Pan’s Labyrinth

Via its distinctive treatment, the unique fairy tale theme is offered to a rather older audience, who will not only enjoy the decadent atmosphere but also the many exquisite details that director Del Toro uses to give his fantasy world a soulfulness and an overall feeling of perfect sophistication. The amazing sets, masks, and the contrast of the civil war with the fantasy world are just a sliding surface. The truth lies beneath the surface, where the viewer's imagination and brain must be engaged. Bravo! (24.08.2007)

Love that doesn't touch me, cruelty that becomes routine and a fairytale atmosphere that cannot provide the necessary comfort due to its fragmentation. Del Toro took on too big of a bite, which crumbled into two large crumbs. One slightly smaller, sweet yet bland, the other worn out and almost hard. And not tasty at all. Fragments of a fascinating world, successful atmosphere of fairies, Fauna and creatures from Ofelia's tasks, these are aspects that simply had to captivate me. But there remains the second part with the partisans, eternal failures, and the wild stubbornness of Captain Vidal. When the script tries to torment the viewer with "bad events" too much, it starts to bother me. But when every turn hides obstacles, misfortune, or disaster, sympathy for the main characters disappears completely. Compared to Hellboy packed with ideas to bursting, surprisingly constrained and one-sided detour to nowhere. (04.01.2008)

A truly naturalistic drama from the twilight of the Spanish Civil War, which, through its groundwork of the neighboring worlds of reality and fantasy (surreal), recalls the director's film called Devil. Thanks to the difference between the two worlds, Pan's Labyrinth splits into two different levels – the level of bestial drama and the level of a Goya picturesque fairy-tale horror about the world behind the mirror. What I really miss in this film is the coherence and integrity of both fictional spaces. With the exception of the conclusion, from their union, I had the impression of a kind of discord, uselessness, and that it was forced. Maybe I'm too used to Burton's optics, in which everything has its order. Guillermo Del Toro has order mainly in the visual and technical concept, which is excellent and makes Pan's Labyrinth into a high-quality spectacle in terms of atmosphere, masks, set design and, last but not least, acting. In the end, the culmination of the film brought a clear moment of motivation to the whole scheme and dulled slightly my awkward impression of Del Toro's script. If this special genre mix doesn't appear in Czech movie theatres, the distributors should put their heads in the sand. Despite having a few criticisms, it's a hugely attractive experience and arguably the best endeavor of the Mexican's career... I place it in the poetic neighborhood of Tim Burton and partly Terry Gilliam. (31.03.2007)

Pan’s Labyrinth has everything that Tim Burton’s movies used to have in the old days – spiritual content clad in a stunning visual package. It is a unique fantasy that blends the fantastic world of a little girl’s imagination with the cruelest face of the adult world. It is thus two powerful movies in one, leading to a surprising, poetic and very thought-provoking ending. Pan’s Labyrinth seems like an adaptation of a rich fantasy novel, perfectly rendered on the silver screen. Guillermo del Toro’s genius lies in the fact that his film is not based on any book but on his own highly sophisticated script. Introducing the horrifying aspect of the film in form of the actions of Sergi López’s character at the very beginning of the film is an arguably brutal, but very effective decision! (29.09.2017)

The most balanced and the best del Toro movie I’ve seen. And it has the same theme music as in Circus Humberto. A chamber price about war with a big pinch of gloomy, fairytale fantasy. The problem is the length, because especially in the first hour the pace is far too relaxed. On the other hand, it is hard to fault the second half; everything is flawless. It’s a sort of successful concoction containing The Devil’s Backbone and the unmistakable storytelling poetry of Neil Gaiman. (26.12.2006)