Pan's Labyrinth

The most balanced and the best del Toro movie I’ve seen. And it has the same theme music as in Circus Humberto. A chamber price about war with a big pinch of gloomy, fairytale fantasy. The problem is the length, because especially in the first hour the pace is far too relaxed. On the other hand, it is hard to fault the second half; everything is flawless. It’s a sort of successful concoction containing The Devil’s Backbone and the unmistakable storytelling poetry of Neil Gaiman. (27/12/2006)

During this film, I felt as if Guillermo del Toro had put me on a merry-go-round. At times I found myself in the middle of a military camp suppressing a handful of rebels, and then suddenly witnessing a fairy tale fantasy full of weird creatures. It's certainly an entertaining, exciting and at times thrilling ride, but the effect visibly falters over time and there are some rusty spots, whether it's the incomprehensible brutality that must have shocked the excited younger audience a great deal, or the slight neglect and relegation of Pan and his tasks at the expense of the war, and they grow in number and my impressions were rather mixed when it was over. In any case, just for the premise and the director’s courage, I round up to ****. (23/05/2011)

Faun's Labyrinth meets all the requirements of a quality film - a strong story, the appropriate budget, an experienced director, and a solid cast. It is exactly the kind of fantasy that I like because it doesn't trample on the most cheaply stolen motifs from Tolkien in a thousand ways, but goes its own way and combines a classic fairy tale story with a realistically conceived war drama. It is original, emotional, tense, and artistically elaborate with excellent cinematography, and the director is not afraid of even naturalistic bloody scenes and ventures into the realm of pure horror. Overall impression: 90%. The pinnacle of Guillermo del Toro's work so far, which will be difficult for the director to surpass... (02/04/2009)

A truly naturalistic drama from the twilight of the Spanish Civil War, which, through its groundwork of the neighboring worlds of reality and fantasy (surreal), recalls the director's film called Devil. Thanks to the difference between the two worlds, Pan's Labyrinth splits into two different levels – the level of bestial drama and the level of a Goya picturesque fairy-tale horror about the world behind the mirror. What I really miss in this film is the coherence and integrity of both fictional spaces. With the exception of the conclusion, from their union, I had the impression of a kind of discord, uselessness, and that it was forced. Maybe I'm too used to Burton's optics, in which everything has its order. Guillermo Del Toro has order mainly in the visual and technical concept, which is excellent and makes Pan's Labyrinth into a high-quality spectacle in terms of atmosphere, masks, set design and, last but not least, acting. In the end, the culmination of the film brought a clear moment of motivation to the whole scheme and dulled slightly my awkward impression of Del Toro's script. If this special genre mix doesn't appear in Czech movie theatres, the distributors should put their heads in the sand. Despite having a few criticisms, it's a hugely attractive experience and arguably the best endeavor of the Mexican's career... I place it in the poetic neighborhood of Tim Burton and partly Terry Gilliam. (31/03/2007)

Pan’s Labyrinth has everything that Tim Burton’s movies used to have in the old days – spiritual content clad in a stunning visual package. It is a unique fantasy that blends the fantastic world of a little girl’s imagination with the cruelest face of the adult world. It is thus two powerful movies in one, leading to a surprising, poetic and very thought-provoking ending. Pan’s Labyrinth seems like an adaptation of a rich fantasy novel, perfectly rendered on the silver screen. Guillermo del Toro’s genius lies in the fact that his film is not based on any book but on his own highly sophisticated script. Introducing the horrifying aspect of the film in form of the actions of Sergi López’s character at the very beginning of the film is an arguably brutal, but very effective decision! (29/09/2017)