Set after Spain's Civil War, 12 year old Ofelia escapes into her fantasy world inspired by the books she's read. Her mother has remarried after the death of Ofelia's father to a brutish, sadistic Captain fighting rebels. Ofelia meets Pan a creature that convinces her that she is the reincarnation of a princess of the underworld who died ages ago. Her father has been waiting for her to be reborn but to prove that she is indeed a princess she must accomplish three tasks before the next full moon so she can be reunited with her father and mother. ***

Del Toro's film isn't perfect nor is it as good as some of his other efforts but it is a worthwhile film from this very talented director. It won't appeal to everyone (and it isn't meant to). The performances from all the actors are quite good particularly the little girl playing Ofelia who gives a natural performance without overplaying her role. The production design is, as with all Del Toro's films, exceptional (in fact there are other visual motifs that refer to "Hellboy" one of Del Toro's most successful mainstream projects). ***

Like Del Toro's other films "The Devil's Backbone" and "Cronos", "El Laberinto del Fauno" is a powerful occasionally gruesome sad fantasy film. This isn't fantasy as in "The Wizard of Oz" but darker much closer in tone to the original colorful (and equally gruesome) Grimm Brothers fairytales. Del Toro's film shares a sensibility with some of Terry Gilliam's darker films. If you didn't enjoy "The Devil's Backbone" or any of Del Toro's other films, then you won't enjoy this often visually stunning sad tale. ---

Image & Sound:

Capturing the muted tones of the theatrical release perfectly, "Pan's Labyrinth" looks extremely good with sharp images and definition throughout the film. The only problematic scenes are some of those set at night which occasionally look murky, flat and without much depth. The blacks are solid throughout the DVD presentation except for these night scenes as well. Overall, though, the transfer nicely captures the wonderful cinematography of the film. ***

The 5.1 EX audio mix nicely uses the format particularly during some of the battle scenes or even during some of the scenes in the "imaginary" world. In the latter the director nicely uses ambient sounds to intensify these sequences. The 6.1 DTS soundtrack truly is superior by a hair capturing the nicely detailed soundtrack and its eerie atmosphere very well indeed. ---

The two disc set has a wonderfully detailed and intelligent commentary track by director Del Toro. Touching on everything from his original conception of the film, various touches added to the last minute to budget constraints that caused some compromises, Del Toro demonstrates a winning personality in his commentary which will keep listeners engaged even during the most mundane discussions. ***

We also get a "Director's Prologue" that lasts less than 30 seconds allowing Del Toro to discuss why he made the film. "Marketing Campaign" is the last extra on the first discs and includes the trailers for the films and poster designs. No body addresses, however, the issue of how the marketing mistakes made in trying to sell this film to the public. Sure, it became successful but there were a lot of viewers who were upset at how gruesome the film was and that the fantasy element truly was for adults. ***

We get four featurettes. "The Power of Myth" at 15 minutes is among the best with Del Toro focusing on the film's dark fairy tale origin and with the director discussing some of the traditional fairytales that inspired the film. "Pan and the Fairies" is a cornucopia of visual effects gems. We see everything from how the infamous cheek slicing scene was created to the creation of Pan and the Pale Man both played by Doug Jones. We also get concept sketches as well as glimpses into the creation of the make up for the characters. "The Lullaby" is a two part featurette on the film's marvelous score. "The Color and the Shape" focuses on the cinematography and Del Toro's use of color to create his world. ***

We "The Charlie Rose Show" episode that featured Del Toro along with other Mexican directors such as Alfonoso Cuaron ("Children of Men") and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel"). Each director discusses their work, their inspiration and how they have mined their culture to create many of their well regarded films. ***

"The Director's Notebook" consists of an interactive storybook allowing you to see mini-featurettes on a variety of subjects with comments from cast and crew. We get storyboard comparisons with multiple angles and behind-the-scenes photos to close out the extensive archive of extras with this set. ---

Final Words: