Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) UK Blu-ray review

[aygie]

Hi guys

I'll be posting a review later today of tomorrow as i got Pans this morning.

I do have to say though i'm so far very disappointed with the release. I adore this film and have been looking forward to this coming out and from the quick look i've had(about 20 mins) its not looking great. Blacks don't look deep, lots of edge enhancement and only a DD 5.1 soundtrack.

I'll watch it properly and report back.

PS this is the UK version from Optimum and done in VC1, not sure what the US will be.

Ok here we go (i'll leave the above comments in case any one gets confused to the replies)




THE MOVIE - 5/5


Pans Labyrinth. Where do i start. In 2001 film maker Gullermo del Toro released a film that should have been a monumental box office success. It should have been one of the biggest foreign/world cinema releases the 00's had seen so far. That film was the Devils Backbone. A blend of fantasy, horror and beautiful story telling. Unfortunately the film wasn't as big as it should have been. The critics loved it but the world was being spoilt for choice with world cinema and big fantasy movies - Chocolat, Amelie, Shrek, Donnie Darko and The Gift to name a few.

However this did stop del Toro from trying again and in 2006, building on the strenght of film making the Devils Backbone had given him, he made Pans Labyrinth. A beautifully dark and moving Fantasy film set during the spanish civil war. The film was a huge success and won three oscars. The direction is perfect, the acting superb and visual stunning. The blend of CGI and old fashioned make up is surprisingly well matched and done to the highest of standards.

The story is set around a young girl who is thrust into a new life when her and her mother move to be with her sadistic stepfather, who is a Spanish army captain fighting against revolutionaries hiding within the forests. She is then opened to another world of myth and fantasy as she finds a creature that thinks she is the princess of the underworld. Having to prove to herself, and the creature, she embarks on a trial that will let her back into the underworld.

One of the greatest achievements with this film is that it is two films in one. On one hand you have the fantasy tale of Ofellia's journey to find out the truth behind her past and on the other hand you have the intense story about a Country fighting to create a future for itself. It merges brilliantly and lets the actors shine with a great script and backdrop to match. In my opinion every character in this film is flawless and proves that hollywood needs to up-their-game.

I could go on for hours as i haven't even begun to touch the surface of this movie but i won't, i'll get into what you really want to know.........

THE VIDEO 4/5

I have sat here writing this review and in my mind the video score keeps changing. 3 out 5. 3.75 out 5. 4 out 5. 3 out 5.!?!??!?

But i will finally say 4. The reason for such a struggle (as in my earlier comments) is that the initial picture looks flawed. The reason being is the blacks. The blacks in this film are faded. No doubt about that. But the rest of the picture, in its entirety, is fantastic. Colors are beautiful, bright and striking. Even the the blue tint of the film is gorgeous, its just the damn blacks around that don't match. And with these blacks (only in the black) is slight grain and edge enhancement.

But, like i said, after watching the whole film my thoughts are it is good quality Blu. There is a lot of detail and very impressive scenes which ultimately bumped up my score and this is a huge improvement on the DVD.(I have it and have done lots of comparisons). All in all check this out, for me i'm concentrating on the positive and hopefully you will to, but there will be people who will be disappointed with the issues above.

THE AUDIO 2.75/5

Again initially i was disappointed with my early perceptions, however this hasn't changed. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is tame. Too tame. I am really disappointed in the audio with this film. Understandably the film is not an action flick which has bullets flying through every speaker, but the score feels like its a million miles away, vocals sound faint and surrounds are barley even touched.
Who knows why Optimum have held back on what could have been a roaring soundtrack, but lets hope New Line gives the Audio the bang it deserves.

EXTRAS 3/5

Im not big on extras, so short and snappy - Quite a few things on here, looks good.

OVERALL 3.5/5

This release was meant to be so much more. Even though i was wrong about my early impressions with the picture the audio is such a let down. For such a great film this should have been a blinder. I'm not disappointed that i bought this film and i will continue to enjoy it but i will definitely be picking up the New Line release and hoping that they do justice to the audio cause at the end of the day sound is half the picture.

Aygie