PAN'S LABYRINTH

 

I'm not too keen on fantasy films. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia... Nopes, just don't like them. I love fairies and goblins and magic and wonder to look at but as far as the narrative goes the only fantasy film i love, and i mean love, is my childhood favourite Peter Pan.

I hate the Disney version of the story but from Peter Pan the book, to Hook, Finding Neverland and the 2003 live action adaptation that had pre-teen girls everywhere falling in love with Jeremy Sumpter, that fantastical story held me captivated throughout childhood and even to this day every time i open the book or put on one of the films i get swept back to my childhood, where evil pirates, mischevious fairies and beautiful mermaids ruled my imagination.

Peter Pan (2003)

  I did enjoy fantasy films when i was younger but as i grew up i found this genre particularly unappealing and aside from Peter Pan and other nostalgic films from my childhood, i've found that fantasy films just aren't able to maintain my interest and i've generally avoided them.

Pan's Labyrinth was different though. I've mentioned my love of Guillermo Del Toro previously and it is this love and this faith i have in him as a director that finally convinced me to give this film a chance. I knew it was very highly regarded and i also knew that Del Toro dabbles in the darker side of fantasy, making his very own, unique fantasy-horror hybrid that i found appealing. The beautiful aesthetics of a fantasy film combined with the darkness of a horror mixed in with the emotive narrative's that Del Toro is also reknowned for made me think i would actually be in for a cinematic treat.

I am pleased to say that i was right.

Pan's Labyrinth is set in fascist Spain during 1944 and Ofelia, an 11-year-old girl played by the wonderful Ivana Baquero, is sent with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather - the evil captain of the Spanish army. One night Ofelia meets a fairy who takes her to a secret labyrinth where she meets a faun who tells her that she is really the princess of the fantastical underworld but to prove herself and to gain entrance to this World she must complete three tasks before the next full moon.

Although the main concept of the film is fantasy and the beautiful aesthetics throughout really reinforce that, i feel the reality side of things; the brutality of the Spanish cival war and the cold blooded nature of Ofelia's stepfather, are a perfect juxtaposition that makes the fantasy all the more magical. It isn't a film that follows true fantasy conventions; the fairies aren't pretty, floaty Tinkerbell's and the Faun looks more like a villain than a saviour and i could never quite tell if he was actually nice or really just a calculating chancer who was using Ofelia to complete tasks for his own gain. The tasks that Ofelia is given are gruesome and in some instances terrifying and in addition to this there are quite a few scenes of graphic violence that had me grimacing.

The real world was scary and violent and traumatic but the fantasy world wasn't much better, something that most definitely sets Pan's Labyrinth apart from other such films. And, just as i suspected, there was your fair share of heartache as Del Toro stuck to his usual style of creating a strong emotional bond between the protagonists and the audience before putting his protagonist through a heartbreaking trauma. As well as scares and grimaces there were plenty of opportunities for tears too.

I enjoyed this film because fantasy wasn't it's focus; it wasn't the be all and end all of the film  and the main essence actually ran a lot deeper than great CGI and make-up. It is a heart-warming, heart-breaking, bittersweet story of a young girl living through the true horror of war. There was also an air of mystery surrounding the film - i couldn't guess what the next task would be, what would happen next or even if the faun was good or bad. I could never tell what was around the corner and that is a rare feat in film nowadays and i think that is why it managed to captivate me in such a way; the film doesn't patronize the audience and i like that.

There was one aspect of the film that did lose me a little bit and up until this point i was thinking 'Wow this is amazing' and following this particular scene the thought process got downgraded to a simple 'Wow, this is pretty good'. As i am not giving away spoilers on this blog, i will say for those who have seen it that the temptation during the second task and Ofelia's reaction to it did make me lose a bit of the love that i had for her as a character. It just seemed too unnecessary and i know originally Ofelia was going to be an 8-year-old girl and maybe in that sense it would have been more understandable but as the film stands, with Ofelia as 11, it just seemed like unjustified stupidity on her part.

Other than that, Pan's Labyrinth is a great film and i do recommend you watch it. Guillermo Del Toro is fast becoming one of my favourite directors.

All in all Pan's Labyrinth loses a star for the second task, so i award it: ★★★★☆

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Love,