Following a bloody civil war, Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable horror and cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a sadistic military officer. Armed with only her imagination, the young girl discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. As the film progresses, she finds the line between fantasy and reality blur, and Ofelia finds herself at the center of a battle between good and evil.

Specifications
Pan’s Labyrinth Movie Cover
Warner Brothers
2019 (2006), 2160p, Dolby 5.1, Rated R, 1 hour and 58 minutes, Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
Starring: Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, Álex Angulo
Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Rating

Entertainment:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:

Violence: Yes
Sex: No
Language: Yes (Mild)

Pan’s Labyrinth Movie

Commentary

Pan’s Labyrinth was a major surprise hit when it was released in 2006, winning 3 Academy Awards in the U.S. along with multiple awards throughout Europe and at major film festivals. It’s a striking and deeply troubling film and its power stays with you after a viewing. It also needs multiple viewings to discern much of the depth of the film. You can see many of the cultural references in the film, including to The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

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You can view Pan’s Labyrinth on many levels, but it is unforgettable. It is violent in places, but also deeply beautiful and affecting. Note that the film is a Spanish Language film. Most of our readers will need to turn on English subtitles.

Pan’s Labyrinth Blu-ray

Technical

Pan’s Labyrinth is an upscale from a 2K master but looks much better than the 2007 Blu-ray which suffered from a variety of color issues and digital noise reduction. The HDR pass helps re-create the look of the film as it was displayed in the best theaters. I viewed the film on both an LG OLED display and a Sony Projector and from a video standpoint this is certainly the best the film has ever looked in the home.

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I wish I could be a praiseworthy about the audio. The Criterion Collection edition of the film, released in 2015 had 7.1 audio, but it’s been dropped back to 5.1. It’s not a horrible revision, but it seems to me that the audio should match the video as the best available production of the film. It’s inexplicable to me that 2 channels of audio would be dropped. The film sounds quite good in 5.1, but Warner Brothers should have made the extra effort for audiophiles.

Pan’s Labyrinth Movie Review

Extras
  • Video prologue by Guillermo del Toro
  • The Power of Myth
  • The Faun and the Fairies
  • The Color and the Shape
  • The Director’s Notebook