Pan’s Labyrinth – A Fantasy Movie? War? Or Horror?

I had a sudden last minute urge to catch a movie and Cynthia suggested Pan’s Labyrinth. First shock, the poster looks like a horror movie and Cynthia doesn’t watch horror movies (this poster I chose for my site is one of the “better” ones). Second shock, I found out that it is a fantasy movie instead and she wants to watch fantasy? When we made our way into the theater, Cynthia turned to me and said: oh, by the way, this is a foreign movie. I was like … huh? I needed to read subtitles? Shortly after, I overheard someone next to us mentioned that this movie is 2 hours long. Great … a foreign 2 hours long fantasy movie with a plot that I had no clue about. Cynthia kept reassuring me that it is a highly rated movie.

Pan’s Labyrinth has three different dimensions. Set in Spain 1940s, the reality dimension that tells a story of a civil war. The fantasy dimension that tells a story of Ofélia’s journey in solving 3 quests given by Pan, a magical and demonic creature, to gain her immortality as the princess of the underworld (I felt like watching a role-playing fantasy computer game at some points). And there is a third (brilliant) dimension that weaves a story between this two dimensions mixing reality with fantasy bringing forth a contrast of good and evil. It is one of those movies that will get you thinking in the end.

You will be in for a surprise if you think that Pan’s Labyrinth is a fantasy movies for children. It surely has enough blood, gunshots, and knife wounds that kept me cringing throughout the show. The demonic side of the fantasy world does have its mildly scary moments. At some points, I did feel like watching a horror movie instead.

Pan’s Labyrinth has an overwhelming positive rating from throughout the world. Perhaps one of the highest I have seen in Metacritics so far.