Screenwriter: Guillermo del Toro
Pan’s Labyrinth turned out to be another force to be reckoned with from 2006. With three Oscar® wins – for cinematography, art direction and makeup – it, too, proved it was worth its weight in hype.
It’s also the third subject in my first trailer experiment. Initially, I felt it had the look and feel of a film I would like (it did) but I was concerned the choppy trailer hinted that the film could have story problems (it didn’t). So, how did it all “pan” out?! [Ha, ha, ha, ha!!... Oh, come on, it was a little funny.]
For those of you who’ve been living on Mars for the past few months (or without cable), Pan’s Labyrinth is the ultimate fantasy about how an overactive imagination and love of fairy tales can get you through almost any horrible situation.
Young Ofelia (Ivana Banquero) travels with her pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), to join Ofelia’s wicked stepfather, Vidal (Sergei Lopez), a captain in Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s army (post-World War II). Vidal is on the hunt for rebels who’ve embedded themselves deep in the forests of the rural countryside. His sociopathic tendencies make life very miserable for all those around him. Longing to be rescued from his egomania, sarcasm and downright cruelty, Ofelia spends time in a nearby labyrinth where she finds an unusual group of characters who are waiting for a savior of their own.
What I liked: Breathtaking cinematography, art direction and score… great story, acting, writing… I haven’t seen a villain this ruthless since the father in Karakter (Character).
What I didn’t: It was a wee bit violent for my liking.
I predicted: Worth full price
After seeing the film, I say: Worth full price
What do you say?
TEST RESULTS
So what did I learn from this test? I learned to trust my first instincts. When I initially saw this trailer, I said to myself, “Self, this is a movie for me.” However, if I wasn’t already a fan of sci fi/fantasy films, I may have been turned off by the somewhat scattered plot presentation in the trailer.
What did you learn?
Only one more test to go…
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