"Pan's Labyrinth," by master film maker Guillermo del Toro, ("The Devil's Backbone," "Hellboy") is ASTOUNDING. He sets the mood so well, and keeps his audience enthralled till the very end. What most people seem to pass by, is that del Toro's movies, more than anything, are horrific masterpieces. Meaning that they, um, are VERY SCARY. He is a master at horror and fantasy, and sweet monkey, do those two genres go together like no body's business.
The movie takes place in Spain in 1944, and appropriately so, the movie is in Spanish. 12 year old Ofelia, and her heavily pregnant mother, move to the countryside and in with the mother's new husband, Captain Vidal, an evil fascist military leader obsessed with riding Spain from "the inpurities."
One night, Ofelia follows a fairy into the labyrinth hidden in the woods behind the house. There, she finds Pan, half goat half human, and he tells Ofelia that she is the long lost princess of the underworld destined to return. Of course, before she can go back, she must proove her self by accomplishing 3 tasks, and that's where things get spooky.
Pan speaks to Ofelia
Ofelia infront of the dead fig tree
Ofelia reads her future in the wash room
Pan and Ofelia
Ofelia, on her way to meet Pale Man
Pale Man sits, asleep, in front of a grand feast
Pale Man awakens
Mercedes and Ofelia
Like most of del Toro's films, there is strong anti-war symbolism that is reflected in the beginning and lasts till the end. It is meant to imply that fantasy and magic is not only confined in books, but is brought out in reality through love and trust. Reality, however, is not easily defined in this movie, as Ofelia seems to be talking to Pan in one scene, but when the camera zooms out, we see there is no one there. The idea of what is reality and what is dream is to be determined by the audience, and there are oh so many ways to go.
A scene that has been getting the most hype from the movie is the one in which Ofelia meets "The Pale Man." The scene with Pale Man is a wonderful expample in which we see and experience del Toro's love for twisted and bloody horror. The room in which Pale Man resides has pictures and mosaics covering the ceiling, and those pictures portray this monster devouring small infants. The design of this creature is quite horrific as well, what with the sagging pale skin, and what's most well known, the eye-balls located on the palms instead of in the head where they belong.
To sum things up, this is the type of movie to make your heart skip a beat, your hands sweat, and your eyes tear up. From either fear or sadness, you may not know. Not to say this film is all fastasy/horror, it is also a drama and very political. It is a wonderful contrast, the fantasy world and the human world, because the human world is so grey and sad. It almost seems like they are two movies meshed into one, which probably made people skeptical at first. But it is a superb combination that just hits every right note. Like apples and peanut butter. It's oh so delicious.
Filled with fantasy and horror, drama and heart, adventure and excitment, this is THE movie of 2006. In my opinion, the best movie del Toro has ever thought up, and ever worked his hands off making into reality for us to witness. It's a ticket into his imagination, and I'm so glad I went to visit.
