Pan's Labyrinth
Guillermo Del Toro is a great name. Rolling off the lips of film fans and appearing as a presenter to many films, Del Toro is a brilliant film maker. Whether he is leading the direction, writing the screenplay or producing countless amount of fantasy and horror movies, Del Toro is a giant amongst the film industry. The Spanish director has earned countless amount of fans, awards and praise for his works which include The Devil’s Backbone and his new venture, Pacific Rim. Yet it is the dark fantasy epic, Pan’s Labyrinth that still is whispered throughout movie community as an amazing film.
Pan’s Labyrinth (El Labyrinto del fauno.) is that perfect blend of fantasy and drama. It centres around 9 year old Ofelia who movies with her heavily pregnant mother Carmen to the home of her stepfather Captain Vidal during war torn Spain. Vidal is a terrible man who heads a fascist regime and hunts down, slays any rebel who stands in his or his parties’ way. One day, Ofelia comes across a stick insect who turns out to be a fairy and it leads the young girl to the opening of a labyrinth. Met with a faun, Ofelia is soon charged with three tasks in order to open the maze and the underworld. As Vidal’s violent manner is revealed and her mother soon dying, Ofelia must complete the tasks in order to save the magical world and her own war torn world. This sweeping epic will enchant you to its very bitter end.
Pan’s Labyrinth is a poetic movie filled with adventure and fairy tales. Del Toro brings a fantastic combination of cold and stark realism and enchanting child like imagination. The movie is beautiful from start to finish. You enter this labyrinth with high standards. The creatures such as the fawn or the fairy are twisted but striking creations that are conceived by a marvellous director and his incredible special effects team. Guillermo Navarro, the director of photography, stated that with this work he felt truly free and the film is filled with that creativity. It is almost freeing to watch Pan’s Labyrinth as the art, made most from animatronics and complex make-up, because every inch of it is filled with cinematic love and hard work. Here Del Toro, Navarro and everyone involved in Pan’s Labyrinth give life to a dark yet sweeping adventure.
But aside from the labyrinth’s monsters (including the most memorable and terrifying Pale Man,) Del Toro manages to juxtapose a rather brutal war story against it. As Ofelia descends into the labyrinth so does her life at home because more sinister with the evil Vidal. The human misery is stark here and pushes us further through a maze of wonder because Ofelia needs hope against the dismal world that she has entered. Pan’s Labyrinth will pull you in to the suffering and the salvation, toying delectably on all your emotions. The ending is both saddening and joyful. I won’t give anything away because if you haven’t seen Pan’s Labyrinth, I don’t want to strip those emotions away from you. But I will say this, you’ll be needing a hug and some tissues.
Pan’s Labyrinth is a master piece. I can’t say much more than that. There is some immensely strong acting (particularly from Ivana Baquero, who plays are spellbound Ofelia,) some great action and magic beyond your belief. Del Toro crafts an outstanding movie with such artistry and it commands your attention from the beginning. Constantly evolving around the story, Pan’s Labyrinth will keep you hook and bury itself deep into your heart. Del Toro wanted to create a fairytale. In Pan’s Labyrinth he made the greatest, shaping a maze full of heart, courage, pain and anguish.
TTFN
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