Not only meets, but exceeds the hype!

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2007)

Every so often a movie comes along that is so incredibly hyped that there's just no way it could live up to that hype... There are exceptions to that rule of course (LOTR, V For Vendetta), and I'm sooooo happy to say that Pan's Labyrinth is now included in that list. Not only did this movie meet all expectations (which were incredibly high), it has easily surpassed them! I have been reading about this movie for about a year now, and have heard nothing but amazing things.....then about 6 months ago I found out that the movie was not in English, and I was really bummed out. I have never enjoyed a subtitled movie, so I pretty much gave up on Pan's. I've obviously had 6 months to think about it and change my mind, and I decided to give this subtitled movie a chance. I am shocked to announce that after watching this movie, I truly don't think I'd want this movie to be in English, as it is absolutely perfect the way it is.
For those of you who don't know what this movie is about I'll give a brief summary. It takes place in Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War. A Spanish Captain (he's pretty much evil) has sent for his pregnant wife and step daughter to come to his home/base to stay with him so that he could be there when his son is born. Basically this is two movies in one. I'd say about 2/3 of the film centers around the real world stuff of the Captain, the mom, the war...and 1/3 of it revolves around the magical world that only Ofelia can see (the young girl whose biological father died in the war). Along the way, Ofelia meets a fairy and she eventually finds out that she is indeed the underworld princess reincarnated in human form. Pan (the faun) tells her that she must complete 3 tasks in order to return to her world and be with her true father (instead of her tyrant step-father).
The beauty of this movie is that for the most part things are left up to the viewer to decide. Is this fantasy world all in Ofelia's head, or is she REALLY a princess? The answer is really simple if you ask me (and the film's director has gone on record stating that it .....oh come now, I'm not telling! I'll leave it up to you! If you want to know, look it up yourself. Though I'm actually kind of surprised at all the debates I've read online, after going over the movie again with my friend (whom I saw the film with), there really is only one explanation as to what happened. Regardless, I applaud the movie for basically letting the viewer make up his own mind.
The little girl who played Ofelia deserves an Oscar nomination if you ask me, she carried this film better than most adults I've ever seen. I promise you, she will break your heart. I will tell you this; I have only shed a tear two times in my entire life in a movie theater......make that 3. Try as I may, I was so incredibly moved by this movie that I couldn't help it. The wonderful thing about all of it is that whether you believe the movie is in her head, or real, you will be moved. The movie works either way.
This review is a bit shorter than most of the ones I write, the reason is because I want you to see it. I don't want to spoil it. I want you to go into the movie not knowing what to expect. That's how I went in....knowing that people loved the movie....but not knowing much else. This is by far the best movie I've seen of 2007, and definitely the best movie I've seen since V For Vendetta (my #1 movie of 2006). If I had had the good fortune of seeing this movie in 2006, I honestly can't say if it would have dethroned V or not. I just know that every so often a movie comes along that changes your life...and this is one of them. I loved Pan's Labyrinth. I can't wait to see it again....and again.
10/10