300 and Pan's Labyrinth
I recently had the pleasure of viewing 300 and Pan's Labyrinth. Spoily spoilers behind cut...
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth was a surprise. I had not read much about it but I'd seen some gorgeous visuals. It was only just before I borrowed the DVD from a friend that I discovered that it was largely set in the real world and was not, in fact the fantasy madness of Labyrinth or MirrorMask that I was expecting. This didn't bother me at all but I was surprised to find how visceral and brutal that real world was. After the initial setup and revelation of the Faun, I was begining to think it was a dark children's fairy-tale and then the Captain stoved the peasant's face in with a bottle and I suddenly thought, 'Oh! Not a kid's film!' And that was just the start. However, the violence is not glamorised. It's brutal, visceral and cold-blooded but never glamorous which makes it all the more chilling, horrific and emotional. Which is an excellent thing and serves to show why, when surrounded by this madness and violence Ophelia creates this escapist, imaginary world in which she is a princess.
It was a beutiful but very sad film with a number of surprises. I wasn't expecting Mercedes to escape the Captain much less stab the bastard in the back. I actually cheered when she did that, and when the cavalry surrounded her in the woods and were gunned down by the resistance who, having up till now seemed like a disperate rabble, suddenly swarmed over the fascists in a multitude. It was a terrific and uplifting scene and there are few of them in the film.
The fantasy world was beutifully realised and the Faun was one of the most memorable CGI creatures to come out of cinema in, well, forever. A wonderfully ambiguous character, he kept me guessing as to what he was really up to all the way through.
So, was it real or was it in her head? I guess it's up to you. Her mother seemed to be being cured by the mandrake root - the Doctor couldn't explain her sudden upturn. Also, how did she get into the Captain's quarters if not with the chalk? But then, I was fully expecting the Captain to see the Faun at the end, being drugged as he was. In fact I was expecting the Captain to meet his fate at the hands of the forest creatures - but then, it's not that sort of film. There is very little Hollywood sentimentality or schmaltz here. In fact the only thing I found truly fantastical was the fact that all the fascists were unquestionably evil and all the communists were good and just etc. It's never that simple.
300
Two hours of naked men shouting and decapitating each other. What's not to like?
Seriously, this was an exceptionally faithful celluloid recreation of Miller and Varley's comic. It looked every bit as gorgeous as the comics. They did seem to pad the story out a bit though. I can't exactly remember the comic now, it's been a few years since I read it, but I don't recall the senate scenes and I certainly don't recall the rhinos and elephants. It's a shame that they felt they needed to go all Lord of the Rings when the film would have stood up perfectly well on it's own. The only weak point in it for me really was Leonidas's wife. In the comic you got the impression she was a female version of the king. Basically don't come within arm's reach as it's detrimental to your health. In the film she seemed somewhat ineffectual and nieve. I mean, for a start I think she should not have given herself to Theron. The queen in the comic would have stabbed him in the face for even thinking it. This queen gives herself to him at the mere possibility that he might support her in the senate. Twaddle. She should have been a much stronger character but that's Hollywood.
Still, great fun in a no-brain kind of way and to be fair it was never intended to be anything else.
Wayne
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth was a surprise. I had not read much about it but I'd seen some gorgeous visuals. It was only just before I borrowed the DVD from a friend that I discovered that it was largely set in the real world and was not, in fact the fantasy madness of Labyrinth or MirrorMask that I was expecting. This didn't bother me at all but I was surprised to find how visceral and brutal that real world was. After the initial setup and revelation of the Faun, I was begining to think it was a dark children's fairy-tale and then the Captain stoved the peasant's face in with a bottle and I suddenly thought, 'Oh! Not a kid's film!' And that was just the start. However, the violence is not glamorised. It's brutal, visceral and cold-blooded but never glamorous which makes it all the more chilling, horrific and emotional. Which is an excellent thing and serves to show why, when surrounded by this madness and violence Ophelia creates this escapist, imaginary world in which she is a princess.
It was a beutiful but very sad film with a number of surprises. I wasn't expecting Mercedes to escape the Captain much less stab the bastard in the back. I actually cheered when she did that, and when the cavalry surrounded her in the woods and were gunned down by the resistance who, having up till now seemed like a disperate rabble, suddenly swarmed over the fascists in a multitude. It was a terrific and uplifting scene and there are few of them in the film.
The fantasy world was beutifully realised and the Faun was one of the most memorable CGI creatures to come out of cinema in, well, forever. A wonderfully ambiguous character, he kept me guessing as to what he was really up to all the way through.
So, was it real or was it in her head? I guess it's up to you. Her mother seemed to be being cured by the mandrake root - the Doctor couldn't explain her sudden upturn. Also, how did she get into the Captain's quarters if not with the chalk? But then, I was fully expecting the Captain to see the Faun at the end, being drugged as he was. In fact I was expecting the Captain to meet his fate at the hands of the forest creatures - but then, it's not that sort of film. There is very little Hollywood sentimentality or schmaltz here. In fact the only thing I found truly fantastical was the fact that all the fascists were unquestionably evil and all the communists were good and just etc. It's never that simple.
300
Two hours of naked men shouting and decapitating each other. What's not to like?
Seriously, this was an exceptionally faithful celluloid recreation of Miller and Varley's comic. It looked every bit as gorgeous as the comics. They did seem to pad the story out a bit though. I can't exactly remember the comic now, it's been a few years since I read it, but I don't recall the senate scenes and I certainly don't recall the rhinos and elephants. It's a shame that they felt they needed to go all Lord of the Rings when the film would have stood up perfectly well on it's own. The only weak point in it for me really was Leonidas's wife. In the comic you got the impression she was a female version of the king. Basically don't come within arm's reach as it's detrimental to your health. In the film she seemed somewhat ineffectual and nieve. I mean, for a start I think she should not have given herself to Theron. The queen in the comic would have stabbed him in the face for even thinking it. This queen gives herself to him at the mere possibility that he might support her in the senate. Twaddle. She should have been a much stronger character but that's Hollywood.
Still, great fun in a no-brain kind of way and to be fair it was never intended to be anything else.
Wayne