ORP verses 11-20

Continuing north, Bran followed on.
Then he noticed something was wrong.
Ffreinc soldiers were attacking
A young family, defenses lacking,
And throwing their things on the lawn.

The family Bran decided to defend.
An arrow through the air he did send.
Shot four of the Ffreincs,
Missed one by the flank
Who, calling for reinforcements, fled.

The reinforcements outnumbered Bran by a lot,
But with vigor Bran still fought.
He was cornered at a waterfall,
To the bottom he did sprawl
From the blow of a spear that was shot.

Everyone believed Bran was finally dead,
Including Mérian, feeling sorrow and dread.
She hid her remorse,
Remaining on course,
But continued to cry herself to bed.

Contrary to belief, Bran was still alive.
In search of the nearest town he did strive.
But with wounds galore,
And exhausted evermore,
He passed out by a pond to revive.

He was found at the pond by an old hag –
A wise and skilled woman named Angharad.
She brought him to Cynvar,
Closed up all of his scars,
And covered his wounds with hot rags.

Meanwhile, Falkes de Braose ruled Elfael –
Convincing his uncle he ruled well.
Uncle wanted three castles,
Thinking it would be no hassle,
But Falkes knew the project would be Hell.

It was only a month or so later
When Falkes’s uncle wanted something greater.
He asked for a town,
Built without a frown,
Before the summer was no longer a key player.

Simultaneously, Bran was still healing.
Every night, Angharad would be singing
Of different faces
And interesting places,
Making Bran feel like he was sightseeing.

After a while, Bran’s improvement showed.
He began planning where we would go.
Either he’d flee to the north
Or go and stand forth
To the evilness of Count Falkes de Braose.

Pan’s Labyrinth: A Clever Battle of Real Life and Fantasy

Pan’s Labyrinth is a film with all of the works: nearly perfect for all of the gore-craving, adventure-loving, fantasy fanatics out there. With a winding plot and convincing characters, this movie proves to be a very impressive tale of the contrast between the real and fantastical worlds.

The plot heats up right away, compelling the audience, beginning with a tale of a princess who ran away from home and died in the cold winter. But her father, the king, knew that one day her soul would return. The actual story, however, takes place in Spain, post Civil War. Francis Franco has won, but there are troops of men still fighting for their independence. Captain Vidal (Sergi López i Ayats) has the job getting rid of them. He is stationed in the Spanish Mountains, where Pedro (Roger Casamajor), the brother of Vidal’s maid, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), is fighting against him. Mercedes and Vidal’s doctor, Dr. Ferreiro (Alex Angulo), try to help Pedro’s men while continuing to work under the evil Captain Vidal. But at the beginning, young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), arrive at Captain Vidal’s army post due to Carmen’s pregnancy with Vidal’s son. But Vidal is a morally corrupt man, making Ofelia very uncomfortable in her new home. She seeks refuge in a magical quest presented to her by an ancient faun (Doug Jones) living in an archaic labyrinth, making it clear that Ofelia must have the soul of the princess. The faun sends her off to do three tasks before the full moon to find out if she actually is the princess he has been waiting for.

While very complicated, the plot is rather comprehensible and even quite realistic, despite the fantasticalness. The idea of a little girl finding solace in fairy tales and the realism of a cruel world around her is entirely convincing. Sergi Ayats’ performance as Captain Vidal is flawless, never showing even the slightest hint of compassion or decency. One would think that a completely coldhearted man would be hard to believe, but the fact that he is so unlikeable makes him respectable, and thusly believable (usually when you respect someone, you tend to believe them). As for direction, Guillermo del Toro might have put in a little too much gore for my taste, but the high level of intensity is completely enthralling. He brings in certain elements from his past movies, such as Hellboy, which is described as a movie with “veritinous action and a surprising depth of feeling” by the Wall Street Journal. These traits are clearly significant in Pan’s Labyrinth as well, with the violent battle scenes and the strikingly emotional plot twists. His directing style is definitely consistent, and it proves to be very effective in this film.

Del Toro does a fantastic job contrasting the real world setting with the setting of the fantasy world. The real world is full of earthy, dull colors, making for a very bleak background. But the fantasy world is full of rich, vibrant colors, making the scenery feel majestic and ostentatious. The music has a minor feel, making for an eerie vibe that is very suiting to the film. The fantasy creatures look rather fake, but the creativity put into their design diverts attention away from the phoniness. Overall, the movie looks and sounds terrifically spine-chilling.

As far as fantasy films go, Pan’s Labyrinth is awfully realistic. It shows a large distinction between those who believe in magic and those who don’t. As children’s author Roald Dahl once said, “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” It is solely the choice of oneself to believe or not. I grant this film 8 runaway princesses out of a possible 10 for a clever and believable plot, engaging action, and slightly bloodstained overkill.