Pan's Labyrinth 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack Review
By Paul Rudoff on Oct. 24, 2019 at 9:26 PM in Home Video

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) was recently released on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack. I was originally planning on reviewing this for Halloween, as the commercials at the time of release made it look like it was full of dark fantasy elements, which seemed perfect for the holiday. After having finally watched the movie, I see that it's not really suitable for Halloween at all. So, this review isn't part of my Halloween feature. With that out of the way, read on to find out more about this new release...

Known in America as Pan's Labyrinth, even though there is no character named Pan in the movie, El Laberinto del Fauno (The Labyrinth of Faun) is a Spanish language film which tells the tale of young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), a tyrannical military officer, following a bloody civil war. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun (Doug Jones) who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil). But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.

Not since Paddington have I witnessed a movie whose advertising in America completely misrepresented it. The trailers and TV spots that aired here back in 2006, which can be found on the included Blu-ray disc, never indicated that the movie would be in Spanish. I bet some moviegoers were a bit ticked off at having to read the movie. All of the advertising showed off the fantastic fantasy elements of the story, making it seem like a dark version of The Neverending Story or The Dark Crystal. Instead, viewers were treated to a very slow moving drama, with some fantasy elements, that plays out like Schindler's List meets Alice in Wonderland meets The Wizard of Oz.

Make no mistake about it. This is a very good film. Granted, I didn't think it was the "masterpiece" that everyone made it out to be, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's brutal but beautiful, magical yet earthy, with standout performances all round from a remarkable cast. Sergi Lopez makes the character of Captain Vidal one of the most sadistic movie "monsters" ever seen. Maribel Verdu brings a strong quietness to rebellious housekeeper Mercedes. Young Ivana Baquero provides 12-year-old Ofelia with a self-assuredness beyond her years in dealing with the real and fantasy worlds around her. Of course, special mention must be given to the only American cast member, Doug Jones, who gives a larger-than-life performance - in this case literally, as well as figuratively - as faun, the guardian of the labyrinth. He also plays the devastatingly creepy and disgusting Pale Man, better known as "the guy with the eyes in his hands" that became the pop culture face of the movie.

The cast is just one part of this beautifully photographed film, with Javier Navarrete's haunting score toying with your emotions and staying with you long after the film has ended. Guillermo del Toro contrasts the brutality of post-Civil War Spain with the magical world to which Ofelia is drawn. The key word there is "brutality". The film is violent, very violent, but it's not gratuitous. It's also not for the kiddies. This fairy tale is strictly for adults because it definitely earns its R rating.

Pan's Labyrinth is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:59:09. Audio is presented in Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 only. The film includes English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.

Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on the Blu-ray disc. The UHD disc only contains the commentary.
- Audio Commentary with director Guillermo del Toro
- Enhanced Visual Commentary - A picture-in-picture track in which Guillermo discusses various aspects of the film with the occassional extra footage showing up in a small window.
- Director's Prologue (0:24) - You can start the movie with an Introduction by Guillermo del Toro or without it.
- The Power of Myth (14:23) - Guillermo explains the concepts behind the myths.
- Pan and the Fairies (30:27) - The cast and crew talk about the effects behind the faun and the other creatures.
- The Color and The Shape (4:01) - Guillermo talks about the color palettes of the film.
- The Melody: Echoes of a Fairy Tale (2:47) - How the melody of the lullaby was created.
- Mercedes' Lullaby (2:15) - The evolution of the lullaby played over a set of stills.
- Director's Notebook - This is sort of like a scrapbook and annotated diary documenting the creation of the film. The 30 notebook pages are partly in Spanish and partly in English, along with drawings, and links to videos related to the subjects discussed. There is also about 10 minutes of Storyboard-to-Film Comparisons, which include: "Ofelia Enters The Labyrinth", "Ofelia", "The Fig Tree and The Giant Toad", "Ofelia's Death", and "Death Of The Doctor". You will also find a one-minute SFX Plate Comparison with Ofelia following the fairy in the finished film and Guillermo carrying it on a stick in the original footage. Finally, there is a Gallery section containing more than 70 photos and drawings of creatures and props, about 150 of the sets, and nearly 200 photos on the set and of the SFX creature work.
- The Charlie Rose Show (49:25) - Directors Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu have a lively discussion of their films.
- Comics - Four semi-animated brief (about a minute or less) background stories on The Giant Toad, The Fairies, the Faun, and The Pale Man.
- Poster Gallery - Eight poster images in total.
- Theatrical Teaser (1:05)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:32)
- TV Spots (3:39) - Seven commercials in total.

A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc black UHD Blu-ray case.

Pan's Labyrinth is available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, and DVD. If you want additional bonus features, you'll also need to buy the Criterion Collection Blu-ray or DVD.
All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film. The item was provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.
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