Film Review: Pan's Labyrinth

Managed to knock this one off my list too.

Ok, where to start? Oh, I know: this movie is not for kids!

Can I stress that enough? Don't even think about it. Heck, it's not for some adults. There's some pretty grotesque violence, including a variation on one of the most disturbing pieces of violence I have ever seen committed to film (see Irreversible - no, not that scene).

Right now, Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) is sitting at 96% on rottentomatoes. That's unbelievable. It's been getting great press (if not a lot of it) and is sitting on many "year's top ten" lists.

I'd have to think about it, but I bet it'd make my top ten of this year. Not sure if that says more about the movie or the kind of year it's been. (Stay tuned for that list)

All in all, I definitely liked it. I would recommend seeing this one on the big screen rather than waiting for the dvd for the simple fact that larger-than-life effects always look better, well, larger than life.

But I'll warn you: don't expect wall-to-wall fantasy. This movie is at least as much about the "real world" as it is about the surreal one. Part of my disappointment in this film stemmed from the fact that I was expecting...more. I didn't mind the "real world" per se, but the storyline was rather simplistic and it unfolded in an obvious fashion. The movie just didn't surprise me enough for me to go completely ga-ga over it.

This is the type of film teachers like to use for thematic examination. By the end, I was trying to figure out exactly what the events meant. I think I have a pretty good idea - now I'm just trying to figure out if I'm ok with that.

Can't say too much more without spoiling some stuff, so I'll leave it at that.

Go see it.