Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.
“Pan’s Labyrinth” has been released in a variety of formats since its 2006 debut. There has been a special edition DVD as well as an HD version and a Blu-ray release. It has had a 2016 Blu-ray release that was put up as part of a box set that was released in the same year. The 2160p upscale will definitely be enough for the die-hard fans to pick up this version although I do not know if it will be enough for others seeing its minuscule shortcomings that really matter when a rerelease such as this drops a 4K version.
The film is still impressive by any means. Guillermo del Torro, with this, has created one of the best pieces of visual art that stands today. It is flawless in so many ways and a rewatch still delivers the same stirring deep within one’s self as it did in 2006. Any product that can stand the test of time such as this one has should be cherished forever but, as stated, there as some missteps but only according to quality.
First, it uses a recycled Blu-ray version of the film which isn’t a big quarrel but if you are looking for the quality mustered by current films in this one on the Blu-ray version, you will be disappointed. The two Blu-ray releases can be compared to each other due to their re-release quality being so different. The 2007 Blu-ray is no relation to this 4K edition. The older release just feels washed when you see the current one. It may be because of the cheap noise reduction or maybe I’m just a sucker for a slight upscale. The 4K release can be best compared to the 2016 re-release which had small tweaks to the grading as well as deeper blacks. As I said, the changes are minuscule but if it helps further the production and can be done without imposing on the original grandeur I’ll allow it.
The second shortcoming, albeit a very small one seeing as how unless you have the equipment to actually complain you shouldn’t, is the audio quality. Why Warner decided to go wit HA scaled-down 5.1 audio preset rather than a 7.1 preset which, oddly, was present in both previous Blu-ray releases is confusing but it is likely to be an oversight that few will miss because two channels are only really important to an audiophile in a home theater.
A re-release is only bad when it doesn’t add anything to the release and this release doesn’t feel like a cash grab so I think that the upscaling alone will prompt this 4K edition to be picked up. Lastly, if you have yet to see the film, this would be a great edition to pick up. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital October 1st
