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Personally I think Mr. Cranky ought to reread his Guide to Writing a Movie Review and take take to heart the line "If there’s anything that the Internet proves beyond a shadow of a doubt it’s that any moron can write a movie review" because clearly, in this instance at least, he is the moron, and an ignorant one at that.
The general stigma of the "Dumb American" believed by the rest of the world used to baffle me as a kid, but when you read sites like this with people labeling Pan's Labyrinth as "too artsy" or "lacking depth" it suddenly clicks and I have to hang my head a little.
Yes, I agree the previews were misleading and initially was expecting some interesting mix of Lord of the Ring style cinematography with a dash of Neverending Story. Instead, I was presented with nothing shy of Del Toro's masterpiece thus far. For those of you complaining that it was depressing, suck it up, cuddle up next to a TV dinner (preferably one with fish sticks or one of those nifty brick brownies), and pop in Pocahantas or The Lion King or hell even Toy Story (there's less singing and dancing but who can't feel all warm and fuzzy inside when Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor breaks out the rallying cry of "To infinity and beyond!" plus no one can resist Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me"). Either way, any of Disney's vault of classics will give you a fairy tale and will warm of the coldest of heart (Just make sure it's not any of their recent pop-infused bullshit releases).
However, for those of you looking to rise above the shamefully low American standard of education, especially when regarding cultures that don't enjoy USDA prime steak and singing "Yankee Doodle" on July 4th (Pst, that also makes us look dumb. The British were calling us all gay, although the tune IS catchy), take a literature analysis class, a quick tour of Wikipedia's articles on the Spanish civil war, facism, and fairy tale traditions of other cultures; and then rewatch it. The plot of the movie is brilliant, weaving together the reality of a cruel world during an even crueler part of Spanish history with the fantasy elements of a fairy tale (which in many cultures were at times violent and not so cheery. Turns out that at times some people thought scaring Little Johny into never lying about stealing cookies from the jar with stories of scary monsters eating the hands of lying little boys was more effective at getting the moral across rather than handing him a sugary drink, sitting him in front of Sponge Bob). The fantasy element is not just a girl "drifting off into some fantasyland as a way to deal with the misery going on around" her, none of what she's ever "imagining" is ever meant to benefit her, it's all about her trying to help others. The whole plot is a rich expression of the tradition of Hispanic storytelling where the audience is posed with events that make you question or perception reality and fate, meant to leave you thinking about your own views well after the credits roll (IE: Was the fantasy world real, imagined or somewhere in between. As Del Toro puts it, "the movie is like a Rorschach test. It defines you as a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full person." And if you still don't get it, read an English translation of "La Noche Boca Arriba").
Either way, it makes me sad that so many are quick to dismiss works as valueless just because it doesn't have a typical American spin on it to make it easier to digest. If you take the time to learn a little about the cultural context you can at least understand and appreciate it, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with it.
**DISCLAIMER**
I'm not some un-American, red,white, and blue basher. I love
Disney, I grew up on it and think it has a lot of value in
its own genre, steak is also good, and I REALLY love the
cannons that go off during the 1812 Overture when you go see
concerts on the 4th of July. I'm just sad to see the
majority of my generation who are the 20 somethings of today
toss away culture and true art because it doesn't ooze with
the shameless drama of the OC, Grey's Anatomy, or other
sources of mindless brainwashing.
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