When you think fairy tale...Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood come to mind. However, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth makes the Big Bad Wolf look as innocent as Bambi.Set during the violent aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a young girl Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) stumbles upon a brilliant stone labyrinth while wondering out in the woods. Here she meets Pan, the legendary faun, (Doug Jones) who tells her that she is not human, but a lost princess of another realm. However, to go back to her kingdom, she must complete three dangerous challenges. Ofelia excitedly accepts and begins her adventure into the fantasy world.
While she becomes obsessed with returning to her rightful place as a princess, her mother is going through a grueling pregnancy, the Spanish army is trying to crush the geurrilla uprising, and the housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) is secretly aiding the geurillas while living under the same roof as the evil captain of the Spainsh army, Vidal (Sergi Lopez).
Pan's Labyrinth does have a complex plot with multiple storylines going on simultaneously, but it seemlessly fits together keeping your eyes glued to the screen.
The character of Ofelia, was originally supposed to be around four years old, luckily, when Ivana Baquero auditioned, del Toro and his wife were so moved by her performance and intent on casting her for the part, that they changed Ofelia into an 11 year old girl. It worked wonderfully! Throughout the movie Baquero's largely expressive eyes and convincing performance was gripping, and at points almost convinced me that Pan and his fantasy world may be real after all.
Pan's Labyrinth is a darker fairy tale for the older audience, clearly stated with its R rating. Its costumes and characters reminds us of when we were little, falling down the rabbit hole in Alice and Wonderland. Despite the fact that it is completey in Spanish, it speaks to us all reminding us that there's still a little child looking for an adventure in all of us.
Grade: A+
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