Fantastic

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2007)

I saw this movie on the DVD, which has English and Spanish subtitles -- a rarity as very few videos in Spanish available in the US have Spanish subtitles. The (English) audio commentary by the director is very interesting and informative, and his enthusiasm for this production just shines through the commentary, so I recommend it highly.
The language, direction, acting, cinematography, and music are all extraordinary. This is a true fairy tale, with a villain you can't miss unless you happen to like fascists, and one of the most beguiling heroines in all literature. Not for children, a key theme is death and immortality. The movie haunted me with two thoughts: that even children can easily recognize good and evil, and that when things are going as bad as possible, maybe something good is happening if we open our minds to it.
Why one of the main characters is called Pan in the English-language title I can't imagine... he does not have the name Pan in the movie and is not the mythical Pan. The title in all other countries (The Labyrinth of the Faun) is much better and more evocative of the many symbolic levels of the labyrinth.