Review: Pan's Labyrinth

I’m in a movie reviewing mode lately, so here’s one for Pan’s Labyrinth:

This movie is absolutely visually stunning! It looks absolutely amazing and the story, characters and settings are extremely imaginative and creative. The composition is done fairly well also, nothing as noticeably spectacular or ingenious as with Kill Bill, but very effective none-the-less. The scene transitions are done extremely well though, and everything seems to flow together smoothly without missing a beat. The 3D animation in the movie also syncs up perfectly with the live action, making the visuals fairly “believable,” which really draws you into the movie.

The story is great as well. Like with Kill Bill, there is a strong underlying theme. With Pan’s Labyrinth however, you’re left unsure as to that theme by the end of the movie. In one hand, the story can be interpreted as being a figment of the protagonist’s imagination; an allegory of internal subconscious reflections of ones life based on their “sins and virtues”. On the other, it could very well be saying that the world is a sort of “magical” place and that the modern, analytical mind needs to take time every now-and-then to suspend their disbelief in order to see that “magic.”

All-in-all, an excellent movie, probably now in my Top 10! Go see it if you get the chance!