Author: Zonghao-M-Wang

What I think separates the Pan’s Labyrinth from comparable films is its unique storylines. In the film, director Guillermo del Toro combines fairy tales with political criticism. On the one hand, he tries to correct people’s long-held prejudice against fairy tales through bold creative practice, and on the other hand, he relentlessly exposes the shell of hypocrisy and selfishness in the adult world. The film’s story is driven by two seemingly unrelated plot lines: First, the fierce fighting between the captain and the guerrillas; Second, Ophelia’s adventures in the labyrinth. On the one side, the bloody and cruel real world, on the other, the mysterious fairy tale kingdom, how does the film interweave the two together? To answer both questions, we really need to dig into this movie. And those monster figures are no different than in other movies, such as the movie Silent Hill. That’s the movie’s uniqueness and similarities compared to the other ones. A reflection to del Toro in his ability to story-tell while presenting a visual masterpiece.

The moment that stands out to me is definitely the last mission and the last scene, when I first watch the movie,  could not accept it. The third task: take his brother to the maze, with innocent people’s blood to open the gate. At the climax of the story, Ophelia has lost everything, without the protection of her mother and Mercedes, and is deprived of her freedom by the captain. Pan appeared and decided to give her one last chance. He asked Ophelia to offer a sacrifice of her brother’s blood to open the gate, but Ophelia refused. She disobeyed Pan again and was determined to protect her brother. Unlike in the second test, this time Ophelia made her own choice independently, and her choice meant her real growth. But what turns out to Ophelia, cold bullet from her step father and took her life. it is striking and shocking, turns to me I feel like all this hard trip comes to a dead end. Real sad.

I personally think this movie is more unconventional. Myself, the audience did not see what I truly want. For instance, although I know it’s hard for Ophelia to get a happy ending under that circumstances. But I still do want her to have a good end. The world itself in that movie is not very clear. I can’t really tell whether the mazes or Pan are true or just Ophelia’s imagination. Whether or not there is an underground kingdom is unknown and not to be discussed, but the comparison to life’s test has philosophical implications. To put it another way, the process of man being tested is a process of growing by constantly breaking through obstacles. Dictatorship and tyranny just the tip of the iceberg of this fundamental problem. The film unites fairy tales and political criticism by looking back at the roots of the problem.

The charm of the characters in this movie. A lot of it comes from rebellion, which is disobedience. In a sense, human history has been driven by disobedience, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, which turned people away from obeying the gods, the emperors, the popes, and into obeying human reason. In modern commercial society, the objects that need to be obeyed actually become large companies. Such “obedience” is no longer from the coercion of whippings, but internalized into the operating norms of the society.
A giant company such as Ford, the inventor of the assembly line and the manufacturer of aircraft and tanks for America’s second world war, was essentially a corporate authority. Corporate ethics encourage people to do more projects and make more money. How does that work? In fact, it is to obey the superior, obey the “overall situation”…… Therefore, the “disobedience” in movies often points to life itself, which makes the audience feel oppressed. In Speed, that’s what the villain Bebee says when he refuses to let Ken Miles race at Le Mans: You have to be a team player!
The word “Hero”, in English, also means “protagonist”. Classic movie protagonists are always brave enough to Push themselves against the very powerful “evil” that most people would rather fight than dare to fight. It can be said that rebellion is sexy because it releases the thoughts that people are afraid to do. So the movie is always telling the story of Allied soldiers fighting fascism, Los Angeles SWAT officers refusing to carry out orders, Harry Potter breaking school rules, and Ken Miles speaking out against Ford executives for hypocrisy and bureaucracy… They represent the audience to “stand up”, to overthrow the “mountain” on the head of the audience, the pursuit of fairness and justice.

However, considering the (even if disappointed) throughout the heroism, and stands for the human spirit to explore car, I tend to think, in 2020, the business is much more difficult than 60 s, large enterprise is far greater than 60 s, humans to the moon, class no longer cure more than 60 s, “speed king is to encourage the audience: Even if you still feel like you can’t stand up to your superiors and tell the truth, there’s nothing cooler than to rebel, to stand up for yourself, and to do your best for the future. Rebellion is the privilege of heroes. May the world give more respect and space to those who rebel.

What kind of people should we be? Is it steadfastly disobeying what you do not approve of, and pursuing only what you love? Or do we put the bigger picture in perspective and keep things calm? Or find a balance? Ford V Ferrari doesn’t offer any answers. It just promotes the understanding of different kinds of people, of other kinds of people; It can even be said that which character the audience likes almost represents the world view held by the audience.

If I want to understand a movie better, I personally have a method, because I am very interested in movies, and I have also imagined what it is like to shoot myself. Generally, I will direct and act a movie in my mind for a subject of particular interest. Movies, sometimes when I think about it, I often touch myself, and I wish I could start working immediately. Then at this time, when you go to the movies of the same subject, you feel very much. You will find that the idea of ​​the same thing between people can be so different. You will appreciate the unique perspectives of some directors, and you will also be amazed by some directors. You can make such a wonderful movie with such a plain perspective. At this time, when you watch the movie, your thoughts will change a lot if you don’t think so.

Of course, there will be disadvantages, that is, you will slowly start to understand the bad movies, and even tell others what is good about the bad movies. At this time, you have divided a complete movie, and others are just General judgment.

Generally speaking, film is an entertainment and a science. I think watching movies is for enjoyment. If it is not for interest, knowledge, research, film reviews, etc., there is no need to add too many things to it. Although you will get a lot of new experiences, you will also lose the purest visual and spiritual experience.

I usually don’t discuss movies with others, because I think my ideas are one-sided and will certainly arouse others’ opposition rather than resonance, so I don’t often communicate with others to discuss my views on movies. Of course, I am not a master, I will doubt whether my own ideas are correct, will give others trouble and doubt.  But by reading my peers’ answers. I found myself wrong. As a moviegoer, what I need to do is to evaluate a movie and determine whether it is good or bad in my mind. Some peers watched the same movie with me, but our evaluation and feelings were polarized and greatly different, which is the difference between us as individuals.