Dark,Brutal,Magical and Emotional....absolute Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2007)

"A long time ago"....... With this line we are drawn straight towards into.....
Laberinto del Fauno, El(Pans Labyrinth)---2006
Honestly speaking i have always found fairy tales absolutely childish Although there remains some magic and cuteness in the flick but there wasn't any fairy flick which satisfied me or kept totally engaged
Then i came across Pans Labyrinth trailer which caught me and excited me But later i got disappointed to know that its an Spanish flick and its actual name is Laberinto del Fauno, El.
But again when i saw the reviews(130 positive reviews out of 135) which are 96% positive and also the movie climbed at #124 at IMDb top 250 i couldnot controlled myself and downloaded this Spanish flick
Pans Labyrinth is the story of a young girl who comes with her pregnant mother to live with her step-father.Story is set in 1944,at the time when the country was at war.But the girl gets caught in her own fairy and imaginative world
Prior to watching i thought that this flick will be very good but i ended up watching a flick that is downright extraordirany in every aspect
Its a story which also compels that inspite of so much brutality going on in world one tries to find peace and happiness by creating another world
There have been uncountable fantasy and fairy flicks but Pans Labyrinth beats the hell out of every such flicks.This simply blows every others out of the water Dark yet astonishingly beautiful...extremely brutal at times yet deeply emotional and touching.Innocence vs brutality,dark vs light and Fantasy vs Reality all interwooved together this is the fairy/fantasy flick that i had always been waiting for or i had always dreamed of
Performance by Ivana Baquero(young gal) is nothing sort of extraordinary. While her display of a gal caught between real and fantasy world left us stunned,then her emotional display sent us on the verge of tears Ably supported by Sergi Lopez and Maribel Verdu
But above all this is the flick of director "Guillermo del Toro" He haven't only succeeded in making an astounding visually crafted flick but also in unique style of storytelling.And all bow to him for making a fairy flick that is for "grown ups". And one must admire him for his unique vision and imagination and furthermore finally being able to convert his vision into a masterpiece, both as writer and director
Apart from the mesmerizing visuals,deeply touching storyline,extremely brtual and dark scenes i would like to mention about its haunting and sad music. Its one of the best i have heard in years if not the best.
Kudos to Guillermo del Toro for creating a dark,beautiful,brutal and deeply emotional fantasy flick which connects with our heart
Apparently Pans Labyrinth won over 20 minutes of standing ovation at Cannes,after the flick ended.That says something
Finally,Pans labyrinth should definitely win Foreign language Oscar for best flick if not the best Oscar in Hollywood category
Stunning,amazing,spectacular,instant classic,extraordinary,masterpiece are some of the proverbs that can be attached with Pans Labyrinth Its sensitive as well as shocking
Pans Labyrinth is such a magical labyrinth which viewers don't want to leave even after the flick gets over.
Some scenes and dialogues are just out of the world...like when Doctor replies "But captain, obey for obey's sake... That's something only people like you do" Another one is when Ofelia talks with her unborn brother.. "Brother...little brother...if you can hear me..things here aren't good.. but soon you'll have to come out.You have made Mama sick...I had to ask you one favor for when you come out,just one....don't hurt her....." The above mentioned scene was so much natural that it had everlasting impact
Bottomline:Its not only magical and visually appealing but it connects with our heart and its deeply touching and emotional.A not to be missed by viewers who loves quality cinema.A prime example of cinema which have got amazing direction,brilliant execution,astounding screenplay and a powerful script
A real cinematic masterpiece in true and every sense