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This morning I just rewatched PANS LABYRINTH to discuss it here. Those who are fans of movies like to play the game of looking at a filmmakers past work and speculating on how they would then make some future property. Del Toro has made a bunch of films but PANS is probably held up to be his best.
A rewatching of the film only confirmed my intial impression that the Fascist scenes in Spain were far and away the better part of the film while the fantasy scenes were weaker and not as interesting. In fact, given Del Toros love of horror and monsters, the fantasy scenes were far closer to horror than they were fantasy. The one scene of the creature with eyes in its hands was extremely dark and disturbing. Even the portrayal of the faun, was a bit dark and bordered on being twisted.
I have no doubt that Del Toro can do justice to the goblins/orcs and to Smaug and ther other forces of evil in HOBBIT. But I wonder about those here who cry out for a lighter touch and more of a kids film in line with WIZARD OF OZ or the POTTER films. I did not see it in PL.
However, I must say that its nearly impossible to look at a filmmakers past work and accurately judge how his future work would look. Especially when his past work is a limited body of work.
Sure, I can watch a dozen Frank Capra films and tell you how he would handle a story of the little honest guy up against the big corrupt machine --- thats easy. But I have no idea how Frank Capra would handle THE HOBBIT.
I can watch a bunch of John Ford westerns and tell you how he would probably handle a movie about an aging calvary commander in hostile Indian country. But I have no idea how Ford would handle the HOBBIT.
For the time being I will have to rest with the idea that Del Toro is a very good filmmaker with a good eye. That is about as far as I would go on this.
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