Review by Fat Jack My Rating 5 stars out of 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Fresh
Netflix: 4.4 stars out of 5
IMDb: 8.5 stars out of 10
Roger Ebert: 4 stars out of 4
Dan, the co-owner of The Moxie (Springfield’s only independent movie theatre) introduced the film as having mind-searing violence. He was right. This may be a fairytale, but it is an grown-up fairytale, leaving the reality of a happy ending up to the filmgoer. It is a cold and cruel world – an idea, which is aptly applied through the character of the Captain. He is concerned about little except producing progeny and dying honorably on the battlefield, and all his actions push him toward those goals. His utter disregard for anyone or anything is expertly dramatized by actor Sergio Lopez.
Young Ofelia travels with her pregnant mother to live with new father and husband, Captain Vidal. Ofelia wants no part of it. Once in the encampment, she realizes the world around her is full of death and pain. She soon discovers Pan’s Labyrinth. Pan being the name of the faun she encounters. He tells her a fairytale about a long lost princess of the underground world and suggests that she is the princess found. In order to discover this world, she must first complete three tasks.
The movie is not about the fairytale world, but rather about the journey toward this new land -- a metaphor for Heaven. Her path makes her interact with the Captain’s cruel hunt for the resistance soldiers hiding in the forest, where there is constant war and hatred. Inside the Captains camp there are members of the resistance wreaking havok.
The beauty of Pan’s Labyrinth is in the deep expression of director Guillermo del Toro, who has a tendency to create horror-dramas. It is a stunning work, full of beauty and darkness with an interesting story devoid of any typical Hollywood ending. It is a fairytale for adults, but one that is worth seeing.
CAPTAIN VIDAL: You could have obeyed me!
THE DOCTOR: But captain, to obey - just like that - for obedience's sake... without questioning... That's something only people like you do. [Captain Vidal shoots him].
CAPTAIN VIDAL: Tell my son the time his father died. Tell him I...
MERCEDES: No. He won't even know your name.
MERCEDES: You won't be the first pig I've gutted.
1 comment:
A fantastic film. The Director's eye for detail and pace move the story along in a way that makes it a must see for everyone.
Post a Comment