Review: Pan's Labyrinth

It's that time of year when each new movie that opened late last year are heralded with many accolades as this years Academy Award nominations take shape. I had been tracking this movie for some time and immediately made plans to redeem my "Customer Loyalty" voucher.

The film takes place in Spain, 1944. Ophelia, the heroine of the story, travels with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather. The stepfather is a decidedly cruel Captain in charge of Franco's forces to root out Communist resistance that still prevails in the mountainside. The stepfather could care less about Ophelia, and has more concern for his yet unborn son being carried by her mother.

Ophelia is a dreamer, using fairy tales to escape the death of her real father, the sudden move to the country side, her stepfather and life. She comes face to face with a Faun who reveals to her that, in actuality, Ophelia is the daughter of a great king. Upon proving that she is not mortal, she may pass through the portal and re-enter her father's realm. She is given three tasks to perform prior to the full moon.

In contrast to Ophelia's story, is the story of Mercedes. She is one of the Captain's house staff, whose brother is one of the rebels in the mountains. Her life is no fairy tale, and she is not able to escape the cruelty of her world.

I found Pan's Labyrinth to be enjoyable, but you may want to consider your Fourth Row Center position, as you will be reading subtitles. I was in my usual 4RC seat (Coke, Popcorn and Goobage) and found myself wishing to be back a few rows so I could take in the subtitles without moving my eyes down and then back up. I was surprised that my high school Spanish is still there and I was able to follow along. The media campaign was a little over the top, and I believe that it did not live up to their hype, but, I liked the story.

Pan's Labyrinth: ***+
Theater Worthy and Approved.