Customer Reviews

Pan's Labyrinth (Widescreen)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Beautiful movie! I thought it looked cool the first time I saw a preview and I was right! This movie is amazing! It is a depressing but lovely story about good vs. evil, innocent vs. corrupt and love. Also the creatures look awesome! They remind of the ones in The Dark Crystal [another masterpiece] because they're really cool and unique. I wish there was a few more but the ones that are shown rock!

The story is about a little girl who is kind and pure. She and her pregnant mother have to move to live with a military captain [who is evil, violent and a real jerk] who lives in a wild dangerous place. One night the little girl goes into an ancient labyrinth and meets this awesome faun creature. He tells her that she is actually from his world and she has to return. I won't give any thing else away cause this movie is incredible!

So see this movie if you like fantasy, myths, drama or just good movies but don't watch it when young children under 12 are around. This movie has a lot of blood and gore in it. But that doesn't stop it from being the awesome movie it is.

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.

i liked this movie quite a bit.it's a fantasy movie for adults.there is
a bit of very graphic,realistic violence.there is also quite a bit of
very strong coarse language.the movie is in Spanish or French,with
English subtitles.the creatures in this movie look fantastic.i found
them to be utterly realistic.but i wish we had seen more scenes of
them,as they don't appear very often.the movie is very dark,and i could
see how it would be scary to some people.there are some really nasty
human beings in this movie and the creatures can be kinda scary.the one
thing i noticed was that the story is lacking somewhat.it just doesn't
seem as developed as i felt it could be.however,the acting and i still
thought this was a pretty good movie.but parents should definitely use
their discretion about allowing their kids to watch it.by the way,this
two disc version has a raft of extras with it.anyway,for me Pan's
Labyrinth is a 3.5/5

This film was outstanding. It is the perfect blend of realism and fantasy. Some have written in other reviews that it had excessive violence and that nobody is a evil and cruel as the captain.....well, I can only say that those who feel that way are not aware of the realities of horror and war. War brings out all kinds of monsters and this was as realistic as it gets in it's portrayal of evil. Having family who have fought in the Spanish Civil War, the film portrays the violence completely effectively, in fact, it is downplayed.

See the film; it is excellent and completely original. It is in a category of it's very own.

A note to MH who left a review down below... the movie was never targeted for children, in fact, it was made very clear that it is a movie for adults. Also, the movie DOES NOT take place during WW2 as you have written- it takes place during the SPANISH CIVIL WAR which is an entirely separate war. It is a shame that this very important fact from the film was completely missed in your review. This is the setting and time frame which sets the mood for the entire film.

Pan's Labyrinth is a wonderful allegorical tale filled with monsters of all kinds.

A young girl, Ofelia, travels with her pregnant mother to meet her Stepfather. Her Stepfather is a General in Franco's army and Ofelia soon learns that he is a violent and uncaring man. To escape the horror of her life, she steps into another world in which she is a Princess and monsters can be defeated.

There has been a lot of hype about Pan's Labyrinth (it was nominated for six Oscars and won three - practically unheard of for a foreign language film). Usually, when a film is getting this much good press, it's a letdown when you finally get round to watching it. This is not the case with Pan's Labyrinth. It is a bewitching tale that will keep you enthralled throughout.

Pan's Labyrinth is not a fantasy adventure filled with bright colours and cute and cuddly mythical creatures (it is more Jim Henson than Disney). The world of Pan's Labyrinth is dark and cruel, and at times the violence is relentless and startling. Despite this, it is a film filled with beauty, the kind of beauty that can only be seen in gothic art or on a stormy winter's night.

Whether you believe that Ofelia has created a world from her imagination or whether the visions she experiences are reality, you will be fascinated by her world and all that she encounters.

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. It was the best movie I'd seen for awhile. Got the DVD and now that we have a system capable of playing Blu-rays, just had to have it this format. Once again, it's an Excellent movie that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone.

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... and being offered a terrible choice if she wants to get in.

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 that her "real life" is full of. 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.

Was not a really big fan of the main character, but aside from that, I was really into the storyline on this one. Interesting to see how different cultures approach fairy tales. Scenes were well thought out. The story itself seemed pretty original overall, though they used elements that I've seen before. Picture quality was very good as well.

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.This blu ray was released by new line cinema and not alliance atlantis which is curious because I thought they had the exclusive rights in canada.Maybe there is another version in store you should check out before buying it at amazon.

To me, this movie was absolutly amazing. My biggest fault with it, was how it was advertized. I expected it to be a little "kiddy". Apparently so did half of the theater, as there where families. Its definitally not a kids movie. It is disturbing, due to the violence. However, I dont feel that i can mark an overall excellent movie down because I dont agree with how it was advitized, or if I dont agree wtih the overall message. It was a very strong script, excellent story line, shocking, thought provolking and visually stunning.