Hi everyone, Nina here with a quick review from our favorite UK-er Dougie, who was kind enough to send us a review of Guillermo del Toro's latest film, Pan's Labryinth. We've all been looking forward to this one, and Dougie says it does not disappoint. Too bad, considering that it would have been cute to say "Dougie Pans Labryinth!" if he didn't like it. Oh well. Read on!
Remember when you were young, and because your parents were no good at remembering bedtime stories, they'd make one up, to try and get you to sleep. Remember how they always had huge plot holes, no real flow to the plot, and unimaginative characters. After watching Pan's Labyrinth, I kind of wish Guillermo del Toro was my dad.
It's Spain, 1944. a young girl (Ivana Baquero), her pregnant mother and strict stepfather move to the countryside. Captain Vidal (Sergi López), the stepfather, has been posted there to rid the area of rebels. Upon exploring her new home, young Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth guarded by a faun (Doug Jones), who sends the girl on a life-changing quest.
How good a story is that? And, as an added bonus, none of my relatives or friends play badger versions of themselves, like the made-up bedtime stories I was once told.
I've been looking forward to this film for some time now, and was not disappointed. Scene after scene, the movie is simultaneously mercilessly cold, and strikingly beautiful. Even during the darkest parts, del Toro's love for his project warms the screen.
And let me assure you, its a dark, dark film. There's extreme violence in Ofelia's real world, and when she attempts to enter the magical land through the labyrinth, she is constantly confronted by gruesome creatures that would be better suited in a trip to Narnia fuelled by the type of nightmares experienced by eating a lot of cheese right before bedtime.
Doug Jones is back as del Toro's bitch, excellently playing both the faun (Pan, himself), and The Pale Man (who you should never trick into a hi-5). With Jones returning for the Hellboy sequel, he really becoming the Serkis to Guillermo's Peter Jackson. I wonder who would win in a fight between the two. I reckon Serkis, if only because he seems like a biter.
My one real problem with the film is that I don't speak Spanish that well. I have to rely on the subtitles (under no circumstances should this film be dubbed), but my eyes kept drifting from the text, to the on-screen action, meaning I often missed out on what could be an important piece of dialogue.
If only I had a babelfish....
Just as great a movie as I had hoped for, everyone go see! Five fauns out of five for Del Toro and his wonderfully twisted, dark little bedtime story.
