A fantastic movie, easily one of my favorites. Visually stunning, I found that the violence perfectly underscored the horrors of war, especially those horrors having been seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl. Some may say that the characters were underdeveloped, with Mercedes adopting the "Good Guy" and the Captain being the classic villian archtype, but one must remember that this is a story seen through the eyes of a young girl. All adults, to children, are either good, or bad. And to the people griping about the film being unsuitable for children, well, it's rated R for a reason.… Expand

One of the best films of the year if not the best. It's a grown-up, unrelenting version of a child's fairy tale. The key difference -- we don't get the happy, joyful ending that children need. It's grand mix of the realities of war, and the fantasies of a child stuck in its middle. The violence is grisly, unrelenting, but that's the point. War is hell, life can be hell, and to not show the gore, the blood, the terrible deaths, is coddling to the viewer. One viewer says the violence is "entirely gratuitous" -- how lucky she is to have never seen anyone shot or killed. Heartbreaking? Yes. Shocking? Yep. But hopeful, too. And not easily forgotten.… Expand

This movie was so stimulating and intense I had to sit in a dark room and drink a beer for an hour or so after I finished it. Absolutely beautiful. Absolutely mesmerizing. Absolutely terrifying. Amazing.

Intense, chilling, and utterly engrossing. This makes you clearly see how far Hollywood is missing the boat. An original vision and not a sequel in sight.

Epic alternative view of the Spanish civil war - from the mind of a child driven basically psychotic by her environment. I love this friggin piece of art.

"there wasn't enough car chases" "this film ruined my weekend and my life boo fucking hoo" why dont you walking rainclouds fuck off. You'd give a film of the edge of the universe a bad review if you thought it was controverisal enough to make people pay attention to you for 15 seconds.

A film of sufficient quality to meet my standards of good art, but by no means does Pan's Labyrinth stand up to the kind of hype it's been given lately. Analyzed as a whole, the movie mixes fantasy and reality in an innovative fashion, but individual aspects of the film are by no means the best they could have been. While the acting is good, it's not great, and characters (particularly the Colonel) are flat. Arguably, the film is meant to transcend its characters, but at the very least, Ofelia should have been fleshed out to a greater degree. The fantasy and reality plotlines of the film are only nominally interesting and would make for a terrible film if they weren't mixed. Maybe this is intentional, but it doesn't make it good. In regards to the visuals and violence, I was neither impressed nor horrified. Maybe I'm just desensitized, but the blood and gore are far from gratuitious: people are capable of terrible violence, and the movie doesn't suffer for showing it. On the other hand, the visuals don't have nearly the same impact as the recent 'Children of Men', which masterfully used brutal but less bloody violence to much greater effect. The cinematography, while pretty, was also fairly bland for a supposed masterpiece. 'Pan's Labyrinth' is very much worth seeing for those with reasonably strong stomachs and the ability to suspend their disbelief long enough to take in the overall themes, but a noticeable lack of quality in the film's minor (and not-so-minor) details ruin its supposed greatness.… Expand

All the tips will get out of this movie is the scene with the dude who has eyes on his hands and he chases after the girl. If you are not a tip however it is a great movie and will let you into the unbelievable imagination of a triumphant young girl.

I do not exaggerate when I say there is no other movie whose reception has baffled me this much. This movie is pretty bad. It's not atrocious, but I am tempted to say so in reaction to the herd of reviewers that are on some kind of weird bandwagon kick gushing over this movie. The realistic parts were cliched and the characters like her father were caricatures. The fantasy aspects were forced, meaningless, and stylized only for the sake of being stylized. Could have been so much more.. And the whole way the movie was portrayed by its marketing as this 'dark fairy tale' was completely misleading. More like a bad wartime drama with a few cool but completely meaningless fantastic scenes spliced in.… Expand

Solid, fully-realized, and powerful film-making here. However, I can't help but feel that certain aspects could have been toned down somewhat and that more ambiguity could have been introduced, if only to make the "reality" depicted seem just a little more believable and not so needlessly shocking. Surprisingly, what was presented as the definite reality on-screen was a little harder for me to believe in than that which I was supposed to question, which I believe was not the film maker's intention (nor should it have been).… Expand

First off, this movie is actually not in the least bit gratuitous when it comes to violence. Deemed "hyper-violent," there is actually very little blood/gore shown in the movie. Other than that minor point, the movie is a unique and nicely imagined picture that's almost perfect. Besides Mercedes' unexplicable decision to not kill the captain, ther are very few things the movie does poorly. A little more fantasy and a little less revolution could have made the movie better. The fantasy plays truer to Del Toro's style, so it's strange that he doesn' delve more into that. But this movie stays with you long after it ends. It leaves you deeply affected and shaken, which was most likely Del Toro's intent. 97? No, it's not that incredible, but it's quite close and is by and far the best movie so far this year.… Expand

Exquisite film making and exquisite story telling. Just far enough away in time for the resonance to today's political scene to truly register. It's so rare to encounter a film that's thematically profound and at the same time completely engrossing and deeply moving also. And the effortlessness of it is inspiring. That Del Toro apprenticed himself in the Hollywood system in order to make something this effective and beautiful inspires hope. A must see.… Expand

Dark and twisted, but amazing and fabulous styles evoke not only the young but also the adult. This movie is really great fantasy movie for adults while the others, otherwise, aren't.

Pan's Labyrinth is imaginative, visually dazzling, magically adventurous, perfectly gruesome along with fantastic performances make this one of the greatest movies ever made and it is perfect for adults. I give this movie 98%.

"Pan's Labyrinth" might've been a coming-of-age film had there been a boy for Ofelia(Ivana Baquero) to come-of-age with. In the absence of cute guys, Ofelia invents a fantasy world, which can easily be read as a sublimation of sex. There's phallic symbols all over the place. In one scene, she seems to run away from, by all appearances, a seven-foot penis, after eating some forbidden fruit. Her sexual awakening is conducted brilliantly in code. An argument can be made that she's actually creating from her bed whenever the film switches into fantasy mode. In another scene, Ofelia crawls into a tree stump and gets mud all over her face. She feels dirty, but still her curiosity lingers. Check out the size of the key she discovers. "Pan's Labyrinth" also works as a very sophisticated genre film(like "The Devil's Backbone"), which is this filmmaker's speciality whenever he's not making inspired pop entertainments, because he shrewdly places the fantastical firmly in a very realistic setting. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a great film to "read".… Expand

If you enjoy endless scenes of gratuitous violence -- rush to see this film. If you believe that gunshots to the head, stabbing a man's face then shooting him, a woman cutting a man's mouth open, and so on have any place in a "fairy tale" -- then this is the film for you!

When I went to go see Pan’s Labyrinth I was expecting a lot. Friends had told me it was one of the most amazing film’s they had seen in a long time. Metacritic had shown it to have a 98% positive rating. This was truly something that had to be seen. Or so I thought. I am a big fan of beautiful looking films, especially sci-fi / fantasy. 2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite film of all time. After seeing The Fountain which I loved, yet got horrible reviews, I was excited to see a fantasy film that the critics adored. What I got instead was a 90% Spanish war film with 10% fantasy slapped on. The sad part was the fantasy didn’t even link to the film. It didn’t even parallel the events going on in the war portions. And so we follow these strange tasks the girl has to do for nothing and then we move back into the bloody conflict. (SPOILER: And then at the end we are shown the fantasy elements are all in the girl’s head anyway so none of it even matters!) This was not the film I wanted to see. This film didn’t make me think. There was no profound meaning present. I didn’t think the girl was particularly interesting or likable. The fantasy elements were not grounded in meaning and were disregarded by the end. The war film was ridiculously violent and extremely predictable (oh, now I gotta watch THIS guy get tortured.) So there is really no point to seeing this film unless you’re in the mood for a war film.… Expand

Pan's Labyrinth caught me completely off guard. I was not expecting the kind of movie I saw, and while to some degree it is better when this happens, it was just bad timing. I heard some really good reviews about this film. The advertising I saw showed interesting visuals of fantasy elements which seemed to be merged with reality. It focused on a little girl. I thought, "Hey, it's the weekend. I need to let off the stress and go see a really interesting and provocative film. It was my fault for not reading more into it, but I still was a victim to faulty advertising to some extent. This was NOT a good movie to be relaxing with Hana. What I got was 90% Spanish Civil War film and about 10% a Fantasy film. I was in the mood for a fantasy film. I was not in the mood for a war film. Call me an idiot if you must, but I'm just human. I wasn't ready for it. There are times when I want to see a war film, and times when I really don't. This was one of those times I really didn't. Thinking back, I probably would have enjoyed this movie more if I had known about this, but watching extreme brutal and sadistic violence was not my idea of a night out. Despite this, however, the film had pretty good acting and cinematography but I felt a little cheated with the writing. I honestly felt all the characters were a little one-dimensional (I do admit this is essential at times for big dramas) but more importantly I did not connect with Ofelia. The challenges she faced were, as another reviewer pointed out, "arbitrary, unpoetic, and tasklike". And "none of them really challenge her mind, her spirit, or her heart". I have to agree with all these things. Most of the movie she is just blindly following Pan's directions. And the scene where she disregards the fairies to eat the grape from the table really showed the idiocy of her character. She seemed to just be leisurely strolling through her fantasy world for no apparent reason. This made me not really like her character, which made the last scene where she got shot, not very compelling. Another complaint about the fantasy presented is that it did not effectively parallel the real world. The only bloated metaphor I could pull from the film was that the dark violent fantasy themes were comparable to the dark violent events going on around her. Other than that, none of the actual substance of what was going on in the fantasy world really came together in the plot. And by the end when it is really obvious it is all in her head (or atleast not connected at all to the "real world"), I felt cheated. It's not that I didn't agree with this seperation, but it just made me feel like it was a big waste of my time. The whole film could have existed as a movie about Spanish fascists and the girl's perspective could have been deleted and it still would have worked. I was torn after the film was over about what I really thought. But the truth was the film didn't really make me think at all. It just made me depressed. I really didn't care about any of the characters and the story didn't bring about any deep meaning that I had hoped for. What was supposed to be a beautiful, thought provoking film came off as a cliched battle between spanish facists and rebels with fantasy elements here and there slapped on. I can see how some would like this film, but the faults in the script really bring it down for me. The film had a lot of potential and there were elements I really liked. But all in all I really didn't like it. Having seen The Fountain not too long before, I knew what kind of film gives me hope for the artists of the future. Watching both these films really brings back the meaning of what works and what doesn't in my mind.… Expand

man, i'm really really smart, and this movie just wasn't as smart as i am! i'm sorry, but it really makes me feel even smarter when i can say a movie sucks that everyone else loves. i also hate the godfather (totally unreal storyline), gone with the wind (yeah, as if there was a civil war??), and pulp fiction (not very well directed). i just wish more people would consult ME before making a movie, because i could really write a much better movie than this one. that's why i'm sitting on my ass passing judgement on people WAY more talented than i am!… Expand

Outrageously overrated due to either the lack of good films these days or the lack of knowledge of film history to put this movie in context with the greatness of the past. Should have had more exploration of the labyrinth theme and scenes and a more provocative and deeper connection with the "real-life" scenes. The villain is too one-dimensional. Sure, it looks beautiful but it doesn9;t really make the meaningful connections that it could have with its promising double story line.… Expand

Anyone who felt this movie had bad writing or no meaning needs to take a film appreciation class. this is not a movie for people who dont want to think or make their own ideas about what the director was trying to say. For those who did not uderstand the movie it about fasicism and religion. Think chronicles of narnia with the closing scenes. The major theme of this movie is to no follow blindly but to question and create your own beliefs, to do what you feel is right and not what others tell you to do. Also many have complained that the violence was over the top. first of all we are talking about post-civil war spain. violence happened, its simple as that. Also it is a fairy tale. and no not like the fairy tales we have today but like the original fairy tales that the brothers brimm were able to collect. ever notice the violence and brutality in those tales. now bring them to real life and place those images in a modern movie and you will get more gore and violence then is in this movie. anthother complain is that the characters are one sided and are cliched. again its a fairy tale thats the way the characters are supposed to be in order to clearly polarcize the difference between good and evil. There are enough positice reviews on here to where i will not talk about the lighting and camera work or the special effects. But another complaint i hear was that people expected a different movie and because of this gave the movie a bad review. You should not base a reviewon the type of movie you wanted to see but the actuall elements that the movie you saw brought to the screen. just because a movie does not have as much fantasy as your stars wars fan wanted to see does not make it a bad movie. all-in-all this is the best movie of the year but not for those who do not know how to appreciate fine film making.… Expand

This was the most horrible and horrific movie I've ever seen. It is NOT brilliant....it is insulting to women, children and mankind. The man that made this movie is a SICK FUCK!!!! It has nothing to do with fantasy.....it is all about DEATH......death is a much more beautiful thing that this asshole has conveyed. He needs to check his fucken brain. How dare you kill children and women in your movie the way you have!!!!!!… Expand

This highly overrated film fails at almost every level. As fantasy it is not for kids, nor adults. The violence and brutaility is sadistic. The characters are unexplored and unexplained. In fact, you watch most of the movie not knowing who anyone is, and you don't really care. The special effects/makeup of the fantasy characters are amateurish at best--they look like they were made out of paper mache during your 8th grade Intro to Art Class. Very little of the plot is revealed, and you don't really know the difference between reality and fantasy in this film. If the fantasy in the film is used as an allegory for escaping the brutality of fascism, then it would be nice if it appeared somewhere in the script. I find it unimaginable that this is the highest rated movie of the year. I walked out of the theater thinking it was an utter mess, and absolute piece of crap. Don't waste your money. Don't even see it when it comes on DVD.… Expand

Anyone who has rated this less than an 8 doesn't know what good movies are. This one is Amazing! Yes, there are some brutal scenes of violence, but its done well and (if you didnt close your eyes) looks very real. This is NOT 90% violence like one reviewer has said. Most of the movie has to do with the little girl's relationship with her mother and her step-dad. There's part which has to do with her trying to complete her tasks to become the fantasy princess. Just go see it. Make your own judgement.… Expand

I'd call it beautiful, but everyone'scalling it that, and it's so much more than just eye candy. I really can't find anything wrong with this film at all. It's... well, it just is. I saw it about a month ago, and I'm still in awe. Guillermo del Torro has made cinema an art again in a business dominated by exploitation (Babel) and Oscar bait (The Queen). I can't imagine this movie being topped any time soon, maybe only by del Torro's next serious project (not Hellboy 2, even though I can't wait for its release).… Expand

I cant belive What I am reading from your people. TOO MUCH VIOLENCE? you guys are weak stuff. go watch the Cat in the hat or something. If you want to see a movie with fair amount of violence go watch the departed. Oh this was a good movie by the way.

Don't be sad or disappointed, it's ok, really. I didn't like this one either. I agree with the previous comments by Kevin and Matt C. I don't find it suspenseful to wait and see what gross thing happens next. The cinematography was claustrophobic, every scene looked small. The sound mix is obnoxious, it's so over the top. The movie is this - little girl fantasy, war is bad, little girl fantasy, war is bad - back and forth. Way overrated.… Expand

As good is this film that everyone who has given it a "10" (including myself of course) don´t have to explain much to say that it is one of the best movies ever made. On the contrary, those who give it a low rating have to explain in more than a thousand words why they were not satisfied by this magical, magnificent masterpiece.

Some nice visuals, but the film sorely disappoints. I think this director's technical skills matched with a good script could be magnificent, but this is the perhaps the most overrated film I've had the misforute of seeing. I truly feel duped. I am so glad the German film won the oscar.

I had low expectations for this, as I find many movies that are critically acclaimed to be uninteresting and confusing. But I actually really liked this. Sometimes you're on the edge of your seat, sometimes you're just in awe of all the visual effects. Sometimes it's brutal, sometimes it's just enchanting. Really worth your time and money for this masterpiece.

This movie sucked monkey testicles. I would rather be sodomized by a rusty jack hammer than sit throught this piece of crap again! The entire movie was gay and in Mexican. And before you see it, you should smash your face in with a bat, so that you won't remember it.

Honestly this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Superbly acted, and written, this movie is just masterfully crafted around reality and an escape from the rough life of a young spanish girl who is living through Franco's Spain in 1944. Just a great movie, do yourself a favor and watch it.

Pan's Labyrinth, a film (written and directed) by Guillermo del Toro (Blade 2 and Hellboy), is a memorable, unique, and adventurous movie that excells in many aspects. The plot revolves around a young spanish (and that's Spain spanish, not Mexico spanish) girl, Ofelia, whose mother has been widowed and is now moving in with her new husband who happens to be the captain of a fascist group that overtook Spain. The captain plays the role of a ruthless ruler, similiar to that of the Nazi in Schindler's List. The actor plays this character flawlessly, but he is not the only person who brings a good acting performance to the table. The mother, doctor, maid and many others perfectly play their parts also, with the exception of the lead character, Ofelia. Ofelia comes off as a very dull and undramatic young girl, roughly the age of 12, eventhough she is supposed to be full of imagination. She has a passion for fairy tales, and as she witnesses the violent nature of the captain and his group she uses her mind to escape reality. This movie, in all actuality, is a fairy tale for adults. The plot is interesting, and definately a fresh breath of air compared to recent films that keep using revenge as a motive for every last thing. From a directing stand point Pan's Labyrinth is amazing. It's gorgeous to watch, exciting to watch, and, most importantly, fun to watch. Pan's Labyrinth may not blow you away, but is ultimately a great movie. It gets, on a scale of one to ten, five being average, a nine. Oh and just a little fore-warning, this movie is in spanish and therefore you have to read english subtitles. This may shy people away from watching it, but by no means should you let this one go simply because of having to read subtitles.… Expand

Pretentious crap. That's all it takes these days to impress you morons isn't it - oh look it's a magical forest with Satan underneath it and there's oh look there's fascism in it which is a reminder to us all to SUPPORT THE WAR ON TERROR right! Right!! Goddamn sheep.

Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fairy tale much in the vein of a Grimm Brothers or H.C Andersen story (pre 19th-20th century 'happy ending' rewritings) Not suitable for children, the story is set in franco spain, and much of the story is allegorical, and in parts this tale is also very brutal. It is, in many ways, an adults only film. So why the low score? Well after watching the film, and reading the reviews, I began to wonder whether the amazingly high rating was in fact due to americans incredulity that a film can even be made outside of hollywood. I was also slightly worried that it gains an extra 20-30 points (or 2-3 marks) simply because the critic wishes to appear cultured. Is there anything intrinsically wrong with Pan's Labyrinth? No. But there are stories better told, and movies better shot. If you watch pans labyrinth, you won't go away particularly disappointed. If you watch pans labyrinth based on the reviews on this site, you will go away feeling empty, as this film is average at best… Expand

I felt totally ripped off by this movie. Nowhere in the ads, commercials, or anything I heard about this film, did it say the movie was in spanish. Granted the back of the DVD had a small box that said it was in spanish, but, since the commercials talked about other films he was involved with, I didn't think to look to see it was not in english. Not once in any commercials I saw for the film did any of the characters speak to show that it was in a different language than the majority of DVDs that you hear about on english channels on TV. I have no problems with spanish movies, I would just like to know they are in spanish before spending my money on them and not being able to return them because they are opened. In the least you would think that a movie would have an english track on it since it was being advertised so heavily (and IMO deceptively) on all types of english channels. Looking back on the advertising I saw how deceptive they were in their ads. Not once did they show anyone speaking. They just showed some graphics, then talked about the producer and the other films he's done (english speaking movies), and then compared it to the Lord of the Rings. It might be a great movie but they should be honest about it and say that it is subtitled in english or that it is in spanish. That is what I am mad about. That is what I will be sure to look for on any future purchases!… Expand

Set in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, the story of young Ofelia and her quest to return to her other worldly kingdom, is a masterpiece that deserves only the utmost honor and respect. It takes us to a time when the world was in tragedy, and the only way to survive was to shut your mouth and do some of the most atrocious things. To live with a fascist stepfather, and a mother who is carrying his child, and seemingly only in it for security, Ofelia is trapped in a wasteland. The pain inflicted on her mother Carmen, physically by her unborn child, can also be construed as a representation of the pain she may feel emotionally about marrying a fascist murderer, who only cares about the child she bears, and has no good sentiments towards her daughter. Ofelia, alone and afraid in a troubling time, has been so desensitized by the war, that she begins to repress her feelings, and create a world entirely her own, where she is a princess. One would also be blind however, not to notice that the fantasy world is as dark as reality. It is a mirror image of the real world, the only difference being that Ofelia could give herself hope. She was put through trials, including facing a child eating monster (who could easily be construed as her step father) and had to watch as her hopes started to die. We often see how reality coincides with Ofelia’s fantasy, by means of the mandrake root, and taking her young brother to the faun. Ofelia uses the only way possible to cope with what is going on around her. One would go so far as to say she already knew her fate, and merely tried to make it more bearable by creating a safe haven. Ofelia gave herself second chances, and in her mind, even when she thought she had done wrong, she had done right. I do not believe that Ofelia’s last fantasy had anything to do with a real heaven, I believe it was her last chance to make herself happy before she died. She died feeling like a princess, with her father ( who one could argue is how she interpreted her dead tailor father), where she is safe. It has so many levels of symbolism, that anyone who viewed it as negative is completely out of their minds. It only proves that they themselves have been over sensitized, and that they have the sick minds that can turn a beautiful story about hope and safety, into a pagan horror movie. Man up people, it is set in a war, so yes it is gory, but consider the real meaning to the seemingly senseless violence. It returns back to the violation of innocence, and it contributes to Ofelia’s world, where everything she knows about right and wrong is crumbling. So yes it is gory, no there is not a lot of fantasy scenes, yes you will probably leave the theater feeling a little depressed, but go and read a story about world war two, a true one, and you will feel just as depressed. The key to Pan’s Labyrinth, is that if watched with an open mind, that depression is also lined with deep thought, and isn’t that what great movies are supposed to do? Make us think?… Expand

Outstanding. Del Toro managed to mix innocence,fear and politics with a fairytale. The way Del Toro built up the climax of the movie was just perfect to give this sdult fairyutale a fantastic ending. Splendid script and genius photography. The movie was outstanding and didnt need a great score to make it better like other movies, but Navarrete's score is a classic.

Did I miss something in this movie?? I thought it was awful. Could have used a lot more Labyrinth, and a lot less "Captain" shooting people in the face. This was a huge disappointment, and the whole chalk door on the wall....well that was cool 15 years ago in BeetleJuice.

I loved this movie. The best movie by far this year. It tells a story that is unforgetable about the choices we make and what will happen if we make the wrong choices. This is what movies should be about. Now a days all they worry about is fancy special effects but this movie focuses on not onlty the special effects but the story. Which is why i really like this movie.

There are about 3 scenes in this film which contain graphic violence, so anyone who rates it lower due to the violence is an idiot. My girlfriend hates graphic violence in films, as it terrifies her. After watching this film, the last thing on her mind was the violence it contained. I am yet to meet anyone who was not deeply moved by this film. I can safely say that it is the best film that I have ever seen, which really is saying a lot. It recieved a 20 minute standing ovation at it's premiere in Cannes. Watch it and you will realise why.… Expand

Some people really get on my nerves. Do the people giving this film a zero honestly think that it's the worst film ever and undeserving of a single point towards its name. Quit wasting intelligent people's time with your idiotic reviews and go back to watching Norbit and Big Mommas House 2. It's heartbreaking for me to see these bad reviews for a film so undeserving of them.

An impeccably structured film with gorgeous parallels and masterful storytelling. Each action served a major purpose to the personality of the character. The baby stopped crying when the captain came in because his prescense alone was so terrifying that the baby couldn't even make a sound. Mercedes inflicted damage on the captain but didn't make absolute sure before she fled in terror. Ofelia draws the door above her because she knew that was the way she came in and that she'd just end up in a wall. And to those who say it doesn't have substance, well, that just makes me sad. The film drew beautifully off most classic fairy tales but then threw in ingenious parallels to the real world so some people would have an easier time taking it in context. My 06 film of the year... so far. There's one left that could knock it out that I have yet to see and will be watching tomorrow called The Lives of Others. I also need to get my hands on a copy of Mutual Appreciation.… Expand

Quickly scrolling through the MANY reviews, I see a hell of a lot of Reds and Yellows. RIdiculous. This movie's story is so deep and entrancing as to be an instant classic, but you have to be watching the movie, and getting past the fact that there are subtitles to truly appreciate this masterpiece. Knowing Spanish would probably be a great asset to you as well.

Not nearly as enjoyable as I had expected based on reviews. I hate to say it, but reading the subtitles distracted from the full enjoyment potential of the film. I also had a problem with some of the plot and actions. While there were subtle things going on that really require a second or third viewing, all good things that add to the masterful art of the film, I simply was uninspired. Sometimes art can be technically correct but not connect. While it clearly connected with many, it didn't with me or my wife. She somewhat strongly disliked it.… Expand

Definitely a cool movie. It's the only movie I know of that mixes graphic violence with fairy tale sequences. It also shows the terrors of war from the eyes of a child, and it sheds some light on how a child might comprehend all of it by creating some elaborate fantasy. It's not actually the most entertaining movie of the year, in fact it can be boring at times, it's just one of the most unique movies of the year. My advice is to go into with the goal of experiencing it in your own way, without preconceived notions of hating it or loving it. Once again, I personally was not entertained, but it has been 3 weeks and I am still haunted by the violent images, haunted by the cruelty displayed in the film. It seems to me that the movie presents violence and cruelty as being real and hope as being fantasy, and thus presents a bleak view of life that I am still thinking about.… Expand

A great fantasy adventure that despite some incredulous remarks and 0 scores still rates at 8.4. This says much for the maligned few who judge not on message but on appearance, choosing to bypass the part of the brain that processes thought and sends them straight out of the rear. To avoid this film because of such pretentious folks thinking they are above the underlying meaning of the film is nigh on criminal.… Expand

why would I want to subject myself of a Peter Pan / Hostel hybrid movie(but well shot)? Because it's critically acclaimed. I learned that you can't always rely on critic reviews for good movies to watch. I found this movie disturbing, and not in a good horror flick kind of way... more like... distasteful. It's like a stark antithesis of Pixar's Ratatouille.

I thought this was unmitigated rubbish. It didn't say anything meaningful that I could discern. The 'real world' was just violence, violence, violence, with absolutely no exploration of the real and important politics behind what was happening. The fantasy world was silly, incoherent and without any sense of real magic.

This is one incredible film, from start to finish. Hands down, one of the greatest films I have ever seen. To the reviewers that gave it poor reviews: I agree that the marketing was completely misleading, it was not what I was expecting. But to comment that there was "no exploration of the real and important politics behind what was happening" is missing the entire point of the film. The film is about a young girl coping with the horrors of war and fascism, not about the events actually going on.… Expand

This movie is easily the best movie ever made (in my opinion). Del Toro blends fantasy and reality perfectly. The movie is beautiful and flawless, and shows brutality and innocence. Those hate it should go back to watching Meet the Spartans or Epic Movie, since you obviously don't know what a real film is. A perfect 10/10 for Pan's Labyrinth.

A good movie. Possible answer to Zabbock, she might've drawn upward cause it would be more difficult for the wrinkler to climb upwards.

An awful excuse for a fantasy film. Well shot - that's for sure. but other than that, an utter joke that this has been so highly praised.

Terrifying, sweet.. Dark, light.. Fantasy, reality... Imagination, truth.. Hope, Despair... Life, death... Pans Labyrinth is one of the best movies of 2006.

Very shocking and grotesque. Too much war story instead of good fantasy. I like the musical scoring, though. Can't get the theme out of my head.

This movie is definitely not a fantasy film. If you judge by the normal measures of cinema, and not by your own arbitrary expectations, you will find an truly epic film.

I have never fallen so much in love with a story before seeing this.

Stunning visuals and a great story.

It was so beautiful shot and i fell in love with the characters.

This movie is awesome. Never have I seen such different concepts of movies blended into one so well. War, Fantasy, and Horror. A true emotional roller coaster.

I can say lots of great things on this movie, but I will only say It honestly made me cry.

The most successful of it's kind. Great, memorable scenes. Beautiful and grotesque, always tense.

Not a gilded treasure from the vaults of xerxes, like teh critics think.

I have been told incessantly by indoctrinated critics that there is no such thing as perfection. I beg to differ. This movie is haunting, exquisite, and the ending will haunt you and leave you thinking. For a long time.

I laughed when I read how well this movie was rated. I walked out of the theatre upset that I stayed for the entire time. Not even the best movie with Labyrinth in the title.

This film is haunting in every sense of the word. In fact, this movie redefined it for me. Every scene has stayed with me in a way that entire movies rarely do. An accomplished feat of filmmaking.

This movie sucked flat out. I really don't see what there was to like about it. The fantasy elements were shallow and simplistic, and lacking in characters, location, and screen time. The real world scenarios were simply mediocre. None of the characters were likable or believable. There was no exploration of the mechanisms behind the conflict except for some naive black and white paradigm. The violence was pointless, it was like the movie was trying to reaffirm for two hours "look at this guy, he is EVIL, EVIL, EVIL!". The little girl is a shallow idiot. There was about as much personality in this film as in an aquarium.… Expand

I'm not much of a wardrama movie fan, but sometimes a genre film can raise itself through a good or original storyline and or sub story. Labirinto doesn't at all. It offers nothing more than a meandering tale about the evil of men, which's message is brought far too directly to make any impact. People that taut this movie as a fairytale should consider watching the movie again with a timer. Perhaps only 7% of this movie deals with what can vaguely be described as a fairytale, although I would rather like to call it fable-imagery. We didn't call Kill Bill a Manga movie either just because it had some Manga scenes in it, now did we. Although it was beautifully shot and contained good acting, this movie was bland and over the top at the same time. At no point are you required to think because the movie exposes everything it touches upon. It was just that year's cinematic darling and the audiences slavishly followed suit.… Expand

This film is vastly overrated. The plot is paper-thin and the characters so cliched it beggars belief. The overall impression is of a badly written amalgamate of half a dozen Brothers Grimm fairy tales, couple of poor war dramas and a coming-of-age, straight to TV Disney flick from the eighties. The four points are for the ideas for Pan and the white monster, and Doug Jones' performance. It's surprising that such an unoriginal creation would come from the director of The Devil's Backbone and a well executed Hellboy adaptation.… Expand

I really can't understand where some of these ridiculously negative views of the movie are coming from, other than the fact that in some ways the movie has been slightly overrated. Still, it certainly doesn't deserve such a harsh rating as 4, letalone 0. The movie was dark and emotional. There was enough fantasy to satisfy and the switching between harsh reality and mystical adventure brought a very powerful twist to the movie. I felt that the few violent scenes were well placed and did well to demonstrate the barbaric and sadistic behaviour of the fascist stepfather. That said, I was slightly disappointed as I feel the movie could have offered more. Unlike some people, though, I'm not going to give the movie a bad score just because it had untapped potential - it was still a fantastic viewing experience.… Expand

I missed this in the cinema and on DVD but finally watched it on TV, and it more than lives up to the critics score. I haven't watched a subtitled film in years and was worried that it would be distracting, but the film keeps such a hold on you that you're virtually reading them subconsciously. The idiots who scored 0 for this film are the ones that can't watch and read at the same time, or just refuse to accept that a foreign language film can be good too! Maybe if it was dubbed they would have scored it higher?… Expand

Great movie all around, a must see.

I absolutely loved this movie. From the elements of realism brought in by Del Toro's portray of the Spanish cvil war to the amazing fantasy world developed throughout the film. I can't see where the poor reviews are coming from.

Woeful plot. Good animation here and there but thats about all I can say that is good about this movie. Why is it that directors assume their audiences to be dumb and weave about unbelievable plots? Not only that but they give their characters 1/2 the IQ of an average person? God help us if Del Toro turns the Hobbit into another Pans labyrinth.

Excellent movie. Very entertaining, really a classic. It has lots of violence, but instead of insulting it is sad, and makes one aware that reality is more violent.

Most beautiful, emotional and gripping movie I've ever seen. I was left feeling happy and sad all in one go.

Honestly, this film is simply confused. Del Toro should have choosen one story line or the other to be the center of the film and the other story to support and enrich it. As it stands, neither story seems real. That said, the imagery is unforgettable.

Holy Shit! This movie kicked ass! The gory bloody parts are amazing and the fact that it's in a different langauge totally ROCKS!!

Imaginative, amazing.

Pan's Labyrinth is a beautiful fairytale for adults, that will remain in someone's mind for a long time.

Simply one of the best movies i have ever seen. Beautifully produced and directed, great visuals, and an awesome story. I disagree with Baz regarding the unbelievable plot. The movie is meant to be half fantasy half reality, the true meaning or significance is largely left to interpretation by the audience. Also the characters IQ, i dont know who specifically Baz refers to but i believe she is referring to a part (i wont reveal it) involving the child character in the story in which case simple mistakes are just a common child error. Definitely worth a try.… Expand

Me and a buddy saw this movie one night, and halfway through the film he begged me to switch to another movie. I insisted that we saw it through because of the metascore, but at the end I almost fell asleep. The whole World War II / Fantasy mix is the most boring plot ever and never makes any sense.

A beautiful, emotional, and spellbinding film that is the single best film I've seen in 2006.

The most beautiful and shocking film I've ever seen. It's incredibly imaginative, with a perfect mixture of fantasy and reality interwoven. I can't really fault it. I was genuinely moved by it, it even got me crying. If you're feeling strong enough for some very serious cinema, I highly recommend it.

Pan's Labyrinth is imaginative and a great movie from every aspect.

Brilliant movie. It's so refreshing to watch a film like this. Each scene was obviously very well thought out. The sound and picture seemed so beautifully crisp. Marvelous.

A very entertaining movie with some violence and a fantastic fairy tale central story.

What a beautiful movie.

My wife & I rarely watch a rented movie twice--preferring to return the movie as soon as we can & get another one. This one we not only watched twice, but we also invited others to join us when we watched it the second time! Loved it!

For all the naysayers who gave this movie a low score, i'm sorry that you have zero imagination and must be spoon fed a boring run of the mill plot. But for those who enjoy the strange and enthralling worlds of mythos and fables, you will enjoy this movie. To end it I will say 4 words! BOTTLE IN THE FACE!

Visually stunning, with beautiful settings, decent acting and a truly haunting score this film suffers from one major flaw. It can not decide whether it wants to be a gripping and realistic war drama or a fantastical fairy tale and ultimately fails to be either. Really wanted to like this film, but in the end it is flat, pointless, needlessly violent and as others have said lacks "soul".

I'm going to be honest to Director del Toro, because if he was here right now, I'd torture him like one of the tortured martyrs in his obsolete "movie". I loathed it so much that I had to stop watching it for some 5 minutes, thinking about why those Mexicans or Spanish people had no common sense to release this to an English-speaking audience and then come back to watch the rest of this poorly made fantasy! That's how much I abhorred it! It's so ambiguous and silly, I can't possibly understand why critics rendered it with praise! But- Let me just stop my ranting and clarify- in lucid English that the obese del Toro can understand- why this movie was so repulsive. Violence, well hey! It's in almost every single movie! But in this one, the violence is unrealistic. Let me explain why... 1. Why is there so much blood? I mean, I'm not symbolically protesting, but practically, human blood does not hemmorage that profusely, study some anatomy! 2. The battles are so unrealistic, how can the so-called "Capitan" be killing off guerrillas from long-range with a luger pistol that only fires short-range? Study marksmanship! 3. How can blood be flowing from Ofelia's nose?(See! They can't even spell "Ophelia" right!) When she's shot in the stomach? Again, study some anatomy! This movie is also filled with so many Hollywood cliches to make you shiver, the Captain is the only one that implies the scariness in the film, but balance the role of frightening authority to other people! Stupid! Unfortunately, I cannot waste valuable time in my life criticizing this movie, I have so many distastes for it, that I cannot fill them all here. However, I have one detail to praise in this movie, the art direction, that was the most superb aspect that gave the film it's brightness, but not reason, I feel sorry for the people at the art direction department of production, they had to work with a director that was an obese jerk and they had to be responsible for abetting the production of the most poorly made fantasy flick next to the Lord of the Rings... ...And oh, speaking of the Lord of the Rings, del Toro's going to screw up the Tolkien legendarium even more by making a Hobbit companion movie (sheesh! You are unskilled)... ...And by the way, Tolkien is always screwed up.… Expand

A beautifully told allegory about power, love, innocence.. I could go on, but firstly... Nathaniel Z, what are you sniffing?! You say you haven't got time to properly criticize the movie. Well, don't. Your self-important opinions are misguided and, at their worst, completely irrelevant. For example, you say Del Toro is obese, but my next door neighbor has an orange cat (and if that confuses you, you've just subtly got my point)... Del Toro rocks. I could hug his big, cuddly ass. P.S. What are you even doing reading this anyway? I won't be bothering; better things to do.… Expand

I did not like it. the fantasy figures were too obscure. The movie was shown as part of a foreign film series at the local college. Only 30% of the class showed up. Probably had seen it before.

The best film I have ever seen. It was a perfect story between fantasy and reality.

My expectation was that this movie is a great fantasy movie. But through the course of the film, I felt the war concept of the film more. And the war part was I could only say, finely done. And I still enjoyed it.I have seen anything like it.

Wonderful movie. The contrast of a child's imagination with the realities of war makes this film extremely moving. Just know that it is not a traditional fantasy movie.

I loved this movie 100%, Del Toro's vision between real life and fantasy is fascinating, see how the pale man (the baby eating monster) is sitting at the center of the table just like captain Vidal, they both represent evil, also de tree that was dying because of the frog that was living inside of it, just like the mother of "Ofelia" (yes in spanish Ophelia is written as it is.) who's dying because of the baby she's carrying with. The Faun is almost the fantasy version of Mercedes. I'd like to say to the user that gave it a 1 because of it's unrealistic look, etc. that there are things way more important than un-accurate effects of the luger pistol, the blood, etc. I tell you this and you might think im a nerd who adores Del Toro. (I'm a film student, so I know how to analyze a movie) and I think the reason Americans are an active consumer of Foreign films because most of them have quite more interesting story than most of the garbage hollywood is producing.… Expand