Pan's Labryinth something to behold

I was recently the winner of a 52-inch flatscreen plasma TV in a draw, and the timing couldn’t have been better, with Pan’s Labryinth just being released on DVD.
For anyone who hasn’t yet seen this movie, if you don’t have a big screen TV, find someone who does because that is the only way to truly appreciate this beautiful film.
Pan’s Labryinth is set in 1944 fascist Spain and is the story of a girl, Ofelia, who is fascinated with fairy-tales, who is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army.
During the night, Ofelia meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of a nearby labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.
I was immediately struck by how wonderfully shot Labyrinth is.
It is crystal clear and filled with amazing colors, mostly dark ones, and has breathtaking camera work that swoops along with the fairy and provides breathtaking viewpoints and angles. There are also some great transitions. One of my favorite shots is when the camera crawls around a tree with the fairy, and watches Ofelia’s car drive away.
Labryinth was written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who also directed the brooding and stylish Cronos, as well as Hellboy and Blade II. In all four movies, he shows a great knack for working in dark tones and material.
Parents shouldn’t be misled by the mention of fantasy and fairy tale. While Labryinth is both, it is not for children or even the squeamish.
The fantasy aspect has some real frights and gruesome scenes and, in the real world, there are some jarring scenes of violence that are alternately numbing and cringe-inducing. Yet, no matter how horrific the content, it always looks amazing!
There are also strong performances by the cast, particularly by Sergi Lopez as the ruthless Captain Vidal, who matches Ralph Fiennes’ turn as the evil SS commandant Amon Goth in Schindler’s List. Ivana Baquero is charming as Ofelia, and Maribel Verdu shows strength and compassion as Vidal’s maid, Mercedes, who is secretly aiding the Spanish rebels.
Oh, and have I mentioned monsters yet?
The effects are tremendous, with Del Toro opting more for makeup and prosthetics than digital effects. The faun/Pan is very much like the mythological Pan, being a goat below the torso, but his head looks like an ant’s, except with the huge, looping horns of a big horn sheep.
There is also a disgusting giant toad and some other fairies but the most interesting and frightening character for me is a misshapen being whose eyes sit before him on a plate – until he is awakened and places his eyes in the palms of hands.
Pan’s Labryinth is Spanish and subtitled, which shouldn’t matter to true movie buffs because we all know that foreign movies are by and large better than what comes out of Hollywood but, if you’re one of those people who don’t like to “read movies,” make an exception with this one. It is absolutely thrilling and gorgeous to behold.
I was fortunate enough to see it the first time on one of the Imax screens in Silver City in Vancouver a few months ago. If it happens to be still playing at a theatre near you, hurry up and see it. If not, get chummy with someone who has a big screen and rent it.
Your eyes will thank you!