It started with a move to a base camp; her mother pregnant with her new husband’s (the Commander) baby. Ofelia is forced into a place where she doesn’t feel comfortable, but something mysterious awaits her… her fate. Near the base camp, there is an old labyrinth, which Ofelia discovers soon after her arrival. Little does she know, she is in for more than an adventure when she meets the labyrinth’s inhabitant, a mystical faun. The faun tells her of her past, and of her destiny, and tells her that she must listen to him and complete several tasks he requires of her, and she agrees to help; all while dealing with a violent Commander as her new father, and watching over her mother during her pregnancy.
What you have just read is a brief synopsis of the beginning of Guillermo del Toro’s brilliant movie, Pan’s Labyrinth. The movie, billed as a fairy tale, is grim, dark, violent, and horrifying at times. You sit in your seat captivated by what you see on the screen, and feel yourself clench the armrests because of your worry about the characters you are watching on the screen; especially little Ofelia. She is probably one of the bravest little girls ever born, because she manages to hold her composure up against things that would terrify me to the point of a breakdown; and she does it over and over again. I won’t go into too much detail about the movie, but what I will say, is that my friend Lori was exactly right, it is “like a very dark, more grown up version of The Neverending Story”. Remember the story of young Bastian exploring the Land of Fantasia by reading about a hero named Atreyu in his story book, only to find out what he has read is real? This movie follows a similar formula, but without the book, and with a more personal experience by the main character, Ofelia. While it is definitely not child friendly, as there is a lot of violence, as well as some pretty explicit and gruesome scenes, this fairy tale is one that really gives its all to the viewer, and leaves you wondering just what happened for real when it is over. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, both for its visual journey, as well as for the harrowing story of a young girl caught in the middle of a post war occupation, seeking to fulfill her destiny; which she learns about by meeting an unlikely friend in a creepy faun.
This movie was definitely one that I was excited about seeing, and I am very glad that I went; I will definitely want to get this on DVD to see again. The little girl who plays Ofelia is awesome, and the costumes for the faun and the thing that has the eyes in its palms are simply amazing. The story is great, sad, and scary at times, and will captivate your attention, and make you care about the people. It captures that element of prisoners being subjected to imprisonment by an evil dictator, and how they cope with their situation. Powerful. With that being said, I am enthusiastically giving this movie the full 6 out of 6 stars (
). The only other thing about this movie I want to say is… GO SEE IT! You will be glad you did. I lied, I do have one other thing to mention, because I know that some people will be pissed if they didn’t know this, and went to see it and hated subtitles… yes, it is subtitled, the whole movie is in Spanish. But that doesn’t change how I feel about it at all… so it shouldn’t stop you either!!
9 comments for “pan’s labyrinth: my review”