This is a must have for any Blu-ray collection.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Pan´s Labyrinth" and feel the picture is the strongest of recent child-centric magical adventures. It has more story and better acting than the larger budgeted "Chronicles of Narnia" film. It brings back the unknown sense of adventure that helped make "The Wizard of Oz" a classic. The film is rated R and this precludes most children from witnessing the child´s tale written by del Toro. However, this fairy tale is more than enjoyable for adults and the film allows us to remember back to a time when we were all mesmerized by stories of fairies and evil kings. "Pan´s Labyrinth" is a movie that brings reality to age-old fairy tales and never fails to entertain. It is a unique storytelling experience that hints at things to come from writer/director Guillermo del Toro as he ascends the ranks of Hollywood´s A-list of directors. Some may be distracted by the subtitles, but for those that would brush aside that film on that basis are missing out on a wonderful experience.
Video:
The 1.85:1 "Pan´s Labyrinth" is delivered in 1080p to its viewers with a very nice VC-1 encoded transfer. Director of Photography Guillermo Navarro and Guillermo del Toro have pieced together an amazing looking film that combines beauty and horror. There is light and there is dark and the transfer brings both to life wonderfully. Detail is striking and sharp. The walls of the labyrinth show detailed stonework and foliage. From the very opening moments when the Spanish countryside is shown, it is clear that "Pan´s Labyrinth" is a top-notch looking title. Colors are rich and vivid. Skin tones are natural looking and contrast is spot on. The film never looks blown out or overly processed. What amazes me most with "Pan´s Labyrinth" is how well the film holds up during even the darkest moments. There are a number of key scenes that take place in near darkness and the faun tends to live amongst the shadows. The beautiful details of this film are never lost during even the darkest moments. The film is clean looking, with little grain and not a single blemish or flaw from its pristine source materials. In short, "Pan´s Labyrinth" is an amazing looking film.
Audio:
Audio for "Pan´s Labyrinth" is provided via a Spanish DTS-HD Mater Audio 7.1 mix. The soundtrack is aggressive and enveloping. Guillermo del Toro has created an amazing world in every aspect of the film and the sound is just as impressive as the storytelling and the film´s visuals. Every channel comes alive with sound and the front speakers, .1 LFE channel and the rear surrounds are all energetic and use the full spectrum of sound available to them. The film provides a plethora of interesting situations for the sound to recreate. There are combat scenes, peaceful moments in the forest and frightening instances in the labyrinth. There is peace and tranquility and there is war. The Blu-ray title´s soundtrack handles everything thrown its way and sounds absolutely stunning. I was impressed with both the dynamics of the soundtrack and how cleanly everything pulled together. Sound moves nicely between channels and no particular channel drowns another out. Dialogue is always crisp and clear. The musical score by Javier Navarrette is clean and powerful and nicely emanates from every channel. "Pan´s Labyrinth" is one of the more enjoyable sounding films I have yet to witness on Blu-ray.
Extras:
New Line has released "Pan´s Labyrinth" on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray and has given both releases a very nice set of supplemental materials. The film will have the curious designation as being the only film released by New Line onto the HD-DVD format. Most of the bonus features appear on the standard definition DVD release as well, but the studio has seen fit to use some of the bonus storage space of the high definition formats and provide an Enhanced Visual Commentary. Bear in mind, this is not a true Picture-in-Picture feature and simply is another encoding of the film with the video commentary added. Oddly, the material of this enhanced visual commentary is pulled entirely from the supplemental materials that are provided on the disc. This just provides another way to watch the bonus materials and it isn´t a bad way to experience them, but there is nothing new to see if you´ve already sat through the other bonus features.
Moving onto the features that are found on both the standard definition and high definition releases, an Audio Commentary with Director Guillermo del Toro is provided, as well as some other nice bits and pieces. The director´s commentary is well worth listening to and del Toro spends a good amount of time delving into the details of his story. He nicely balances making-of information with storytelling elements. He is an upbeat personality and his commentary is very good and makes the viewing experience of "Pan´s Labyrinth" all the better. Although it is not listed as a bonus feature, a Video Prologue by Writer / Director Guillermo del Toro (:24) is also provided and the film´s creator briefly discusses his film to his home video audience.
Del Toro´s involvement with the film is not finished with the commentary and prologue. The Director´s Notebook is a collection of bonus features with del Toro going into great detail to talk about his beloved creation. Most of the features are interactive stills, but some video footage is also presented. The Introduction (:34) finds the director talking about how this feature contains parts of the notebook he used to write and expand his story for "Pan´s Labyrinth." Del Toro´s Notes and Sketches is an interactive look at his notebook and is quite interesting to see the genesis of his film. The Storyboard / Thumbnail Compares comes with its own Introduction (:28) and then moves on to a detailed look at four scenes from the film and compares their storyboards to actual scenes (thumbnailed). A VFX Plate Comparison (1:18) finds the director showing off the green fairy from the film. In one pate you can see him moving around a ´stunt fairy´ and then the final scene from the film. The last part of the "Director´s Notebook" is a series of Galleries.
A series of Featurettes are also included on the disc. The Power of Myth (14:23) has Guillermo del Toro talking about his influences for "Pan´s Labyrinth" and he discusses his beliefs towards fairy tales. This is a very good fifteen minute long featurette. The second featurette, Pan and the Fairies (El Fauno y Las Hadas) (30:27) is a making-of feature that spends a lot of time looking at the creature creations and special effects of the film. The faun, the fairies and the Pale Man are all looked at with good depth and this was a nice featurette that again featured del Toro discussing his film. The Color and the Shape (4:01) is a vignette that talks about the coloring and other elements of cinematography utilized in the film. This is short, but informative. The final featurette in this submenu is broken down into two parts and titled The Lullaby The first part, The Melody Echoes the Fairy Tale (2:47) is a rather brief look at the music by Javier Navarette. The second part, Mercedes Lullaby (2:15) is parts of the song from the film titled "Mercedes Lullaby" and is nothing more than the music set to pictures from the film. It includes piano music, whistling and humming to the lullaby.
A couple other features round out the extras found on the Blu-ray disc. The Charlie Rose Show (49:25) is shown in full frame, standard definition video and is an interview session with veteran talk show host Rose and three Mexican directors that includes del Toro, Alejandro Inaritu and Alfonso Cuaron. This round table discussion looks at the impact that Mexican directors are having on the world of cinema and does take some time to discuss "Pan´s Labyrinth." It is an interesting, if not somewhat dry conversation. The Comics submenu contains four brief comic tales that add to the story of "Pan´s Labyrinth." The Giant Toad (:40), The Fairies (:30), Pan (:46) and The Pale Man (1:18) all give a very minor amount of information about their relative subjects. A Poster Gallery,, the Theatrical Teaser, Theatrical Trailer and some TV Spots complete the bonus materials.
Closing Comments:
I was blown away by the Blu-ray release of "Pan´s Labyrinth." The film contains a wonderful and imaginative story that is wholly the product of writer / director Guillermo del Toro. The inventive story is one of those tales that keeps the viewer´s interest for the entire running length and this is one of the best mature fairy tales I have ever seen. Del Toro has put together solid special effects and beautiful cinematography to help this film excel as well technically as it does in storytelling. The sound is stunning as well and only bested by the absolute best titles. "Pan´s Labyrinth" is a film you will want to watch with low lighting and with the volume cranked up. The disc contains a wide array of supplemental materials that will easily take a few hours to fully enjoy. While the film is provided in Spanish, the extras are provided in English. Being one of New Line´s first titles on the Blu-ray format, they have shown themselves quite capable; as they did with their early Platinum titles on the DVD format. This is a must have for any Blu-ray collection.
Video:
The 1.85:1 "Pan´s Labyrinth" is delivered in 1080p to its viewers with a very nice VC-1 encoded transfer. Director of Photography Guillermo Navarro and Guillermo del Toro have pieced together an amazing looking film that combines beauty and horror. There is light and there is dark and the transfer brings both to life wonderfully. Detail is striking and sharp. The walls of the labyrinth show detailed stonework and foliage. From the very opening moments when the Spanish countryside is shown, it is clear that "Pan´s Labyrinth" is a top-notch looking title. Colors are rich and vivid. Skin tones are natural looking and contrast is spot on. The film never looks blown out or overly processed. What amazes me most with "Pan´s Labyrinth" is how well the film holds up during even the darkest moments. There are a number of key scenes that take place in near darkness and the faun tends to live amongst the shadows. The beautiful details of this film are never lost during even the darkest moments. The film is clean looking, with little grain and not a single blemish or flaw from its pristine source materials. In short, "Pan´s Labyrinth" is an amazing looking film.
Audio:
Audio for "Pan´s Labyrinth" is provided via a Spanish DTS-HD Mater Audio 7.1 mix. The soundtrack is aggressive and enveloping. Guillermo del Toro has created an amazing world in every aspect of the film and the sound is just as impressive as the storytelling and the film´s visuals. Every channel comes alive with sound and the front speakers, .1 LFE channel and the rear surrounds are all energetic and use the full spectrum of sound available to them. The film provides a plethora of interesting situations for the sound to recreate. There are combat scenes, peaceful moments in the forest and frightening instances in the labyrinth. There is peace and tranquility and there is war. The Blu-ray title´s soundtrack handles everything thrown its way and sounds absolutely stunning. I was impressed with both the dynamics of the soundtrack and how cleanly everything pulled together. Sound moves nicely between channels and no particular channel drowns another out. Dialogue is always crisp and clear. The musical score by Javier Navarrette is clean and powerful and nicely emanates from every channel. "Pan´s Labyrinth" is one of the more enjoyable sounding films I have yet to witness on Blu-ray.
Extras:
New Line has released "Pan´s Labyrinth" on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray and has given both releases a very nice set of supplemental materials. The film will have the curious designation as being the only film released by New Line onto the HD-DVD format. Most of the bonus features appear on the standard definition DVD release as well, but the studio has seen fit to use some of the bonus storage space of the high definition formats and provide an Enhanced Visual Commentary. Bear in mind, this is not a true Picture-in-Picture feature and simply is another encoding of the film with the video commentary added. Oddly, the material of this enhanced visual commentary is pulled entirely from the supplemental materials that are provided on the disc. This just provides another way to watch the bonus materials and it isn´t a bad way to experience them, but there is nothing new to see if you´ve already sat through the other bonus features.
Moving onto the features that are found on both the standard definition and high definition releases, an Audio Commentary with Director Guillermo del Toro is provided, as well as some other nice bits and pieces. The director´s commentary is well worth listening to and del Toro spends a good amount of time delving into the details of his story. He nicely balances making-of information with storytelling elements. He is an upbeat personality and his commentary is very good and makes the viewing experience of "Pan´s Labyrinth" all the better. Although it is not listed as a bonus feature, a Video Prologue by Writer / Director Guillermo del Toro (:24) is also provided and the film´s creator briefly discusses his film to his home video audience.
Del Toro´s involvement with the film is not finished with the commentary and prologue. The Director´s Notebook is a collection of bonus features with del Toro going into great detail to talk about his beloved creation. Most of the features are interactive stills, but some video footage is also presented. The Introduction (:34) finds the director talking about how this feature contains parts of the notebook he used to write and expand his story for "Pan´s Labyrinth." Del Toro´s Notes and Sketches is an interactive look at his notebook and is quite interesting to see the genesis of his film. The Storyboard / Thumbnail Compares comes with its own Introduction (:28) and then moves on to a detailed look at four scenes from the film and compares their storyboards to actual scenes (thumbnailed). A VFX Plate Comparison (1:18) finds the director showing off the green fairy from the film. In one pate you can see him moving around a ´stunt fairy´ and then the final scene from the film. The last part of the "Director´s Notebook" is a series of Galleries.
A series of Featurettes are also included on the disc. The Power of Myth (14:23) has Guillermo del Toro talking about his influences for "Pan´s Labyrinth" and he discusses his beliefs towards fairy tales. This is a very good fifteen minute long featurette. The second featurette, Pan and the Fairies (El Fauno y Las Hadas) (30:27) is a making-of feature that spends a lot of time looking at the creature creations and special effects of the film. The faun, the fairies and the Pale Man are all looked at with good depth and this was a nice featurette that again featured del Toro discussing his film. The Color and the Shape (4:01) is a vignette that talks about the coloring and other elements of cinematography utilized in the film. This is short, but informative. The final featurette in this submenu is broken down into two parts and titled The Lullaby The first part, The Melody Echoes the Fairy Tale (2:47) is a rather brief look at the music by Javier Navarette. The second part, Mercedes Lullaby (2:15) is parts of the song from the film titled "Mercedes Lullaby" and is nothing more than the music set to pictures from the film. It includes piano music, whistling and humming to the lullaby.
A couple other features round out the extras found on the Blu-ray disc. The Charlie Rose Show (49:25) is shown in full frame, standard definition video and is an interview session with veteran talk show host Rose and three Mexican directors that includes del Toro, Alejandro Inaritu and Alfonso Cuaron. This round table discussion looks at the impact that Mexican directors are having on the world of cinema and does take some time to discuss "Pan´s Labyrinth." It is an interesting, if not somewhat dry conversation. The Comics submenu contains four brief comic tales that add to the story of "Pan´s Labyrinth." The Giant Toad (:40), The Fairies (:30), Pan (:46) and The Pale Man (1:18) all give a very minor amount of information about their relative subjects. A Poster Gallery,, the Theatrical Teaser, Theatrical Trailer and some TV Spots complete the bonus materials.
Closing Comments:
I was blown away by the Blu-ray release of "Pan´s Labyrinth." The film contains a wonderful and imaginative story that is wholly the product of writer / director Guillermo del Toro. The inventive story is one of those tales that keeps the viewer´s interest for the entire running length and this is one of the best mature fairy tales I have ever seen. Del Toro has put together solid special effects and beautiful cinematography to help this film excel as well technically as it does in storytelling. The sound is stunning as well and only bested by the absolute best titles. "Pan´s Labyrinth" is a film you will want to watch with low lighting and with the volume cranked up. The disc contains a wide array of supplemental materials that will easily take a few hours to fully enjoy. While the film is provided in Spanish, the extras are provided in English. Being one of New Line´s first titles on the Blu-ray format, they have shown themselves quite capable; as they did with their early Platinum titles on the DVD format. This is a must have for any Blu-ray collection.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]22298[/release]