The Wild Hunt » Pan’s Labyrinth

Movie Review: Hellboy II

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:09:00 +0000

“Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has started to look like a legitimate successor to Ovid. Del Toro is not so much a creator of myths as a collector of them, a transhistorical myth nerd whose pantheon of influences ranges from Hesiod to Harryhausen (with liberal helpings of steam punk and Catholic iconography).” – Dana Stevens, Slate.com

The thing that startled me the most about “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” was that the emotional climax of the film, at least for me, didn’t involve any of the main characters. Instead, the longest and most lingering sadness comes after a confrontation with a forest elemental. I won’t give anything away, but this scene, and several smaller scenes like it throughout “Hellboy”, underscore a theme director Guillermo del Toro has been exploring through much of his work. Most notably in the Academy Award-winning “Pan’s Labyrinth”. The conflict between a world filled with enchantment, and one that denies the imagination, that eradicates the sacredness of our world.

Hellboy vs. the forest elemental.

While the representation of soulless clockwork progress is represented by Spanish fascists in “Pan’s Labyrinth”, in “The Golden Army” humanity itself is suspect. As the Christianity Today review ponders: “Is the human race worth saving?”

“In the original Hellboy, the villains were adversaries like demons, Nazis, gods of chaos, assassins and necromancers—characters understood to be evil more or less by nature or by definition … Hellboy II shifts from this kind of mythic good-vs-evil storytelling to something more like classical mythology, with variously flawed characters on all sides.”

The character of Hellboy, wanting nothing more than to be “out” and loved by the people he secretly protects, is stunned when he isn’t greeted as a hero and is instead treated as a spectacle at best, and a danger at worst. The movie asks, in a variety of ways, should he really be on humanity’s side? Does humanity, with its various sins against a dying world of faerie, and an increasingly poisoned Earth, even deserve saving? The film never directly answers that question, though you can be fairly certain that Del Toro himself would prefer a humanity that didn’t seem so eager to do away with the strange and fantastical.

Guillermo del Toro supports HETFET!

Of course “Hellboy” is also a big summer action film, and there are plenty of explosions, fights, comedic moments, and one-liners to please those who want nothing more than two hours of entertainment. However, unlike the stupid and nihilistic “Wanted”, or the enjoyable but uneven “Incredible Hulk”, Del Toro wraps his entry into Summer blockbuster season with layers of insight and deeper meaning for those looking for something more. What other summer blockbuster can successfully pen love-letters to James Whale and Hayao Miyazaki while including a Barry Manilow sing-along?

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” isn’t “Pan’s Labyrinth”, but it is an enjoyable Summer film that reaches further than any genre film is expected to. Do yourself a favor and experience the amazing visuals on a big screen, you’ll be glad you did. Wild Hunt approved and recommended!

Guillermo del Toro's Fairy War

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Life has been good for director Guillermo del Toro lately. His 2006 film “Pan’s Labyrinth” was widely acclaimed by critics (winning three Academy Awards), and he was recently tapped to direct the two Hobbit films (under the watchful eye of Peter Jackson). In between these two momentous events comes the July release of “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”, which continues to mine the rich themes of myth, faith, choice, and the imagination.

“I think it’s the primal motor of human endeavor,” said del Toro about his fascination with exploring mythology and fantasy in his films. “All human endeavor: spiritual, physical, social. I think myth makes humans what we are, it is the essence of being human, the capacity to invent. No raccoon worships the god of the trash can and we do. There are plenty of people that worship in search of a spiritual meaning. Anyone that says, ‘Okay, we are this or that many chromosomes away from being an ape,’ they should consider imagination as one thing that is a huge chasm between us.”

The old, horned, king of the otherworld.

In this follow-up to the 2004 cult-hit, del Toro seems to be expanding on his fascination with the fairy-inhabited “otherworld” from “Pan’s Labyrinth”. This time with the threat of an all-out war between fairy-folk and humanity. Hellboy creator, and film co-writer, Mike Mignola, compares fae/human tensions in the movie to the history of American Indian struggles.

“The focus is more on the folklore and fairy tale aspect of Hellboy. It’s not Nazis, machines and mad scientists but the old gods and characters who have been kind of shoved out of our world. I kind of equate it to the whole American Indian situation. The Indians were shoved onto reservations. You had your old, wise Indians who said, “You know, this is the way it is. We can’t fight anymore. We just have to accept our fate.” You then have your Geronimo character saying, “Or we could just kill the White Man.” That’s kind of the situation we have in the film. We have our elf characters resigning to the way things are and then there’s one saying, “Or we could take the world back.” The main difference is – what if the Indians had a nuclear warhead? The elves have their equivalent of the weapon that is too terrible to use. What if this guy decided to use it?”

Building on that theme, a viral marketing web site called HETFET, Humans for the Ethical Treatment of Fairies, Elves, and Trolls, has emerged.

HETFET logo.

“We know that every minute of every day, all across the world, terrible crimes are taking place all around us. But the victims of these crimes can’t ask for help because humanity turns a deaf ear to the segment of society that we once called “mythical creatures.” Not anymore. At HETFET, it is our unwavering belief that these misunderstood beings deserve the same rights as those given to animals or people. No more, no less; just the right to coexist and be left alone.”

Needless to say, the Pagan overtones of the site, complete with a real petition to save old-growth forests, are palpable. With the otherworldly action, a film preview sporting massive pre-historic Venus figurines, and a trip through a “Troll market” (not to mention a horned god/king!), this Hellboy film is shaping up to be a real treat for the Pagan film-goer. I’m very much looking forward to seeing it in July.

Guillermo del Toro’s Fairy War

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:21:00 +0000

The old, horned, king of the otherworld.

Building on that theme, a viral marketing web site called HETFET, Humans for the Ethical Treatment of Fairies, Elves, and Trolls, has emerged.

HETFET logo.

A Few Quick News Notes

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:46:00 +0000

If you are looking for more religious commentary on the passing of Jerry Falwell, I urge you to check out the On Faith blog panelists, where you can hear opinions ranging from fawning to critical (no response from Starhawk yet). Also adding their two cents are the Get Religion blog, and the religious mega-site Beliefnet.

Yesterday marked the release of the DVD for the stunning Academy Award-winning adult fairy-tale Pan’s Labyrinth. You can read my review of the film, here. The DVD comes in two editions, a single-disc version, and a double-disc deluxe version featuring making-of features and other extras. Guess which one is on my birthday wish list!

Finally, the New York Times has a published a story on Wiccans by Neela Banerjee. The article points out that despite growing acceptance and rights for modern Pagans, many still keep their faith hidden at work and from family for fear of their jobs, children, and alienation from family.

“David Steinmetz, professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School, said, ‘Wiccans have so many things stacked against them, from what the Bible says about the practice of magic to the history in this country of witch trials, that the image of them adds up to something so contrary to the consensus about genuine religion that still shapes American society.’ … Members of other religions, including Jews and Catholics, have sometimes been forced to mask their faith in the past because of religious bias, Professor Steinmetz said. But it is rare, he added, for people to keep their religion from parents and grandparents, as many Wiccans do.”

So while modern Paganism has come a long way, there is still much to be done to combat the misconceptions and attitudes we face.

Accepting Monsters Into Our Hearts

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:57:00 +0000

Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, takes a look at the broad religious appeal of the film “Pan’s Labyrinth”.

“Pan’s Labyrinth,” which won three Oscars, is not explicit about its images, prompting Christians, pagans and others to claim the movie as a parable about their own beliefs. The film subtly criticizes the Catholic Church’s complicity in fascist Spain. However, the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops as well as Christianity Today gave the film glowing reviews for its Christian themes.

Some see the film as a sign that we are moving into a “spiritual but not religious” future. The article quotes evangelical author Robert Johnston, who claims that the film promotes a “practical theology” that stems from “lived experience” instead of a fixed doctrine (like Christianity). Kuruvila also speaks with Starhawk about the film, the Pagan author and activist seems strangely fixated on the “dangers” of Ofelia’s “subjective” reality.

“The darkness and violence of Ofelia’s fairy tale echoes her real-world existence. But it also reveals the dangers of a completely subjective, self-defined spirituality, says Starhawk, a nationally influential pagan and author who lives in San Francisco. “Opening up to the other world without the training or guidance, you can get lost and sidetracked,” says Starhawk, noting that other faiths also warn against carelessly dabbling in spiritual practices. “You can get lost in the nightmare instead of being able to find the dream.” A hallucination can easily be mistaken for a spiritual vision, she says. “Nobody ever sat her down and said (to Ofelia) here’s how you travel in the afterworld, fix your mind on the destination,” says Starhawk. ‘Everything in her culture would have told her this was dangerous, possibly satanic and scary.’”

I’m curious as to why Starhawk felt that was the message to send when giving the Pagan response to this film. Christians are talking about how groundbreaking it is, and how it is a sign of our changing religious culture (organically, it should be noted, in comparison with the manufactured “message” of “The Da Vinci Code”), and Starhawk discusses how Ofelia should have gotten proper training and warns against the dangers of a “self-defined” religion?

I believe “Pan’s Labyrinth” presents a unique opportunity to discuss Pagan/polytheist theology in contrast to the dominant monotheisms. Unlike “The Da Vinci Code”, this film isn’t bogged down with questions about Christian heresy and Gnosticism and can be referenced without having to talk about our views on Mary Magdalen’s marital status. If this film continues to seep into public conversations about faith and religion, Pagan commentators should be ready to move beyond disclaimers regarding Ofelia’s actions and instead talk about what elements in the film accurately portray Pagan ideas and beliefs.

The Academy Awards

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:13:00 +0000

Last night was the 79th annual Academy Awards. While others were grousing about their Oscar burn-out (which tells me they are paying too much attention to the Hollywood promotional machine), I found this years awards to be delightfully entertaining. This could partially be attributed to the fact that one of the films I was rooting for, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” swept up three awards early in the show (art direction, makeup, and cinematography).

Guillermo del Toro (center) with fellow Mexican film directors.

Sadly “Pan’s Labyrinth” didn’t pick up the coveted award for best foreign film, but I think winning three Academy Awards isn’t too shabby. It was also nice to see that Helen Mirren picked up the best actress award. While Mirren was very good in “The Queen”, she’ll always be Morgana from John Boorman’s “Excalibur” to me.

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth and Morgana.

Also of note for my readers is the fact that the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” won two Academy Awards, one for best documentary feature, and one for best original song (written and performed by Melissa Etheridge). Oh, and Martin Scorsese finally got his Oscar. For a full list of last nights winners click, here.

In related news, Nicolas Cage and his horrid remake of “The Wicker Man” got shut out at this years Razzies (“Basic Instinct 2″ dominated most categories). I personally think Cage was robbed, when you see a highlight reel like this, how could you not think it the worst movie you saw this year?

The Very Best and Worst of Pagan Film

Jason Pitzl-Waters — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:29:00 +0000

This weekend the very best, and worst, in film will be celebrated. On Sunday, the 79th Academy Awards (The Oscars) will be handed out to those films thought to be the very best of the past year, and the day before that you’ll see the Golden Raspberries (The Razzies) handed out to the very, very worst. Films with pagan themes hold the strange honor of holding several nominations in both.

In the category of the very best is Guillermo del Toro’s masterful “Pan’s Labyrinth”. This dark fairytale, set during the rise of Franco in Spain, has garnered six Oscar nominations. Achievement in Art Direction, Achievement in Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Achievement in Makeup, Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score), and Original Screenplay.

Guillermo del Toro with Doug Jones as ‘the faun’.

Del Toro’s film has earned high praise from critics (including Stephen King), and won the “Golden Tomato” award from Rotten Tomatoes for being the best-reviewed foreign film of 2006. This film was widely anticipated by many in the Pagan community, and few (I think) were disappointed with the final product. You can read my review of the film, here.

“It’s a matter of creating a fairy tale that is in favor of disobedience – obedience disguised as blind patriotism is often invoked for the worst causes. It’s at a time when we are supposed to be better people by not questioning anything and in reality we are better people by doing it.” – Guillermo Del Toro, Oscar Watch

On the opposite side of the scale is perhaps one of the most ill-advised remakes in movie history, “The Wicker Man”. Based loosely off the amazing 1973 film about a police officer running afoul of a island of Pagans off the Scottish coast, and starring Christopher Lee and directed by Robin Hardy, this remake by Nicolas Cage* and Neil LaBute takes everything that was good about the original and turns it into a bizarre misogynist screed involving killer bees.

Nicolas Cage and Neil LaBute discussing their bizarre hatred of women.

Thus, one of the most beloved pagan-themed films is remade into one of the worst pagan-themed films of all time. As a consequence it has racked up an impressive five nominations in the Razzies. Worst Picture, Actor, Screenplay, Remake and Screen Couple. I never formally reviewed the film on this blog, but I did eventually see it on DVD, and it truly is one of the worst films I ever had to sit through (the director’s commentary is the only truly scary thing about it). Here is what HecklerSpray had to say about the film in their Razzies betting odds.

“You tend to get an idea that a film remake is bad when the director of the original angrily instructs his lawyers to remove his name from all promotional material for the remake, and that’s just what happened with The Wicker Man. In years to come, The Wicker Man will be used as a blueprint for what not to do when you’re remaking a classic film. You don’t swap a creepy pagan island for a town full of feminists. You don’t replace Edward Woodward’s righteous fundamental Christian virgin policeman for Nicolas Cage being a bit scared of bees. And you absolutely don’t tack on a ridiculous ending starring the angry boy from Spider-Man just for the hell of it. The Wicker Man is so profoundly awful it almost verges on sacrilege but – incredibly – The Razzies say it wasn’t the worst film from the last year. Current Razzies Worst Movie betting odds – 6/1″

I hope both films sweep their nominated categories.

*Perhaps not so coincidently, Nicolas Cage ruined another of my favorite films with his “Wings of Desire” remake “City of Angels”. Maybe he should stick to playing roles like “Ghost Rider”.