Fantasy is a whole other world in cinema that, when done right, is able to transfer its audience into an absolutely immersive atmosphere. When done wrong, however, it can come off as endlessly goofy and thankfully, Guillermo del Toro knows exactly how to create the perfect fantastical universe. His iconic 2006 feature Pan's Labyrinth is the perfect example of this, as he is able to create a mystifying and eerie world unlike any other filmmaker working today. There is a lot to love about this movie and everyone from history buffs to fans of fairy tales will appreciate the careful and beautiful storytelling that del Toro has achieved here. However, I will be honest when I say that this film did not exactly live up to the reputation that I have heard about it. I found the script and direction to be a bit lackluster when working together and there were a lot of creative choices that did not make much sense to me. I will always appreciate del Toro's use of practical effects and creature design but the combination of those elements with his story just did not do much for me.
Young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is sent to live with her military step-father Vidal (Sergi López), whom her mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) married for a "better life." During the middle of a civil war, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth, in which she stumbles upon a faun (Doug Jones) who offers her an escape from the horrors of reality. First, however, she must complete three tasks which she ends up finding much more difficult than she expected. The premise of this film, while very fantastical in itself, is a relatively basic idea that is expanded upon greatly by del Toro's world-building abilities. He creates a narrative within this movie that is constructed upon such a gorgeous and simple idea of a magical labyrinth. While it takes a much darker approach to that of a typical fairy tale, it is no less mesmerizing. The performances throughout this film from the human characters are all incredible, especially that of Baquero. She embodies this naive innocence that a child of her age would absolutely carry and she is wildly capable of expressing so many different emotions even in scenes shot presumably by herself before makeup or CGI was done. Doug Jones' double-casting as the faun and as the terrifying pale man is also one of the greatest choices in this film. Jones is a frequent collaborator of del Toro's and the two are always able to make complete magic together. The faun is one of the most interesting characters in this film and his mysterious presence really makes you question his motives and which side he is really on. The performance from Jones definitely helps that and his portrayal of the murderous and gruesome pale man does just that as well. All of the creature and world designs in this movie are once again stupendous and there will never be a doubt in my mind that del Toro can come up with the most interesting and wondrous characters. The use of practical effects is brilliant and definitely aids in making the aforementioned scenes even scarier.
Unlike this film's gorgeous technicals and wonderful atmosphere, I found del Toro's script to be a bit incohesive and I was constantly lost throughout the film. A lot of big plot choices in the writing and character motivations were never fully explained and while the human plot was directed well in sync with the fantasy plot, I just think that one should have been given preference over another. They are solid and entertaining stories on their own but I never felt any type of connection between Ofelia's struggles with the three tasks and her struggles with her family during the war. The fantasy labyrinth provided an escape for her but I could never quite tell what it had anything to do with the horrific realities of her home life. The faun's challenges for her provided a means of the coming-of-age aspect of this film but again, I could not feel how they tied into her plot in the real world. It almost felt as if I were watching two different films and while they shared a lead character, the connection between them was not established until the very end. Up until the final scene, I had expected the theme of adults not being able to see the faun or any of the fantasy creatures but I wish that del Toro could have explored that earlier along in the movie. The ending scene as well greatly irritates me and I wish that del Toro's direction could have made the ambiguity clearer. Many films can utilize an unclear ending to their advantage and while del Toro had the opportunity to do so, it just frustrated me more than anything. Whether or not Ofelia actually made it to the golden kingdom that she had envisioned as she lay there dying is up to the viewer but the ambiguous nature of her innocence and how it supposedly overcame the evil did not ever feel satisfactory. I know that this entire movie is really an adult fairy tale but I also know that is not a reason for a story to feel incomplete.
Pan's Labyrinth is NOT about mazes as I was led to believe for years and if one goes into this film expecting such, they will come out quite disappointed. Guillermo del Toro is the best fantasy filmmaker of our generation and his body and variance of work continue to impress me. While I was not as blown away with this story as much as I was his other work, the fact that a film like this can continue to be so culturally referenced and relevant is a feat in and of itself.
My Rating: ★★★½
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