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Movies => Good Movies => Topic started by: Andrew on May 21, 2007, 09:37:55 PM



Title: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Andrew on May 21, 2007, 09:37:55 PM
Neville first discussed this film some time ago:

http://www.badmovies.org/forum/index.php/topic,110772.0.html

I just finished watching this film and must say, it is a movie that will haunt me for some time.  At first, you think it might be something of a children's fairy tale.  It is anything, but that.  The Faun, his faeries, and the three tasks demanded of the little girl are a beautifully woven tale that intricately meshes with the rest of the story - that which is "real" to the adults.  It is going to be a film I will mull over when I have free time to think, because the truth of what happened is hard to grasp.

Superb film, dark and, if I had to describe it in a single word, haunting.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Snivelly on May 22, 2007, 08:32:49 AM
I have this on my NetFlix list, and I'm waiting impatiently for it.  I'm actually going to watch Del Toro's earlier film The Devil's Backbone either today or tomorrow, whenever I get a chance. 


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: dean on May 22, 2007, 08:51:20 AM

I thought it was superb, and yes very haunting.  The scene with the 'Children Eater' was particularly well done.  I loved that creature.

This is the type of movie I'd love to see more of: Twisted, scary fairy-tales that are very much not geared for children, but for more adult fare.  Very much one of my top films I've seen recently.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Andrew on May 22, 2007, 10:35:15 AM
I thought it was superb, and yes very haunting.  The scene with the 'Children Eater' was particularly well done.  I loved that creature.

The faeries, the Faun, and the eater of children were all beautifully designed.  Not only that, but each was perfectly placed into the story.  Not only were they fantastic, but each fit a purpose.

But yes, wow, the part of the movie with the eater of children was amazingly well done.  Scary, even to an adult.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Scott on May 22, 2007, 11:07:43 AM
I was at Borders yesterday and noticed this film title. Will rent it when I get a chance.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Mr_Vindictive on May 22, 2007, 05:39:42 PM
I picked up the double disc that have for the film and watched it last week.  I've been meaning to post about it here but haven't found the time.

I was actually quite surprised by the flick.  I've been reading reviews about it for what seems like years now, and I was always under the assumption it would be a big huge fairy tale with a Del Toro twist to it.  I was surprised to find it to be a much more important film than that, a film that expertly mixes the fairy tale portions with reality. 


Possible Spoiler!


The only thing I disliked about the film was that the viewer knows how it'll end at the beginning.  I would have been much more moved by the ending had I not seen it coming.



Other than that, I highly recommend the film.  It's beautiful and heartbreaking.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Fausto on May 22, 2007, 06:07:20 PM
Awesome, incredible movie, saw it in the theatres, now own a copy. An interesting bit of trivia: Del Toro kept a notebook filled with all his ideas for the movie in it; he ended up leaving it in the back of a cab by accident and was forced to work on other projects instead. However, the cab driver found it, and, realizing its importance, got it back to the director at great personal expense. Del Toro decided it was fated to be made after all; the rest is history.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Torgo on May 23, 2007, 09:41:02 PM
I have this on my NetFlix list, and I'm waiting impatiently for it.  I'm actually going to watch Del Toro's earlier film The Devil's Backbone either today or tomorrow, whenever I get a chance. 

Loved that film up until about the last 15 mintues in which I thought it just fell completely apart.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: CoreyHeldpen on May 23, 2007, 09:47:32 PM
I thought it was superb, and yes very haunting.  The scene with the 'Children Eater' was particularly well done.  I loved that creature.

The faeries, the Faun, and the eater of children were all beautifully designed.  Not only that, but each was perfectly placed into the story.  Not only were they fantastic, but each fit a purpose.

But yes, wow, the part of the movie with the eater of children was amazingly well done.  Scary, even to an adult.

The Children Eater, by the way, is called the Pale Man.

Just thought you'd like to know. I'd love to see this movie. Actually, i think I'll add it to me Netflix que right now.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Snivelly on May 25, 2007, 06:29:02 AM
I have this on my NetFlix list, and I'm waiting impatiently for it.  I'm actually going to watch Del Toro's earlier film The Devil's Backbone either today or tomorrow, whenever I get a chance. 

Loved that film up until about the last 15 mintues in which I thought it just fell completely apart.

I watched this last night and loved it.  I don't know if I agree about the end falling apart, but it did feel a bit rushed.  The parts with the ghost were wonderful though, and the story itself was compelling. 


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Neville on May 28, 2007, 06:19:41 PM
Glad you boys are enjoying this one. It's posibly the best fantasy film I saw last year. I can't wait for Del Toro's next film, although it is a sequel to "Hellboy", one of my least favourite Del Toro films.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Joe the Destroyer on May 29, 2007, 01:36:25 AM
The film he's doing after Hellboy 2 sounds to have a bit of promise.  It sounds almost like it's in the same vein as The Devil's Backbone, if not a sequel of sorts, called 3993

Oh, and Pan's Labyrinth was breath-taking and very powerful.  I enjoyed it immensely.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Him on May 29, 2007, 02:06:44 AM
well I guess i'll chime in. I thought Pan's Labyrinth sucked big time. It was basically a slasher film disquised as a fantasy film. I didn't find it very deep at all. The plot was all over the place, and the film didn't know what it wanted to be.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: HarlotBug3 on May 31, 2007, 03:57:10 AM
I thought it was superb, and yes very haunting.  The scene with the 'Children Eater' was particularly well done.  I loved that creature.

The faeries, the Faun, and the eater of children were all beautifully designed.  Not only that, but each was perfectly placed into the story.  Not only were they fantastic, but each fit a purpose.

But yes, wow, the part of the movie with the eater of children was amazingly well done.  Scary, even to an adult.

I haven't been scared by a 'monster' in a while, but I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one impressed and unsettled by this one.
Anyone hesitant should bump this up on their list, and find a plasma screen if possible.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Neville on May 31, 2007, 04:40:50 AM
The film he's doing after Hellboy 2 sounds to have a bit of promise.  It sounds almost like it's in the same vein as The Devil's Backbone, if not a sequel of sorts, called 3993

Oh, and Pan's Labyrinth was breath-taking and very powerful.  I enjoyed it immensely.

He's confirmed in interviews that it is the final chapter on a trilogy of sorts, completed by "devil's backbone" and "Pan's labyrinth". He also says the story will be set in the 1990s, although the roots of the story will be on Spanish Civil War (1936-39), as in the previous chapters of the trilogy.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Snivelly on June 01, 2007, 06:52:20 AM
I got to watch Pan's Labyrinth last night, and I was as impressed with it as I was with The Devil's Backbone.  The Eater of Children was frightening, or maybe I should say disturbing.  The ending wasn't a surprise, but then in fairy tales it really never is.  Del Toro is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: rebel_1812 on June 01, 2007, 10:57:33 AM
I'm a little sore at this film.  I took a date to see it thinking it would be a very artistic film.  Instead it had more gore then most action movies.  Not exactly a good date movie to say the least.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Andrew on June 01, 2007, 11:05:58 AM
I'm a little sore at this film.  I took a date to see it thinking it would be a very artistic film.  Instead it had more gore then most action movies.  Not exactly a good date movie to say the least.

Well, at least you didn't take her to see "Legend of the Overfiend."   :bouncegiggle:


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Snivelly on June 01, 2007, 11:28:51 AM
Maybe I've been watching too many gory films lately, but I didn't think this one was all that gory. 


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Neville on June 01, 2007, 03:08:26 PM
It's not the "quantity" but the "quality". There's not much blood, but there are plenty of disturbing scenes, like the ones concerning Captain Vidal's activities.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: MoronBoy on June 03, 2007, 08:19:46 PM
I kinda like how the Faun ended up asking Ofelia for the same thing the Captain was asking people for: Unquestioned Obedience.

The Captain made for a great villain in the movie. One of the first times in a long time I felt a deep hatred for the bad guy during a movie, rather than wanting to see him come out the victor or just feeling nothing.

The woman working the counter at the local video store told me that the movie was subtitled and asked if I was okay with that. That made me wonder just how many people came back to the store returning the movie complaining that they wanted to watch a movie, not read a book.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Neville on June 04, 2007, 04:32:59 AM
Yeah, it's hard to believe that's still happening. Here the DVD of "Letters from Iwo Jima" features a prominent sticker "warning" people it is a subtiltled film. Yawn. And I still have friends who will refuse to watch anything with subtitles.

At least I won the battle of widescreen thanks to http://www.widescreen.org/ They made the effort as soon as they saw with their own eyes they were watxching only 50% of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I recommend you to pay a visit to that page, even if you already watch everything in widescreen, it's amazing to see the difference.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Snivelly on June 04, 2007, 07:14:22 AM
I wonder if it's a US thing, because I do know people who get grouchy at the thought of listening to something in a language they don't know while reading subtitles.  It might be because most of us don't travel often outside this country and so don't learn even a small amount of other languages.  Or we could just be lazy.

Dubbing Pan's Labyrinth would ruin the Faun IMO, because his voice was one of the best features.  Plus I can't stand dubbing.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Andrew on June 04, 2007, 07:30:22 AM
I kinda like how the Faun ended up asking Ofelia for the same thing the Captain was asking people for: Unquestioned Obedience.

That is a really good point and one I'd missed.  The film is very complex at times; I'm sure that it will take me a couple of viewings to catch many of the nuances that escaped me.  The Captain was a down right bastard the whole time.  I was happy that Mercedes said what she did, at the very end.  The look on his face was priceless.

Subtitled films never bother me and I've always loved the original widescreen versions.  Over the years, I have convinced a number of people (Katie included) that they shouldn't be watching cropped versions of movies.  When we finally upgrade our TV, I plan on getting a widescreen one.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Neville on June 04, 2007, 08:06:13 AM
I wonder if it's a US thing, because I do know people who get grouchy at the thought of listening to something in a language they don't know while reading subtitles.  It might be because most of us don't travel often outside this country and so don't learn even a small amount of other languages.  Or we could just be lazy.

Dubbing Pan's Labyrinth would ruin the Faun IMO, because his voice was one of the best features.  Plus I can't stand dubbing.

It's the same here in spain. I'm told other European countries get their foreign (even American) films subtitled, but here everything released is dubbed. In bigger cities you can choose between dubbed or subtitled copies when you go to the theatre, but it is a rarity to find subtitled films in smaller cities like mine.

It's ironic you mention the Faun voice, as he is played by an American actor, Doug Jones, and hence is dubbed in all versions.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Mr_Vindictive on June 04, 2007, 08:48:06 AM
It's ironic you mention the Faun voice, as he is played by an American actor, Doug Jones, and hence is dubbed in all versions.

Ha!  I hadn't thought about that.  If I'm not mistaken, I seem to remember reading an article saying that Jones also played the "children eater" in the film.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Snivelly on June 04, 2007, 11:17:56 AM


Ha!  I hadn't thought about that.  If I'm not mistaken, I seem to remember reading an article saying that Jones also played the "children eater" in the film.

You're right....I just went to IMDB, and Doug Jones did indeed play both characters.  His accent was excellent then, at least to my ears. 

About the father figures in the movie......she did seem to think that to be a good daughter, she had to be 100% obedient.  I'm wondering, was that because of the period she grew up in or was the Faun that demanding because her stepfather was? 


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Neville on June 04, 2007, 01:30:31 PM
It was the period. My granny is only 10 years older in comparison (she's 91 now) and her education was very strict, compared to today's standards. She's lived through way more flexible times, but she still thinks children must never disagree with their parents, not even if they are over 60, as my father is.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: daveblackeye15 on June 09, 2007, 04:27:36 PM
I had a great time with this movie. I thought there would be more fantasy to it, I heard very little about it. The Pale Man was definetly the most haunting thing to me.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: CheezeFlixz on June 09, 2007, 11:47:10 PM
I liked it, but I guess I was expecting more from the Guillermo del Toro who as a rule has made some good films. It wasn't a bad film but I can't pin it down ... something was missing. Still fun to watch though, love those fantasy type stuff.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: trekgeezer on June 11, 2007, 07:14:13 AM
A beautifully made movie.  I found the brutality taking place in the "real" world much more disturbing than the fantasy parts.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: ER on December 30, 2021, 04:31:26 PM
I know it's heresy to say so, but I thought this film was entirely over-rated. It looked spectacular and showcased imagination, and the real world parts were where the real horror was found, but I saw it twice and each time nothing sparked in me. But that's just me, not saying it wasn't a fine movie, just not one I fell for.


Title: Re: Pan's Labyrinth
Post by: Alex on December 30, 2021, 04:38:47 PM
I loved it, but it would be a boring world if we all agreed on everything.