.a.meter - 10/10

*new* bias: +10 (out of 10)

something i’ve noticed in a lot of reviews it the lack of taking into account the reviewer’s general bias towards the genre. in this case, i happen to really like this type of film, and so my bias towards giving it a better review is going to be higher…and it’s better for you, as the reader, to know that in advance.

the breakdown:

how do i even begin? really…this is an extremely hard movie to explain due to the fact that i don’t think i’ve seen anything like it before. combine one part spanish war history with one part fairy tale…mix it with a little celtic lore/fantasy/horror and drama, make tim burton a sous chef for the mix, and you’ve got your film. it is being described as ‘an adult fairy tale’, and that’s about as close to the truth as it comes.

the story is set in spain in 1944 during the time of Francisco Franco, and a little girl and her pregnant mother find themselves being escorted by soldiers to a village controlled by the spanish army…stationed there because they are attempting to put down a rebellion. they are being escorted there because the mother is pregnant with the captain’s son…and you quickly find out that the captain is not a very nice guy. the little girl happens to be infatuated with fairy tales, and comes to find that she is actually a part of one that is unfolding before her life. she is led to a place by a fairy where a faun (a humanoid up top, a goat below) begins to explain that she is actually the embodiment of the sprit of a princess, and in order to get back to her kingdom, she must complete a series of tasks. the movie is extremley engaging in the sense that it juxtaposes this fantasy over the brutality of what is happening in the girl’s ‘real life’ (i.e. her father has died…her mother is experiencing a complicated pregnancy…the captain is cruel…she is privvy to the knowledge that her nanny is actually a part of the rebellion being led against the spanish army…etc. etc. etc.). the story is a journey in the reconcilliation of her fantastically-based past and how she must fix things in the present in order to ‘right’ the ‘wrong’ the audience is introduced to at the beginning of the film.

5 adjectives to describe the movie: odd, engaging, meloncholy, nauseating, beautiful

the bottom line:

like i said…where does one begin wtih a movie like this? the brief description of the film above does not even begin to do it justice. i would tell you that this is a film for just about everyone…but not a film that is easily watched or easily comprehended. it’s for everone in the sense that there is something there for just about everyone to enjoy or find intriguing…but i can maybe see where what you find that you like can become overshadowed by the sheer oddness.

for me personally, i can draw comparisons to ‘the neverending story‘,’the dark crystal‘, and even the old animated version of ‘lord of the rings‘. it feels like the spirit of of a warped jim henson may’ve wrapped itself into the production…

and while those movies were made mainly for children, there are ceratin adult themes in them that are brought into the mix, which is what still makes it interesting to revist those films today. ‘PL’ takes it a step further with some pretty heavy…but tastefully used…violence, and doesn’t apologize for it one bit. there is one scene that even reminded me of joe pesci’s ‘pen’ scene outburt in ‘casino’…it’s that crazy! but it’s nothing to be turned off by, as it’s tastefully used to make a point rather than to be there for the sake of hurling around a bunch of fake blod and gore.

what makes this film seeing is the rich, beautiful, well-crafted story that guillermo del toro has decided to tell. it’s a simple tale full of all of the wonder and heart that you should have when conceiving and executing an idea like this. you cannot help but be drawn into the film from the very first words of the narrator, and hopelessly hooked by the time the kid is being introduced to her ‘effed-up fairy-tale friends.

i don’t know if i’ve made it clear enough that, in my humble plebtastic movie-goer opinion, there does not exist a genre in which to fit this, nor other films to accurately compare it to. you need to let your inner-kid sit right next to your outer adult and treat your senses to this odd yet extremely (and meticulously) well-crafted film.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 21st, 2007 at 5:47 am and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.