#tbt Pan's Labyrinth review

I know this is technically supposed to be a Throwback Thursday review and it's not Thursday, but I didn't get a chance on Thursday so I'm writing it today. Here it is. Enjoy!
Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It's about this girl, whose mom is pregnant and getting married to a military Captain for a fascist regime in 1944 Spain. The girl, named Ofelia, goes to a fantasy land where she is the reincarnation of a princess and has to accomplish tasks to gain back her throne. So, I went into Pan's Labyrinth thinking it would be the kind of awesome fantasy/adventure film that del Toro loves to make. Yet, instead of getting a movie like Pacific Rim or Hellboy, I got this wonderful, emotional, and deep film about fear, imagination, and escape. Not that I didn't like Pacific Rim or Hellboy, because those movies are their own level of awesome. Nowadays most movies have two or more screenwriters. Guillermo del Toro was able to come up with an amazing original story that unraveled so flawlessly that he wrote all by himself. That level of originality is hard to come by. Guillermo got a nomination for Best Original Screenplay that was very deserved. Pan's Labyrinth is all in Spanish with subtitles which is slightly irritating at first, but 20 minutes into the film and I didn't even notice. The movie won Oscars for cinematography and art direction. It's no wonder, the filming and artistry here is beautiful. If the story isn't getting you the cinematography sure will. I hate to sound cheesy but Pan's Labyrinth is breathtaking at parts! It isn't all good it does drag at parts and some things are left unexplained, but I can easily forgive this movies flaws. There are some pretty great performances here. Ivana Baquero is great as Ofelia and Maribel Verdu I thought gave the best performance as the conflicted Mercedes. Pan's Labyrinth is a terrific film that mixes a story of fantasy with one of war. It contrasts the worlds of the innocent little girl and the hardened war Captain very well with a beautiful score from Javier Navarrete. It's an overall great movie that I can safely recommend. Happy Viewing and Happy Throwback Thursday! (Okay, it's not Thursday, but whatever.) Remember, you can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!