Guillermo Del Toro is a filmmaker known to audiences and harcore fans alike for his truly visionary character and set designs, and beautiful (not clunky) use of effects. This talent is in top form in "Pans Labyrinth".
This film is a beautiful fairytale, but one that is certainly for adults. At first glance a fairytale thats main protagonist is a young woman who learns she is actually a princess may seem like it's for the kids, but this is no "Snow White". The subject matter of this film is undisputedly dark, and at times core-shakingly violent. This realistic look at violence is the antithesis of the beautiful fantasy world also displayed in the film, working off of each other as only an ingenious filmmaker such as Del Toro could provide. In this he (Del Toro) has made a shockingly true film, showing reality as a violent and devastatingly unfair place, while portraying the reality of the fantastical world a place of sheer beauty and wonder. This is the nature of life, we create these other worlds as an escape from our own. Whether it be how Christians imagine heaven, Buddhists' nirvana, or a minimum wage worker's daydreams of wealth, Guillermo Del Toro has created another reality in this film that might best them all. The sheer amount of detail put into this world is awe-inspiring, and should set the bar when making a fantasy film. That's right Peter Jackson, take notes. As well as the overall design of this entirely new world, the design of this new worlds characters (and the concept art that didn't even make into the film) are beautiful.
Del Toro has shown the world that he has an immaculate eye for detail in design in his other films, but this is far and away his best work. Even the wonderful designs he put into his "Hellboy" film adaptations look miniscule in comparison. All hail Guillermo Del Toro, modern king of film fantasy.
5/5
(P.S. The trailer for his film coming out next year hasn't premiered as of yet, but it's about giant robots fighting giant monsters. Coming from the guy who has proved himself with work such as this, this film cound redefine the word "epic". This film is due to hit next summer, and is titled "Pacific Rim".
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