fantastical and her desire to go somewhere "safe." Baquero is absolutely wonderful in this, as a girl who isn't entirely of this world -- in her heart, she belongs somewhere beyond. And López is the ideal villain -- you spend the whole movie wanting to see him gruesomely killed.

Half "Mirrormask" and half gritty war story, "Pan's Labyrinth" is one of the best fantasy stories in years -- dark, passionate and beautifully made. Definitely a great movie.

Far from the swords and sorcery that typify modern fantasy movies, Guillermo Del Toro's best work presents a fairy tale for modern audiences, complete with the darkness, mystery, and wonder that once typified that genre. The mystical realm is connected to the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a curious and willful young girl grappling with a monstrous stepfather. Themes of identity and obedience tie the two worlds together while the strong characters will keep you engaged throughout.

In another welcome departure from the norm, Del Toro's brilliant visuals are built (for the most part) on practical effects rather than CGI. Fanciful as all this is, be aware that it is also dark and often frightening. The violence is often gruesome (though it always serves the plot) and this movie is definitely not for young kids.

Extras
Guillermo Del Toro's commentary is the jewel of this set. The man has an incredible attention to detail and listening to him will make you aware of innumerable things you never noticed about the film while his obvious love of the material will keep you engaged throughout. The rest the extras do a good job exploring the practical effects and design process. The 'bonus view mode' recycles most of its material from the featurettes while the promotional material is (as usual) superfluous.

Presentation
Don't even consider getting this film on DVD. The Blu-Ray transfer is superb and the movie's visuals make 1080p completely worthwhile.

Bottom Line
Anyone looking for a mature fantasy story needs to check this film out while those looking for more family-friendly or action packed fare should take a pass. Solid extras and an excellent transfer make the Blu-Ray edition the one to own.

Director Guillermo del Toro out did himself and created a film beyond any previous presentation. Although he purposely applied many layers both technologically and psychologically, the actual finished product is deeper and has many more facets. This could be the results of leaving loose ends and just implications. What looks like two stories is really one story where one reality intertwines with another reality until they both merge.

It is 1944 Spain, five years after the Civil War, ten year old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is going to meet her new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi López.) Vidal is a fascist pro-Franco officer. She is about to meet more than that as she encounters possible friends from another world. We also see how touchier and fantasy are juxtaposed. One of the major questions to answer is, is the magical creatures real and can only be seen because you have to have the right gaze or are they figments?

You will need to watch the movie several times to get the nuances and see the surrounding environments that you miss when concentrating on the dialog. See how the two world parallels in furniture. See out the two works hold similar tasks as both containing a key and a knife. And there are always more surprises waiting.

The acting is superb especially Ofelia's death scene. Ivana Baquero Won, Imagen Award Best Actress, Premio ACE Best New Actress, Newcomer Award Female (Categoría Femenina), Turia Award New Best Actress, and Nominated, Young Artist Award Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Actor or Actress.

The Blu-ray version I watched ad English subtitles as option but I found them to be a tad inaccurate and wanting of some of the background conversations. However the director's voice over option helped point out the obvious that was not obvious until he pointed it out. As pointed out by the director the violence was not for violence sake in the story and they did not have cowboy type breakable props.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

3.0 out of 5 stars A quick beware
Simply be aware that this disk does NOT include an english audiotrack as stated by Amazon. The only language spoken is Spanish. Read more

Published 15 months ago by L. Massé

4.0 out of 5 stars Creative tale
Was not a really big fan of the main character, but aside from that, I was really into the storyline on this one. Read more

Published 15 months ago by idno4856

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!
Saw this in the theatre the first time. Didn't know it was sub-titled and nearly left when found out. What a mistake leaving would have been. Read more

Published 17 months ago by red1blue2

4.0 out of 5 stars Hellboy meets Mirrormask meets Captain Corelli - not for the squeamish.
Moody, dark and somewhat violent fairy tale set in post-Civil War Spain. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her mother into the home of Captain Vidal in an... Read more

Published on Dec 30 2009 by Some Bloke

5.0 out of 5 stars Into the labyrinth
If anyone wants to know where the dark, creepy fairy tales of old went, here's a hint: Guillermo del Toro is doing a pretty good job with the fairy tales for adults... Read more

Published on Jan 10 2009 by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie and fantastic dvd
I just want to say that if you live in quebec and you are hoping that the french version of the movie is included then you should wait because it is NOT. Read more

Published on Dec 31 2007 by Mathieu Bergeron

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale Grimm
If anyone wants to know where the dark, creepy fairy tales of old went, here's a hint: Guillermo del Toro is doing a pretty good job with the fairy tales for adults... Read more

Published on Dec 30 2006 by E. A Solinas

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!