Yes everyone, this is probably one of the greatest fantasy films of all time next to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. evey shot is inundated with with this magical feeling which encompasses the viewer. the makeup, costumes, visual effects, acting, dialougue is so dialed in with the time which make it very surrreal. i remeber when the film came out and obviously not being able to see it. i saw thses incredibly creepy trailers and when i came across it several years later i was stunned. it is so original and unique. Guillermo del Toro is probbly one of the most visionary directors of our time. his "Hellboy" series is nothing great but still beautifully done. the screenplay has points that are very conventional (ex. evil stepfather; whimsical fantasy girl that no one believes...) but it makes up for that in all the other intricate aspects of the film. what makes a great fantasy film is making it so realistic that it's not viewed as a fantasy. that's what this does.
Ivana Baquero plays Ofelia. the girl still stuck in farytales who alwas has her head in the books. her father was a tailor and died in the war. Her mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) is pregnant and remarried the captin of the Spanish Army. He is a brutal man and obviously has little respect for Ofelia and her mother. Ofelia makes good friends with the young housekeeper Mercedes who is warm and helps Ofelia. she and the head doctor are also helping the guerillas in the woods. Ofelia, through a fairy, finds a labirynth which contains contless mystery but is dormant acording to Mercedes. one night, the fairy take Ofelia down to the labirynth where she meets a faun who gives her a book. when she is a lone, the book gives her several treacherous tasks in which she is to complete. there is much much more but i dont want to give much away. all of Del Toro's visions poured out in to this production makeing its visual style impecable. the monsters and creatures were so intricately done. Del Toro obviously had a vision but what he and Peter Jackson have that many other directors don't is their ability to brilliantly execute their vision. that is what makes those fims so popular.
The performances were very good especially that of Baquero. she was very belivable and strong. there are many scenes including the finale that many young actresses could not complete with that amount of ease. the score was moving and the leimotif was the video i posted. it had that magical, consuming feel to it. the cinematogrphy (which won the Oscar) was some of the best of the decade. every shot was done with finess and were smooth and some difficult. Roger Ebert loved the film and called it "one of the greatest of all fantasy films." many other critics agree. i avoided the film for a long time and finally convinced myself to and thank god i did. there is not much more about the film i can describe; i want people to really see it. The film feels like a classic, like "There Will Be Blood", "Atonement", "Far from Heaven" "No Country for Old Men" as in it will be remembered as the films that defined our time.
| Academy Awards, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Won | Oscar | Best Achievement in Art Direction Eugenio Caballero (art director) Pilar Revuelta (set decorator) |
| Best Achievement in Cinematography Guillermo Navarro | |||
| Best Achievement in Makeup David Martí Montse Ribé | |||
| Nominated | Oscar | Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Javier Navarrete | |
| Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Mexico. | |||
| Best Writing, Original Screenplay Guillermo del Toro | |||
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