Magical
Ciaran from Dublin, 01 Jul 2007
As original a movie as you are likely to see, this is a compelling, mythical motion picture that will stretch your imagination and keep you immersed from start to finish. Visually perfect, brilliantly acted and with a superb score, this is film making at its best. Impossible to categorise, the plot follows a girl caught up in war on the one hand and in magical quests on the other. Captivating stuff.
Pans Labyrinth
Tim from Cork, 25 Oct 2007
Really brilliant and original film making. A few little things didn't sit quite right with me. I though the structure was a bit odd, climax came at the wrong point and the magical/imaginary world was very dark... If it had been me making the movie I probably would have made it a more welcoming place, certainly with a dark side but the friendly characters even looker scary.
Still a truly great film!
Fairytale or War Film? - it does not know.
helen from Dublin, 06 Jan 2009
This is based on a fable/fairy tale with a very violent war-time background. It was rather strange really as it did not seem to know whether it was one or the other. The violent scenes (which gives it the 18 rating) are really bad, gruesome and I think unneccesary. Take them out and you have a perfectly good film which would probably get a 12 rating and therefore appeal to a wider audience.
Pan's Labyrinth
william from Westmeath, 22 Apr 2008
Before writing I accidently gave it a 10 rating. Assigning a numerical value to a masterpiece debases it. This is a masterpiece. If Salman Rushdie owned up to writing the script I wouldn't be surprised. I've read reviews criticising it for being dispassionate and distant - it isn't. It's magical and bloodily real at the same time and I loved it - that's why I'm renting it again.
Pantastic
Gerard from Cork, 03 Aug 2007
I thought this would be a special effects, kiddy film, it's not. Some real nasty scenes where the bad guy inflicts rough justice on the rebels. Cuts to fairytale scenes throughout with some very good animation.
Slow burning tale about the Spanish civil war, along the lines of 'The wind that shakes the barley(?)'.
Basic good over bad guy storyline, but well worth watching.