User Reviews

One of Guillermo del Toro's best movies, in my opinion and worth a watch by anyone who is a fan of his work, or simply of his "style/aesthetic".

Pleasant disappointment. I’d always been told 'Pan’s Labyrinth' was a masterpiece, but after finally watching it, I feel it’s a good film that simply wasn’t what I expected. A lot of that disappointment comes from the imbalance between what the movie promises to be and what it actually delivers. Sergi López is phenomenal. His performance is brutal, razor-sharp, and practically carries the entire film on its shoulders. The depiction of Francoist Spain is suffocating, violent, and painfully real — genuinely terrifying. And it’s precisely because the political side is so strong that the fantasy feels pushed into the background, almost sidelined. I expected a story fully driven by dark fantasy with a war backdrop, but that’s not the direction Del Toro takes. Instead, the fantasy appears in symbolic flashes, tied to the protagonist’s psychology, rarely exploring what could have been a fully realized, inhuman world filled with extraordinary creatures. I was hoping for an explosion of creativity and breathtaking environments, but I ended up feeling the fantasy was surprisingly shallow. Sure, the Pale Man is iconic, but these moments are brief, and the “beyond” is barely developed. I finished the movie asking myself: Where is the labyrinth Spanish: Grata decepción. Siempre me pintaron 'El laberinto del fauno' como una obra maestra, aunque después de verla me parece que es una buena película, esperaba otra cosa completamente diferente. Gran parte de eso viene del desequilibrio entre lo que promete ser y lo que realmente ofrece. Sergi López lo hace impecable. Una interpretación brutal y tan afilada, que prácticamente sostiene toda la película. Una representación del franquismo asfixiante, violenta y que se siente real; da verdadero miedo. Y justamente por esa parte política, es por lo que la parte fantástica queda relegada a un segundo plano, casi marginada. Esperaba ver algo completamente dirigido hacia la fantasía oscura y de fondo una historia bélica, pero no es así. Del Toro hace lo contrario: la fantasía queda en destellos simbólicos, ligados a la psicología de la protagonista casi sin mostrar lo que podría haberse explorado de un mundo fantástico e inhumano, habitado por criaturas fantasiosas. Esperaba una explosión de creatividad y escenarios deslumbrantes, pero me quedo con una sensación de superficialidad. Claro que el Hombre Pálido es icónico, pero salen poco y no se profundiza en el más allá. Acabé la película preguntándome: ¿y el laberinto?

Master in story, acting, directing, and visuals, that is one of the best films ever made.

Dark, twisted and meaningful, like the best fairy tales, Pan’s Labyrinth mixes elements of dream, fantasy, history and horror in a single, simmering vat. At its center is Ofelia, a young girl struggling to retain innocence in the aftermath of an ugly civil war. Though the conflict is officially over, resistance outfits still dot the countryside, disrupting the fascist transition with guerrilla raids and ambushes. As the adopted daughter of an occupying officer, Ofelia’s caught in the middle and uses her imagination to escape as often as she can. In the wilds of 1940s Spain, there’s plenty of room to indulge those whims. Amidst the split trees and stone monuments, she finds an overlap between fact and fable, where strange creatures roam the shadowy overgrowth and fill little heads with ripe delusions. Ofelia doesn’t always know who to trust, and neither do we. In these unstable political times, the right secret in the wrong ears can be fatal. Thus, everyone in town is extremely guarded and suspicious, and the mythical creatures in the girl’s fantasies follow suit. Tangible fears color her invisible fancies. Like the rebels she admires, though, and the pregnant mother she adores, Ofelia endures and persists. In both worlds. I’m not sure which side of the story is most unsettling. The dreams are certainly more vivid, which makes them more memorable. Writer/director Guillermo Del Toro sends this sweet young thing into all sorts of terrifying nightmare scenarios, dim and musky corridors of ancient evil with unsightly guardians. This is all incredibly realized, a genuinely disturbing realm of ornate uglies that borrows from and iterates upon the director’s preceding work in Hellboy. I fell into the mental trap of expecting less from a foreign-language film and was bowled over by the top-notch costume and atmospheric effects. Pan’s Labyrinth delivers on the premise and then some, lending an air of strange possibility to its fiction. This looks good enough to believe in. There’s ample heart to go with that imagination, too. Heavy heart, with a lot of looking-through-our-fingers moments, but heart all the same. It’s not easy to marry reverie with reality, to tangle the two until they reach a cloudy, extra middle ground, but Del Toro has managed it. The grandness of this drama, and the bittersweet nature of its twin conclusions, is a crooked parable on par with the Brothers Grimm.

I loved this fantastic adult fairytale about a little girl caught up in a very grownup world but also inhabiting a fantasy world at night. This is one fantasy that is certainly not for children. There is some hefty violence for what could masquerade as a children’s film. The monsters are actually quite scary and gave me quite an intense ride from start to end. The whole film looks utterly visually stunning. I just can’t help but feel that it’s favouring style over depth. A good fairy tale set to the backdrop of horrific events. Beautiful imagery.

A very powerful and masterfully crafted parable. The last scene of the movie genuinely made me cry a little. I'm a grown man and have not cried in years. And those tears were difficult to shake off because the worries that induced them weren't going to disappear once the credits roll... those worries reflected an eternal and unchangeable fact of life: the Fauns and the Fairies will unfortunately never prevent the horrors of war from taking place, or at the very least, they won't prevent death. My only gripe with the movie is that it misrepresented falangism as fascism and presented the conflict as a black-and-white good vs bad struggle, when the reality was a lot more grey. But I fully realise that this wasn't the point of the movie, which is why I will still give it a 10.

Filme é bom mas podia ter explorado mais o lado mágico e melhorado o final sjsjhsjsshsjjsjsj

An average film with some good special effects. The storyline is ok, but not exactly unique! Over-rated in my opinion!

This movie is a masterful blend of fantasy and harsh historical realism, offering a hauntingly beautiful exploration of innocence, brutality, and the power of storytelling.

Один из самых любимых фильмов детства, смесь мрачного фентези с ужасающей реальностью.

Absolutely beautiful. Pan's labyrinth is absolute peak cinema, it's dark, violent, sad, yet beautiful in so many different ways. Watching this movie was one of the best experiences I've had in a while, it's a rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and feelings like no other movie.

Not very interesting both psychologically and in terms of the created world. A very naive, infantile show.

Guillermo's best film although he very rarely fails to entertain. Great movie, great monster design - everything is good.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A good fantasy movie that does enough to change up the formula to keep the viewer interested.

I envy anyone who has not experienced the film in its entirety. Del Toro, along with his wonderful team, have crafted a true fairy tale. Pan’s Labyrinth is unsettling, riveting, as the greatest tales are—except it’s even better than those

A very sad story that speaks of a little girl with a lot of imagination that eventually reaches her goal. This is a very deep film and not suitable for children even if the protagonist is a child. In conclusion the film is also at times scary and with a dramatic and unexpected ending.

A fantastic fantasy/peroid drama film! Del Toro just knocked it out of the park with this one. The story is political but the script never gets preachy, modern Hollywood screenwriters shoud take notes from this movie.

Excellent CGI, Really good story, Acting was spot on even by the young actress (btw, she is absolutely drop dead gorgeous today).

Spain 1944. Franco's army is bending the last fringes of resistance to the "normalization" of the country, now almost totally under Franco's control. Carmen, a young widow, married Vidal, an army captain, and joins him with her 12-year-old daughter Ofelia. The little girl suffers from the presence of the arrogant stepfather and tries to help her mother who is going through a difficult pregnancy. Her refuge is the world of fairy tales which materializes with the presence of a faun who reveals his true identity to her. She is the princess of an underground kingdom. To reach it he will have to pass three dangerous tests. This is a beautiful and fascinating work by Del Toro, which can only be criticized for his excessive search for easy tears and rain in the wet.

I think this film was really my first contact with the work of Guillermo del Toro, a Mexican director who has done a colossal job of taking advantage of fantastic themes in his films. This film was one of the director's most cherished projects, and we can feel how much he committed and invested in it. Despite being a fantasy film and starring a girl, the film is quite intense and not suitable for younger children. All the action takes place in the final years of the Spanish Civil War: we follow Ofelia, a dreamy and kind-hearted girl, who travels to a remote place in rural Spain with her mother, in order to join Captain Vidal, a superior officer of the Francoist army whose mother got pregnant and who occupied an abandoned mill with a battalion to hunt down a group of communist partisans. From the start, it is quite clear that Ofelia dislikes her stepfather and her mother is determined to make her forget her real father, now deceased, by forcing the girl to treat him as a father. Indifferent to political issues, Ofelia pursues and finds a magical world in the forest around her new habitat. There, she meets a faun who tells her that she is, in fact, a princess, daughter of the King of the Enchanted World, who long ago left and was lost in the human world, living without knowing the anguish and longing for her true father. In order to return, she will need to complete three challenges and prove that her soul is still pure, that is, that she has not turned into a human. If we want to do a cold and harshly realistic analysis, this film will quickly crumble and show several weaknesses. The most obvious, for me, is the absolute insanity of a military man who insists on taking his companion, in a terminal stage of pregnancy, and a minor child to the battlefield. I also didn't like the feeling that the film ends up being so politically charged, with communist guerrillas being considered champions of freedom and with the demonization of Francoist soldiers. Anyone knows that there are no saints in war, and that atrocities are always committed on both sides. But I feel that we are being unfair if we continue to view the film from this perspective. Despite all this, this is a charming cinematographic work full of magic and dreaminess, which makes us want to believe in fairy tales again, to be in that girl's shoes. The film has an excellent cast of Hispanic actors (I don't know if they are all Spanish in fact) and is entirely spoken in Spanish, which for me was a bonus as it gives the film a very welcome additional realism. Ivana Baquero did an exceptional job on the skin of young Ofelia. Despite not showing his face, very well disguised, Doug Jones is the man who gives body, soul and life to two of the most memorable characters in the film: the wise faun and the terrible Pale Man, a monster that almost devours the protagonist. Jones gives us one of his best works in cinema. Surprisingly calm and terrifying, Sergi López turned his Captain into a character worthy of our hatred and contempt. In addition to these three great actors, the film also has splendid performances by Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú, Álex Angulo and César Vea. Being a Del Toro film, it is guaranteed that we will have a wide range of visual effects, CGI and characterization, all the highest quality and privileging the maximum of realism. In fact, we couldn't ask for more when it comes to all of this. There are a number of discreet and realistic CGI features, ranging from explosions and the intense green of the forest to the maze itself, fantastic and unreal, where an important part of the story takes place. The costumes are very good, especially Ofelia's dresses and the soldiers' uniforms. The scenarios, especially the labyrinth and the mill, are wonderful and the characterization of the fantastic characters was thought out in the smallest details. Cinematography makes clever use of color, shadow, light and shooting angles to achieve greater expressiveness and visual symbolism. No less important is the excellent soundtrack, with emphasis on the central melody, which has a sound that reminds us of the lullabies that mothers used to sing to children.

Absolutely stunning imagery and story. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it ASAP.

This is a fantasy horror film, with themes including rebellion, naivety, war and anarchism, among others. It is very atmospheric, with a good use of low lighting, often blue-ish tones are used during scenes set at night in the surrounding forests. I liked the music used, mostly classical in style, which added to the sense of authenticity somehow - its quite light and somehow mildly spooky or chilling at times. I probably ought to make a point of clarifying that this is a Spanish film - being both set in Spain and with the dialogue all in Spanish, so if you don't like subtitles then this obviously isn't for you. I felt that the visual effects were really quite impressive - it was quite an immersive film and often the visual effects made it seem rather unpleasant, think **** out comedy sort of thing (there's lots of mud, dirt, mucus etc.). I also felt it had a sense of childhood naivety about it. The main character, Ofelia, is obviously a child herself and doesn't seem to realise the potential danger she could be in by some of her actions, so she is certainly naive to an extent. The creatures brought to life presumably by CGI did seem quite convincing - there are many insects and flying creatures, for example. This is ultimately a rather dark and definitely more an adults version, or example of, a fairy tale and not one for kids to watch, due to the content. It had a sense of foreboding and the tension built up as the plot developed. I suppose, when I think about it, its perhaps a film depicting various extremes - from the naivety of childhood, a childs imagination come to life and the grim, dark realities of the real world, from things seen from the girls point of view, to the parents war mongering circumstances. Its set at a time of conflict and that conflict is quite clearly put across. Cast wise, Ofelia is played by Ivana Baquero. Her performance is good, as a curious, imaginative child who is keen to find out what secrets may be hiding nearby. You can see in her face her curiosity and also a sense of independence and of her being very determined to get to the bottom of thing. Capitan Vidal is played by Sergi Lopez, who comes across as quite chilling and unemotional. Carmen is played by Ariadna Gil - she also plays her part well, as a worried, nervous, loving yet undermined mother. Other cast members include Alex Angulo as Dr. Ferreiro, Maolo Solo as Garces and Roger Casamajor as Pedro. Content wise, as I say this film contains bloody violence, both human related and fantasy related instances, with bloody bodily injuries shown, plus some very strong language. It is quite frightening in tone, especially with the visual effects at numerous points and of course some of the themes, of war and anarchy, are quite dark. Due to this, the film carries a 15 rating. I liked the camerawork, with some scenes featuring camera shots from unusual angles, which I felt added to the fantasy element. It made some scenes look almost ethereal, with the camera seemingly floating around somewhat, to an extent. I thought some of the dialogue was relatively poignant, with some mentions relating to the senselessness of war for example.

this is my favorite movie. fabulous story, great directing and visually stunning.

リアルとファンタジーが同時進行でスートーリーが進みます。目をそむけたくなる場面も多いですが楽しめました。少女の悲しい物語です。ファンタジーは現実逃避のようにも思われます

This is one of the most overrated films. While visually appealing to the eye, you miss it alot of the time. Chances are most of the 10s are people saying they have seen it only because their friends have, but they actually haven't. While enjoying the cinematography, the convoluted plot allows the watcher to reminisce aboutthe past similar situations or imaginary friends they had. Then all is lost for the involvement in the movie. You are to wrapped up in your own mess.

I can safely categorize this movie as a masterpiece. I have watched it many times and it has never failed to leave me in a state of awe. In this film, Guillermo del Toro, explores good and evil in a way that is uniquely his own. He expertly weaves to together the incredible world of the supernatural (and the monsters that inhabit it) that exist in his story, with the visceral reality of civil war in a world far more familiar to us. Overall I would rank this film as one of the best ever made and I highly recommend it. (Watch in it's original language)

The brutalities of war, the descent to madness, and the importance of family are all presented in such a way to make you feel for all the characters in this true work of art. All these themes being shown through the eyes of a child is my kryptonite to movies. Please watch this masterpiece, for it will make you feel emotions you have never felt before. Unless you are under 18, blood and/or gore makes you sick, you don't speak Spanish and hate reading subtitles, are afraid of goat people, cannibalism, unsettling scenes, or are allergic to one of, if not the, best movie ever made.

This movie is both beautiful and terrifying. Whenever I'm not in awe at the incredible sets and creature design, I'm shocked at the brutal violence and disturbing themes. It has some of the most impressive makeup effects I've ever seen. The faun and the Pale Man (both played by Doug Jones) alone were enough to justify it winning a Best Makeup Oscar, but even small things like the cut on Captain Vidal's cheek are incredible. Speaking of Captain Vidal, hats off to Guillermo del Toro and actor Sergi López for bringing to life one of the most despicable movie villains ever. Every second he's on screen I wanna punch him in the face. I'm all for complex, multidimensional villains, but sometimes it's just great to have a completely irredeemable piece of **** as your main antagonist. Del Toro would later do this again with Michael Shannon in The Shape of Water.

A fairy tale where the humans are the real monsters, stunning visuals, great acting and superb direction by Guillermo del Toro proves once again he is one of the best storytellers of the modern era.

Interesting movie, although the parallels and metaphors were difficult to interpret. I had to read up about it all afterward. Maybe it was meant to be open for interpretation. Acting was good and I might have to watch it again to understand it more.

One of my all-time favourite movies. I love its mix of real-world horror and fantasy horror. You fall in love with the world it creates.

Wonderful and marvelous **** is one of the greatest fantasy films of 21th century,but i can`t consider it as **** rating by critics is overrated.

Through watching this the first time through, I really enjoyed the mysterious aspect to everything within this movie. The life lessons it taught you, the scenes in general really caught you up in the movie. Guillermo Del Toro did a amazing job!

incredible, fantastic, brilliant are the words that define a masterpiece by guillermo del toro

A disturbingly chilling drama focused around a child's imagination during the Spanish civil war in 1944. I walked into this hoping to be impressed by Del Toro's work and left satisfied with incredible visual effects (as well as practical effects) and dramatic tension.

Incredible film, I have watched it many times and have found something else to love about it each time!!!

Величайшее творение искусства - фильм, притягивающий буквально всем из чего состоит. Лабиринт Фавна - одна из лучших просмотренных мною картин, которая подарила мне ярчайшие, незабываемые эмоции и легкую депрессию.

Mind blowing movie... One of my favorite **** real monster was Captain Vidal not the pan(fauno)

I have no idea why this movie is rated so high by everybody. Visually impressive but as far as characters goes is nothing more than average, with cliches and caricatures like Captain Vidal that made me annoyed rather than engaged in the story.

This movie is definitely a work of art. Del Toro has a great eye for visuals, but visuals mean nothing without a good story, and thankfully Pan's Labyrinth has a story that is equal parts brutally violent and magically poetic. And poetic really is the word for it. I recommend NOT trying to over-analyze this film... Just learn to appreciate it's sense of macabre poetry and you'll see the masterpiece everyone else is seeing.

What can one say about Pan's Labyrinth. It is a masterpiece of not just the fantasy genre, but a masterpiece altogether. Del Torro mashes real world drama with utterly gushing fantasy escapisms and it results in a poem of a film that will linger with you for days and years to come.

In my honest opinion, this movie is hard to describe. The story is strangely very real and you can almost feel the real kick in but then there are scenes when the labyrinth and fairies come in and it's a dark and twisted take on beloved fairytale characters is wonderful, to say the least.

In my top 5 movies of all time. It's like a witch's brew of wonderful monsters, a child's magical realism, hard-hitting historical drama and a piece of del Toro's soul (definitely in there- all my favourite films are like that).

Pan's Labyrinth is one of the greatest films ever made. The music is very somber, the visuals are magnetic, and every time I see it, there's always something new to take away from it.

I remember watching Pan's Labyrinth at the cinema when I was little. It scared me a lot and the scene with the broken bottle will stay in my mind forever. :D I have watched it second time and I liked it. The idea of Alice in Wonderland is used, but **** that makes Pan's Labyrinth unique. Watch it.

The best Del Toro's movie and one of the best of all time. The drama, the fantastic, the thriller, the war and the shocking are incredibly mixed in an amazing story. The movie's visual is dark and beautiful at the same time.

My favorite movie of all time! best fantasy movie PERIOD. This is put with Lord of the rings and Harry Potter. This movie is just as magical as the first viewing if you watch this time to time. This movie is beautiful...

The most glorious experience of Guillermo del Toro is a bittersweet story of war and fantasy tale with his characteristic style: monsters so unforgettable as terrifying. Masterly job of Doug Jones and Guillermo Navarro. Deserves a long standing ovation.

I was 8 years old when I first watched this movie, I know I was very young when I first watched it. This movie was very impactful to me as a kid, It was beautifully shot and directed. I was completely shocked by the story and the characters. The Faun and The Pale Man gave me nightmares for days, but I grew to respect the artist and Guillermo as a director for their imagination and the hard work that they put into their movie. Pan's Labyrinth is a fairy tale with a historical context, The Spanish civil war was a very turmoiling time in Spain. Ofelia and the rest of the characters were so well written that I was close to tears at the end of the movie. I highly recommend everyone to watch it!