Some Thoughts on Pan’s Labyrinth

Sep 30th, 2008 by Los Havros

There’s no point doing a review of any kind as the film has been out for quite some time now, and I’m not going to go into any kind of detail necessary to write a review. What I will do though, is offer up some thoughts of mine, when I discovered this masterpiece late one night on Channel 4.

After watching the film in it’s entirety I’d say that the bleeding effect between the deliciously dark fairytale and the gritty, harsh realities of the Spanish Civil War is truly magnificent. Guillermo del Toro ’s master touch and the dialogue being in Spanish adds that extra layer of immersion and authenticity.

The actor’s portrayal of the sadistic Captain added real depth to the film and created a true villain (but not clichéd) that you could hate. The faun was a particularly interesting character indeed, as right until the last few minutes of the film, you didn’t know whether to trust him or not. Quite creepy.

Pan's Labyrinth

I have to admit that this film scared me quite a lot. The scene with the Pale Man and the banquet had me gripping the arms of my chair tight as I could see that Ofelia was oblivious to the creature waking up to get her. A truly terrifying monster. Why is it that this film (rated 15), scares me more than most 18 rated films? I’d say it’s both the quality of the script and the director knowing exactly what he wants from a scene. A true masterpiece.

Does this film have any detractions? Not for me. This has to be one of those rare films that I’m going to rate 5 stars. An absolute triumph. I’ll be getting Pan’s Labyrinth on DVD soon.

Ok, so you’ve heard enough superlatives from me, have you watched the film? What do you think? Please talk to me!