Guillermo del Toro's excellent new film, "Pan's Labyrinth," is a violent, enthralling children's movie made for adults.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:188
Fresh:179
Rotten:9
Average Rating:8.5/10
Consensus: Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable. Told through the eyes of a little girl whose imaginary world is inhabited by nightmarish creatures, Pan's Labyrinth is a visually imaginative and allegorical take on the fears she faced in Spain during WWII.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for graphic violence and some language
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Dec 29, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $37,384,484
Synopsis: Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, PAN'S LABYRINTH is a thrilling, violent fairy tale set in post-Civil War Spain. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her mother,... Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, PAN'S LABYRINTH is a thrilling, violent fairy tale set in post-Civil War Spain. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), into the home of Captain Vidal (Sergi López), in an abandoned mill in the middle of dark, dangerous woods. Vidal is leading his team of soldiers against resistance fighters--and he will do whatever is necessary to kill every last one of them. As Vidal bosses around the pregnant Carmen, a flying creature leads Ofelia through a garden labyrinth and into an underground cave ruled by Pan (HELLBOY's Doug Jones), who believes that Ofelia might be the lost princess of this strange yet magical place. To prove she is royalty, Ofelia must complete three tasks, each more difficult and terrifying than the previous one. Meanwhile, Vidal is becoming more and more paranoid, torturing and murdering seemingly at will. Del Toro (THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, HELLBOY, CRONOS) creates a marvelous battle between good and evil, between heroes and villains, in both the real world aboveground and the mystical land below. Baquero gives a compelling performance as the terrorized Ofelia, who is befriended by Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), a woman who harbors some secrets of her own. Stellar production design, superb special effects, and a stirring score by Javier Navarrete add to the scary fun. Selected as the closing-night entry in the 2006 New York Film Festival, PAN'S LABYRINTH is a captivating story that is not for the squeamish. [More]
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil, Doug Jones, Alex Angulo, Roger Casamajor, Ivana Massague
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Screenwriter: Guillermo Del Toro
Producer: Berta Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron, Frida Torresblanco, Alvaro Augustin
Composer: Javier Navarrete
Studio: Picturehouse
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Reviews for Pan's Labyrinth
Del Toro has an unmistakable aesthetic -- his movies bear the stamp of an auteur.
..."Pan's Labyrinth" is an outstanding film and, along with fellow multiple Oscar nominee "Babel," a true testament to the talent that exists outside America.
In the British newspaper, Guardian Unlimited, del Toro credited British illustrator Arthur Rackham and the works of Goya...Guillermo del Toro has joins their ranks with this film.
Is Pan's Labyrinth a war movie with fantasy elements? Or is it a fantasy film laced with political allegory? The beauty of del Toro's story is that it could be read either way.
When was the last time a fantasy flick brought to mind Schindler's List?
A gorgeously executed and disturbingly violent moving picture poem that bravely flies in the face of genre convention and stands alone in its purpose.
Pan's Labyrinth is bold and original, a mini-masterpiece of fantasy filmmaking that deserves to be seen by a wide audience.
Pan's Labyrinth, a masterpiece of fantasia by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, is at turns exquisitely beautiful, horrifying, and heart-wrenchingly sweet.
Blending fantasy and reality, Pan's Labyrinth is an engaging film about a young girl looking to escape the horrendous environment in which she finds herself.
Del Toro's film reveals a sad truth. With each life experience, one gets further and further from the naivete that makes pure imagination possible.
Un ambicioso y no del todo convincente cuento de hadas para adultos, que reivindica el poder de la imaginación como vía de escape ante la adversidad y como arma frente a la intolerancia.
... told both from the numb, accepting view of an adult... and from the eyes of a child where even the tiniest glimmer of hope pierces the darkness like a shard of starlight.
So breathtaking in its artistic ambition, so technically accomplished, so morally expansive, so fully realized that it defies the usual critical blather. See it, and celebrate that rare occasion when a director has the audacity to commit cinema.
Del Toro specializes in taking horror and superhero films to bold, baroque places, yet Pan's Labyrinth is a step above his usual forays into the fantastic.
This one has mind-blowing visuals that employ many 'organic' effects (del Toro prefers to use makeup prosthetics and other devices, eschewing computer graphics).
Latest News for Pan's Labyrinth
April 21, 2009:
Five Favorite Films with Ron Perlman
While he's become best known for portraying a red, horned antihero in Guillermo del Toro's popular comic book adaptations Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ron Perlman... More...
November 14, 2008:
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RT caught up with Hellboy II director Guillermo del Toro at the DVD/Blu-ray Launch Event for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, where the celebrated fantasy auteur shared his favorite... More...
July 13, 2008:
Guillermo del Toro - RT's Dinner and the Movies Interview
We have an extended chat with the director of Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth and this week's Hellboy II to talk about his career past, present and future and tap him for juicy... More...
July 01, 2008:
Edinburgh 2008: What to Watch
We share twenty of the best films screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, currently running in the Scottish city. More...
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