PAN'S LABYRINTH
Upon arriving at the woodland military outpost, which is currently engaged in eliminating the guerrilla resistance hiding in the forests, Ofelia discovers a labyrinth in the forest. Soon after, she is visited by a faerie, who leads her back to the labyrinth. In a room with a mysterious carved pillar, she meets a faun who tells her that she is the reincarnation of the Princess Moanna, and to regain her crown, she must complete three tasks, each one proving harder than the previous. If she fails at these tasks, she will never be able to return to her father, the benevolent king of an underground world.
In the periphery of this story, the mother continues to suffer; the Captain proves his sociopath cruelty to both the guerrillas and his own men; the one friend of Ofelia, the servant Mercedes, aids the guerrillas with the cooperation of the Captain's doctor; and the Captain begins to discover traitors in the camp, all building to the final climax, which is somewhat predictable in its final result, but with a shocking twist.
Pan's Labyrinth is an artistic masterpiece. It is overflowing with symbolism, metaphors, parallels, and motifs. One can spend hours discussing the depth of del Toro's execution of the story, and indeed I have. I have seen the movie twice and while I knew to look for the aforementioned elements, I found even more details the second time through.
However, despite its intrinsic quality, the movie is can be exceptionally brutal at times. I viewed a content-edited version, done for the audiences it was screened for, to approximately PG-13, yet there were moments of shocking violence that somehow made it through the editing process.
Fortunately for me, I had a friend who had seen the film before and advised me when to cover my eyes; I am not one who can stand graphic violence or brutality, nor wish to. Nevertheless, I still heard the gasps and "oohs!" of those who sat through it.
The story also involves Pale Man, a horrifying character, not because of his appearance, which is still creepy, but who is performed so well by Doug Jones, that it allegedly made Stephen King scream like a girl. The terror comes from the intense suspense involved in the scene. I will say no more so that nothing is spoiled.
Outside of the terror and violence, which in my screening took up only a small part of the film, the movie is gorgeous and compelling, with an effective use of suspense and intrigue. In short, a masterpiece.
Overall, this movie gets a five-star rating, though I would never see it un-edited, partly due to my personal convictions, and partly due to my preference for less-violent movies. Notwithstanding, this film is a masterpiece, as I mentioned before. Simply a masterpiece.
Pan's Labyrinth
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Release: 2007
MPAA Rating: R
Python's Picks Rating: 5 stars
