Directed by:
Guillermo del ToroScreenplay:
Guillermo del ToroCinematography:
Guillermo NavarroComposer:
Javier NavarreteCast:
Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi López, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú, Álex Angulo, Federico Luppi, Roger Casamajor, Ivan Massagué, Manolo Solo, Fernando Tielve (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil. (Criterion)
(more)Videos (3)
Reviews (13)
Love that doesn't touch me, cruelty that becomes routine, and a fairytale atmosphere that cannot provide the necessary comfort due to its fragmentation. Guillermo Del Toro took too big of a bite, which crumbled into two large crumbs. One slightly smaller, sweet yet bland, the other worn out and almost hard. And not tasty at all. Fragments of a fascinating world, successful atmosphere of fairies, Pan and the creatures from Ofelia's tasks, these are aspects that simply had to captivate me. But there remains the second part with the partisans, eternal failures, and the wild stubbornness of Captain Vidal. When the script tries to torment the viewer with "bad events" too much, it starts to bother me. But when every turn hides obstacles, misfortune, or disaster, sympathy for the main characters disappears completely. Compared to Hellboy, packed with ideas to bursting, this is a surprisingly constrained and one-sided detour to nowhere.
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Via its distinctive treatment, the unique fairy tale theme is offered to a rather older audience, who will not only enjoy the decadent atmosphere but also the many exquisite details that director Del Toro uses to give his fantasy world a soulfulness and an overall feeling of perfect sophistication. The amazing sets, masks, and the contrast of the civil war with the fantasy world are just a sliding surface. The truth lies beneath the surface, where the viewer's imagination and brain must be engaged. Bravo!
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Once upon a time... This unusual fairytale from Guillermo del Toro gave me much more than I expected. Pan’s Labyrinth is full of enthusiasm and love for fantasy, imagination and fairytales. The mysterious “faun-like" atmosphere alternates nicely with real life from the end of the Second World War, without taking away anything from one or the other. The acting performances are excellent and the little Ivan Baquero has my respect. She played difficult scenes amazingly and truly convincingly. The superb makeup shared hugely in conjuring up the almost horror feeling to the movie (especially the um... Pale Man was a work of genius) and I also liked the music which set a great atmosphere for the story.
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A wonderful and engaging tale from the perspective of a child in really difficult times. This is one of Spain's finest films and that's largely due to the original theme, the great cast, the incredibly perfect make-up effects and the sombre atmosphere that completed the visuals of this great work by Guillermo del Toro, something I won't soon forget. A really interesting and extremely emotionally powerful ending. I can't give it anything but a full score, because a film like this isn't made every year.
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Faun's Labyrinth meets all the requirements of a quality film - a strong story, the appropriate budget, an experienced director, and a solid cast. It is exactly the kind of fantasy that I like because it doesn't trample on the most cheaply stolen motifs from Tolkien in a thousand ways, but goes its own way and combines a classic fairy tale story with a realistically conceived war drama. It is original, emotional, tense, and artistically elaborate with excellent cinematography, and the director is not afraid of even naturalistic bloody scenes and ventures into the realm of pure horror. Overall impression: 90%. The pinnacle of Guillermo del Toro's work so far, which will be difficult for the director to surpass...
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