Barely a fantasy

Rating: 6/10 (13 December 2006)

Visually, 'Pan's Labyrinth' is an artistic triumph. It's a grim, grimy downer of a tale shot by a brilliant cinematographer. The set designs are all grey and earthy, which is absolutely right for rural post-Civil War Spain. The few creatures we meet are nicely done, particularly an ingenious monster with eye sockets in his palms. Performances are excellent.
So why the average rating? Well, for a purported fantasy there's far too much time given to the villain of the piece - a relentlessly nasty Captain in the Spanish army - who has no redeeming characteristics, and is too obviously meant as a symbol for the oppressive regime. He's an amoral butcher; OK, we get it, let's get back to the labyrinth. But no, the fantasy takes a definite back seat. And it's relentlessly depressing. Del Toro's trying for an Amon Goeth with the Captain; unfortunately, his depth is confined to obsessing over his father's watch, which stopped at the time of his death. And that's it. The faun (and guide for our heroine) is a confused creation: is he helping the girl or setting her up for a fall? With the reality of the movie so downbeat, do we really need our one and only talking fantasy creature to be an ass as well?
The tasks she has to perform are inventive but silly. And a ridiculously short time is given to each, compared to the protracted scenes involving the bloodthirsty captain. The strongest character of the film is in fact the head servant of the house, a lady with a dangerous secret, who drives the story forward at every turn.
Don't let the hype fool you. It's a good movie, strongly acted and directed, but a fantasy it is not. It's a violent war movie consisting one part magic, three parts very bleak adult drama.