Pan's Labyrinth

Well, I did a search and didn't come up with one, so here goes.

I was waiting to see what all the hoopla was about with this film and I finally got to see it. Not a bad film a little on the crude side, but you can't make the villians of films cute can you? :no: It was a good film and a sad one.

Thoughts?

I watched it weeks ago and it was one of the best movies I saw this year. I first thought it's a Narnia like story with a girl entering another world, but then it turned in to a brutal movie. I think it's perfect made with this fairy tale like story. I actually don't know what kind of genre it is.
I found the end really sad when Ofelia died in the end.

I was absolutely blown over by this film, there were some very powerful scenes, very fantastical and of course, very political ones too. Though I wouldn't recomend this film for children, there are some suprisingly violent scenes aswell.

I was absolutely blown over by this film, there were some very powerful scenes, very fantastical and of course, very political ones too. Though I wouldn't recomend this film for children, there are some suprisingly violent scenes aswell.

So was I -- it was a very good movie. But I, like you, would not recommend this film for children, due to the suprisingly violent scenes that are in this film.

I quite liked this movie - the animation was very good and the story very strange, but in this case intrigueing. I think I would let my children at age 10 + see this movie. The plot was forthmoving and twisting. (I had expected a Disney ending where everyone lived happily ever after)

It was sad when Ofelia died, but then you knew she went to something better.

I was absolutely blown over by this film, there were some very powerful scenes, very fantastical and of course, very political ones too. Though I wouldn't recomend this film for children, there are some suprisingly violent scenes aswell.

Yes, I was also blown over by this film. I was totally unprepared for what was to come and found myself covering my eyes at some points of the movie because frankly, it was too brutal even for me in some parts. My older son brought it home from the video store where he works and even though my 10 year old was itching to watch it, I don't think he is quite ready for this type of movie.

For me, the story was about how Ophelia coped with her situation through her fairy tale books and vivid imagination. I believe it was all about Ophelia making the right choices in a no win situation, even if it meant her own death in the end. I would compare this movie, in concept anyway, to Bridge to Terabithia, but told in a much darker, more adult themed tone. When circumstances are not happy ones for the main characters of both of these films, they throw themselves into a world of fantasy to aid in dealing with truths that are sometimes too harsh even for an adult to handle. I feel this is definitely an adult movie and parents should screen the movie first before deciding if their own child/children can understand and appreciate the underlying messages and handle the brutality portrayed.

I thought this was an excellent movie and should have won Best Foreign Film. I suspect that many viewers were thrown off by the ending . . . and may have failed to understand it.

I loved it, favourite film I saw that year. The soundtrack is amazing as well. I think I read somewhere that the director was apporached for harry potter...or maybe I just read about him saying he'd like to. Can't quite remember, but he'd do a great job IMO. I think he's mates with the guy who did POA.

It was an amazing film, and I loved it even though it was not what I was expecting when I went to watch it.
I don't think the director is interested in making any of the Harry Potter films, at least not at the moment. He is very good friends with Alfonso Cuaron (the one who made POA), and they currently have a deal with Universal Pictures to make 5 movies along with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (the director of Babel).

I just watched this for the first time over the weekend and I thought it was great. It kept me guessing until the end, and the cinematography was beautiful.

The extras on disc 2 of the DVD are great. Del Toro explains a lot of the symbolism, and seeing the actor get on the various rubber / etc suits was cool. Most of the extras are in english on the DVD set I bought.

I thought it was really amazing, I saw it twice in theater. I could spend a while raving about it, I thought it had a great mood to it, and a great story, and good acting, I also thought it was really nice that there was a fantasy story put up against this brutal political regime.

I was also really happy to see that only one of the monsters was computer animated, I really really approve of the whole actors in suits thing.

This was a fantastic film, I watched it twice in one night, once while doing my homework, and the other once I realized this film was too good to be background music, and because I don't speak Spanish.

I was completely bowled over by everything about this movie. Especially the cinematic direction and the score - which were both hauntingly beautiful.

This is truly a fantastic film. Anything I could add has already been said. I must say that it did make me cringe at times. It is definitely an adult fairy tale.

I liked the old-school filmmaking, too...using miniatures and costumed actors and just scrubbing out the green legs (see the disc 2 material) instead of all CGI. Even much of the frog-in-the-tree scene was old-school filmmaking, though the supplemental material contains a great account of how they changed that scene around on the fly (won't spoil it!). It's more fun to me to see how they do stuff like that than it is to see how they draw things on a computer screen :p.

that was an incredible movie...my Spanish class went to see it but i decided not to go and rent it instead cause i thought it would be bad but you see it and and it's just like WOW that was an incredible movie but so sad. even without the subtitles you can still understand whats going on and really get into the characters we decided one of the best scenes was when mercedes attacked captain vidal

I have not seen this yet, but it's got a top spot in my Netflix qeue. I was going to anyway, but after that recent story where Guillermo del Toro mentioned that he might consider directing 'Deathly Hallows', I made a point of renting.

(Sorry, I guess this was a pointless post.)

I have not seen this yet, but it's got a top spot in my Netflix qeue. I was going to anyway, but after that recent story where Guillermo del Toro mentioned that he might consider directing 'Deathly Hallows', I made a point of renting.

(Sorry, I guess this was a pointless post.)
It wasn't pointless at all! I hope you enjoy the movie! Let uss know what you think.

Gosh, I am the odd one out here. I didn't like it at all :(. I actually could barely even finish it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood when I watched it. I also think I wasn't prepared for how dark it was was. I thought it was suppose to be more of a fairytale aspect which it was, but I didn't expect all the violence. I can usually handle a lot, but there were some parts that I thought were grotesque and reall better left up to the imagination. But, again maybe that is just because I wasn't expecting the movie to be that way.

There were some parts that I did like, I really liked the maid's character and I think her last line in the film was the best. I liked the different fantasy characters and the tasks that she was set up too do. I liked the ending, but overall I kind of felt sick after watching it and I was actually surprised that so many people liked it. I guess I couldn't get past how sick some of the parts were and they kind of ruined the rest of the film for me. :shrug:

Didn't you see the rating for it? You should always look at a films rating and what it's rated for before you watch it or you might end up seeing things you would rather not. I went into in knowing it was going to be a violent ride, but at the end of it I knew it was worth it.

Pan's Labyrinth was an amazing, beautiful film, I couldn't believe how swept away I was, and without even knowing it. Near the end I didn't even break down crying, it came over me so silently and unexpectedly, tears just rolling down my face, even though we are show what happens at the beginning of the movie it still affected me so much. Captain Vidal is so evil and horrible, Mercedes is strong and she makes up for Ofelia's weak mother. And Ofelia herself is a wonderful, imaginative child. I thought it was perfect.

Didn't you see the rating for it? You should always look at a films rating and what it's rated for before you watch it or you might end up seeing things you would rather not. I went into in knowing it was going to be a violent ride, but at the end of it I knew it was worth it.
Yup we did. We were both kind of wondering, but my mother in law recommended it and said that it was "sad" so we really had no idea how much violence it would show. I might try and watch it again, because maybe now that I know what is comming I might enjoy it more.

Well even I didn't watch the really violent parts, you can tell that they're coming so I just looked away. I'm not that into violent movies, but at least it's not violent just for the sake of it like Saw.

I didn't think it was going to be as good as it was, the subtitles was a little setback, but you got used to it pretty quick, I loved the movie.

My favorite film of all time. Loved it and re-watch it regularly.

definitely a great movie!!!loved it

amazing different world, makes u wonder..

Well even I didn't watch the really violent parts, you can tell that they're coming so I just looked away. I'm not that into violent movies, but at least it's not violent just for the sake of it like Saw.

Yeah, I definitely looked away when that guy got his face smashed in when he was hunting rabbits. The second time I did watch it and marveled at the amazing CG work done.

Still a fantastic movie and I agree with you one-hundred percent ayashe the violence was only used to underline a point or further the plot in some way, instead of movies like Saw where the plot is the violence.

Anyway, its a wonderful movie and I think everyone should culture themselves a little bit and see it.

(Guillermo Del Torro is Awesome!)

I posted on this thread just after I rented it, and I still forgot to after watching. :lol: Ah well, I'm here now, and it really was/is a brilliant film. Guillermo del Toro says on the DVD prologue "I hope you enjoy it, and get lost in it", and that really was the case. It's true that Pan's Labyrinth is not a movie you watch, but one you feel, one that's hard to shake off, one that simply stays with you. (Forgive me if I ramble on repetitively.)

And what a great cast; there's not a weak link in the group. I can't say enough good things about Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, and in fact I'm not quite sure how i want to put it right now without just babbling on and on, so I'll just say that she was about as close to perfect as it gets; a charming, strong, affecting performance. As for Sergi Lopez as Captain Vidal, wow; he really achieved a great balance here. The character is simply rotten to his very core, with absolutely no regard for human life (at least, beyond that of he and his prospective son), but plenty for the slickness of his hair or the crispness of his thick black gloves; it would have been easy for a lesser actor to maybe slip into caricature, but not Lopez. No, no, he's aware of his Big Bad Wolf role, but this is a masterful, chilling performance (I was especially tense during the torture scene with the stutterer). You know you've got a great villain when you grin and applaud a little at his demise (with that brilliant line from Mercedes: "He won't even know your name".) I was really impressed with Doug Jones, too, as both the faun and the Pale Man; that is some incredibly dense makeup (something you appreciate even more after watching the Pan and the Fairies feature on disc two), and it takes a strong performer to do something as distinctive as this from under it; so often on featurettes like that, you hear about the talent it takes to overpower such multilayered prosthetics. The faun, especially, was such an unsettling presence; I never knew what to think of him from moment to moment, but he certainly never made that world seem any safer; there was really never any guide or source of comfort or trust there for Ofelia to fall back on, as there always is in this sort of tale. Really strong supporting work from Maribel Verdu as Mercedes, Alex Angulo as Dr. Ferreiro, and Ariadna Gil as Carmen round out this flawless ensemble.

Technically, to me, this film was flawless. The visual effects were integrated seamlessly; I'm always aware of an effect in some way, even if it's a positive way - that's just who I am, but it wasn't the case here. Javier Navarrete wrote a beautiful, haunting score too, especially the signature lullaby. I loved the way it was used as an old favorite of Mercedes'. I haven't seen Babel, but I find it hard to believe that Gustavo Santaolalla's score there was better. Guillermo Navarro, however, did walk off with a trophy for his rich, compelling cinematography, and it was most definitely deserved.

About the violence, I've heard and read so much about it that I think I had this idea that I would be sitting through a bloodbath or something, but thankfully, I didn't feel that any of the more brutal moments were unnecessary; quite the contrary. I won't lie, I turn away when Vidal murders the farmer's son, but afterwards even if some stuff is cringe-inducing (Vidal repairing his wound, for instance), I don't feel it's too much.

Overall, I think Pan's Labyrinth is one of the best movies I've seen in the last decade ('though it's only my 3rd favorite of it's year).

Wow, AcidPops. I completely agree. This was such an incredibly well-written and -acted film that I couldn't help but buy it on DVD the day it cam out, and watch it about three times in a row. And yes, the score was one of the best parts about the film. I loved it. What also made it very interesting for me was that after I saw it, we watched it in Spanish class, and my teacher, who lived in Spain, told us all about the significance of each creature. It was incredible to learn how much thought went in behind each little thing that appeared. :wow:

I posted on this thread just after I rented it, and I still forgot to after watching. :lol: Ah well, I'm here now, and it really was/is a brilliant film. Guillermo del Toro says on the DVD prologue "I hope you enjoy it, and get lost in it", and that really was the case. It's true that Pan's Labyrinth is not a movie you watch, but one you feel, one that's hard to shake off, one that simply stays with you. (Forgive me if I ramble on repetitively.)

And what a great cast; there's not a weak link in the group. I can't say enough good things about Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, and in fact I'm not quite sure how i want to put it right now without just babbling on and on, so I'll just say that she was about as close to perfect as it gets; a charming, strong, affecting performance. As for Sergi Lopez as Captain Vidal, wow; he really achieved a great balance here. The character is simply rotten to his very core, with absolutely no regard for human life (at least, beyond that of he and his prospective son), but plenty for the slickness of his hair or the crispness of his thick black gloves; it would have been easy for a lesser actor to maybe slip into caricature, but not Lopez. No, no, he's aware of his Big Bad Wolf role, but this is a masterful, chilling performance (I was especially tense during the torture scene with the stutterer). You know you've got a great villain when you grin and applaud a little at his demise (with that brilliant line from Mercedes: "He won't even know your name".) I was really impressed with Doug Jones, too, as both the faun and the Pale Man; that is some incredibly dense makeup (something you appreciate even more after watching the Pan and the Fairies feature on disc two), and it takes a strong performer to do something as distinctive as this from under it; so often on featurettes like that, you hear about the talent it takes to overpower such multilayered prosthetics. The faun, especially, was such an unsettling presence; I never knew what to think of him from moment to moment, but he certainly never made that world seem any safer; there was really never any guide or source of comfort or trust there for Ofelia to fall back on, as there always is in this sort of tale. Really strong supporting work from Maribel Verdu as Mercedes, Alex Angulo as the doctor, and Ariadna Gil as Carmen round out this flawless ensemble.

Technically, to me, this film was flawless. The visual effects were integrated seamlessly; I'm always aware of an effect in some way, even if it's a positive way - that's just who I am, but it wasn't the case here. Javier Navarrete wrote a beautiful, haunting score too, especially the signature lullaby. I loved the way it was used as an old favorite of Mercedes'. I haven't seen Babel, but I find it hard to believe that Gustavo Santaolalla's score there was better. Guillermo Navarro, however, did walk off with a trophy for his lush, compelling cinematography, and it was most definitely deserved.

About the violence, I've heard and read so much about it that I think I had this idea that I would be sitting through a bloodbath or something, but thankfully, I didn't feel that any of the more brutal moments were unnecessary; quite the contrary. I won't lie, I turn away when Vidal murders the farmer's son, but afterwards even if some stuff is cringe-inducing (Vidal repairing his wound, for instance), I don't feel it's too much.

Overall, I think Pan's Labyrinth is one of the best movies I've seen in the last decade ('though it's only my 3rd favorite of it's year).

Wow, AcidPops. I completely agree. This was such an incredibly well-written and -acted film that I couldn't help but buy it on DVD the day it cam out, and watch it about three times in a row. And yes, the score was one of the best parts about the film. I loved it. What also made it very interesting for me was that after I saw it, we watched it in Spanish class, and my teacher, who lived in Spain, told us all about the significance of each creature. It was incredible to learn how much thought went in behind each little thing that appeared. :wow:


i couldnt have possibly described it better!!!:tu::love:

Recently saw this movie, and agree that it is beautifully written, acted, and the cinematography was excellent. A few scenes were difficult to watch, but totally in keeping with the story/characters.

I agree that it was surprisingly violent! Like, I went into this movie figuring it would be some foreign fantasy movie. Then realized it was subtitled (don't have a problem with that, mostly because I find dubbing to be distracting and annoying)...and that it was rather violent!

Still, fantastic movie! Beautiful cinematography, well acted (child actors normally make me want to die but the girl who played Ofelia was really good), and even though the ending was sad, I think it made more sense to the plot, rather than having some happy ending to it.

In a rather off-beat way, I guess it does have a happy ending...

I recently watched this and it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. It was so sad, but I absolutely loved it. The actors were amazing - I loved the actress who played Ofelia. I even learned how to play Mercedes's Lullaby on the piano because it was so pretty.

But really, I thought her whole magical world was real until the end (I'd never heard of magical realism). The ending was so sad, I hated the Captain for killing her. I guess it was ok because in her magical world, she became the princess.

This is one of the very few movies that actually makes me CRY almost everytime I watch it.
Almost every time XD

I didn't think it was going to be as good as it was, the subtitles was a little setback, but you got used to it pretty quick, I loved the movie.

*Sigh* I have to watch cable and all the movies with subtitles, since I was a kid.

So I guess I am completely used to subtitles cuz we don´t have any other choice, but dubbings from time to time.

But yes, some movies makes me feel dizzy at the cinema for being reading complex scripts...

But I have no other choice. Everything is subtitled


As for Sergi Lopez as Captain Vidal, wow; he really achieved a great balance here. The character is simply rotten to his very core, with absolutely no regard for human life (at least, beyond that of he and his prospective son), but plenty for the slickness of his hair or the crispness of his thick black gloves; it would have been easy for a lesser actor to maybe slip into caricature, but not Lopez. No, no, he's aware of his Big Bad Wolf role, but this is a masterful, chilling performance (I was especially tense during the torture scene with the stutterer). You know you've got a great villain when you grin and applaud a little at his demise (with that brilliant line from Mercedes: "He won't even know your name".) I was really impressed with

I love Sergi Lopez ( the guy how plays the terrible Captain Vidal.)

You know, he is actually a very sweet man and have played romantic characters out side "Pan´s Labyrinth" and he is very sexy.

After knowing he can be sweet and nice your vision of Captain Vidal may change, maybe.
He is a Great actor!

Has anyone else heard of or read Del Toro's fantasy lit debut The Strain (http://http://www.mania.com/guillermo-del-toros-new-vampire-series-strain-debuts_article_115384.html)? I haven't myself, but I've read up on it and heard some feedback from others in the middle of it....I guess it's about vampires and also follows a fairly violent horror theme.

I saw this movie twice. I recommended this to my parents to watch it one night and they said they loved it.

I thought this was a beautiful film. It was stunningly shot and the story was so compelling. It reminded me a bit of Tideland by Gilliam, because of the similar theme - a young girl trying to cope with reality by building up a fantasy world around herself.
Guillermo Del Toro is a great director and I believe this is his best film.

It's an incredible film. A true masterpiece.

I also think it's an interesting and powerful condemnation of Franco's vicious regime, that in a movie which has a monster that eats fairies and children, that monster is STILL not the scariest thing in the film.

Vidal is MUCH scarier. That guy was ruthless. One of the most diabolical movie villains I have ever seen.

Well, I did a search and didn't come up with one, so here goes.

I was waiting to see what all the hoopla was about with this film and I finally got to see it. Not a bad film a little on the crude side, but you can't make the villians of films cute can you? :no: It was a good film and a sad one.

Thoughts?

That movie was bizarre. It was like a fairy tale gone horribly wrong...
I liked it though. It was creepy as hell at some points, but I liked it.