2008 Woodie Awards
Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth
Pan of gold
Jessica Lillie
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
"Pan's Labyrinth," directed by Guillermo Del Toro, weaves fantasy with horror to tell the scary, shocking, and overall beautiful tale of love, fancy, and war with striking images, a gorgeous soundtrack, and a storyline that carries the movie through to a fantastic ending.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is the story of ten-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), her pregnant mother, and Ofelia's ruthless and cruel 'father,' Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ofelia and her mother are forced to move into an old mill house in the middle of a forest while Captain Vidal deals with a pack of rebellious soldiers hiding out in the woods.
War, however, means nothing to young Ofelia as she wanders around in the woods behind the mill, where she finds an old maze. She is led to the center of the maze by a small, transforming fairy, who introduces her to a faun. His appearance is dark, to say the least.
The Faun tells that she is the princess of the underworld and that she must complete three tasks to return to her real father in this land of magic. Each task is more dangerous and more terrifying than the last.
Eventually, Ofelia is pulled back into the more visible world of the war around her, where violence and death ensue on a daily basis and her mother's pregnancy becomes more painful by the minute.
The film is nothing short of a masterpiece. The cinematography is striking, with scenes that fade into each other and stories that play across the screen magnificently. The soundtrack is fitting, with a lullaby-esque feel and beautifully choreographed scores.
Creating an adult fantasy was certainly difficult to do, but Guillermo Del Toro has built a movie of horror and fantasy which is worthy of praise.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is the story of ten-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), her pregnant mother, and Ofelia's ruthless and cruel 'father,' Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ofelia and her mother are forced to move into an old mill house in the middle of a forest while Captain Vidal deals with a pack of rebellious soldiers hiding out in the woods.
War, however, means nothing to young Ofelia as she wanders around in the woods behind the mill, where she finds an old maze. She is led to the center of the maze by a small, transforming fairy, who introduces her to a faun. His appearance is dark, to say the least.
The Faun tells that she is the princess of the underworld and that she must complete three tasks to return to her real father in this land of magic. Each task is more dangerous and more terrifying than the last.
Eventually, Ofelia is pulled back into the more visible world of the war around her, where violence and death ensue on a daily basis and her mother's pregnancy becomes more painful by the minute.
The film is nothing short of a masterpiece. The cinematography is striking, with scenes that fade into each other and stories that play across the screen magnificently. The soundtrack is fitting, with a lullaby-esque feel and beautifully choreographed scores.
Creating an adult fantasy was certainly difficult to do, but Guillermo Del Toro has built a movie of horror and fantasy which is worthy of praise.
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