Is it just me ? When I saw Guillermo del Toro's PAN'S LABRINTH, I found myself completely engrossed by the "human" story and felt that the fantasy trappings were totally unnecessary. It was an interesting film to be sure but I really couldn't see what all the fuss was about. And here I go again with THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE! The whole concept of the children in the decaying orphanage being cared for by a struggling staff while the Spanish Civil War rages without and a murder has been commited within has the making of a gripping film but I found the supernatural element added to the story was completely superfluous (and believe me I love a good ghost story) and simply wasn't needed and actually detracted from the power of the story...and just what was that bomb all about ? Answers on a postcard please. I was never 100% convinced by CRONOS either - although, again, there is the heart of a very interesting film there and a pretty original one at that. But back to THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE : Taken out of context the ghost scenes work well enough but at no point did I feel that extra little frisson that comes with a truly top class ghost movie. Final trivia point : Did the wooden leg exist solely so the gold could be hidden in it (it seems to have no other reason for being in the story) or was it del Toro's personal homage to fellow Spanish director Luis Bunuel. Sorry Guillermo, for me the jury is still out. Which is not to say you are uninteresting and, hey, just loved HELLBOY. Rating : *** (go figure!)
