“Del Toro’s labyrinth, is a phantasmogrically dark trip,
reality vs fantasy, with nary a foolish slip”.

[d3 update: apologies are in order since I have been vacationing in Melbourne, and have not been able to commission time - till now - to plug in my reviews]

Mexican film maker Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Blade 2, Devil’s backbone) revisits similar paths that lead to The Devil’s Backbone, and spins a spellbinding tale of war, fantasy and a young girl’s yearning for her dead father.

It’s Spain during General Franco’s fascist rule, and Ofelia and her very pregnant mother make a perilous journey deep into the countryside to join her step-father, the sadistic Captain Vidal, at his new outpost. Inspite of a cold reception from the Captain, Ofelia finds a friend in the Captain’s trusted housekeeper Mercedes, and in a grasshopper that later turns into a fairy, and leads her to an ancient stone labyrinth that is the lair of a faun, the crusty Pan, who informs her that she is the lost princess of a magical kingdom. In order to reclaim that right and join her anxious father, the king, she has to complete three dangerous tasks before the next full moon that will qualify her as the rightful heiress.
While Ofelia tries to complete her tasks, the Captain has to deal with the revolutionaries, his wife’s ailing condition, possible traitors among his loyal hands and a step-daughter whom he is not too fond of. As days progress, events turn darker by the hour to everyone’s detriment.

Pan’s Labyrinth is not an easy film, and Guillermo Del Toro is deserving of the majority of the credit for a skillful rendition of a complex tale of dramatic and tragic proportions that incorporates fantasy with harsh reality. Lending terrific support to his vision is Sergi Lopez as the terrifyingly sick Captain Vidal and Ivana Banquero as the innocent Ofelia, who delivers a performance worthy of a veteran.

Earning equal kudos are the technical wizards in the visual, sound and make-up departnments, the cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and the music dude Javier Navarette who delivers a haunting score to the proceedings.

People expecting a regular horror fare might be disappointed - but if you were taken in my Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone, you will love Pan’s Labyrinth. Another feather in Del Toro’s cap.

Verdict - A must see for every discerning viewer.

DURATION: 119 mins.
MPAA RATING: R For graphic violence and some language
CAST: Sergi Lopez, Ivana Banquero, Maribel Verdu
DIRECTOR: Guillermo Del Toro