Still trying to understand the Hype....

Rating: 4/10 (28 September 2008)

I watched this moving again last night for the 2nd time, and I still don't understand the Hype. I don't understand why people are calling this a "masterpiece". It is not even close. It is a very entertaining film, and the cinematography is beautiful, but the story is completely lacking. The war scenes are very brutal and gory, and the fantasy scenes aren't for kids, but overall all I can say is the ONLY thing I can figure out in this movie, is that the young girl didn't want to face the harsh reality's of war, and created this Fantasy world to stick her feet into throughout the film.. I don't see any "hidden-meanings" within this film at all. The girl is just a kid, and kids go off in fantasy worlds when they don't want to deal with harsh realities... nothing more to it than that.
The ending was pretty sad, but I was really really disappointed in the very end when she's at her "kingdom" - I mean, come on, hasn't this been done before??? Reminded me of the titanic ending when Rose meets Jack at the clock in the End...
This movie took 2 films, A typical war film and a Typical Fantasy film, and put it together.. and its a masterpiece? I'm sorry, I tried with this film, I really did... I just didn't see the Brilliance in it at all. I consider Kubrick's 2001: A Space Oddessey, a Masterpiece.. THIS isn't even on the same scale as that...
Pan's labrynth is entertaining at best, but not a masterpiece.