Pan's Labyrinth Review

HIGHS

• I've been a fan of Guillermo Del Toro's work for some time now, so when I heard about Pan's Labyrinth I was immediately excited even before seeing the excellent trailer. My expectations were not only met, they were exceeded. I think I remember reading a quote from Roger Ebert somewhere calling Pan's a "fairy tale for grown-ups." I think that's a very accurate way of summing it up. Pan's Labyrinth is a magical, violent, imaginative, heart-breaking work of art to behold.
• The fact that the film uses subtitles really worked to enhance the experience for me. I felt more like someone was telling me a story as I read along. The narrative is structured very much like a classic fable.
• I'm not familiar with many of the actors in the film, but they all suited their parts marvelously. The two actresses who played Ofelia and Mercedes were particularly outstanding.
• There are some fantastic character designs in the film that really add to the fantasy element. The costumes and cinematography were also top-notch. Pan's had a very modest budget- somewhere around the $5 million mark- but every single penny was put to good use.
• To put it bluntly, if you enjoy using your imagination and have an appreciation for fine film-making, Pan's Labyrinth is a wondrous experience.
  

LOWS

• The only possible low that could come of all this is if Pan's doesn't snag the Oscar for Best Foreign Film this year.

Torrey's Opinion:
5- Strongly Recommended
4- Recommended
3- A Mixed Bag
2- Sub-par
1- Don't Bother

Random related fact: Doug Jones, who plays both Pan and "The Pale Man" in the film, was also Abe Sapien in Del Toro's Hellboy film adaptation. Jones also played the lead Gentleman in my favorite episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer ever, "Hush." (You can probably guess who supplied the Joss Whedon-related portion of this.)