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To me, this movie is perfection.

Redundant and unnecessary.

A Masterpiece!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Guillermo has proved his talent with a lot of magnificent pieces and this one is such beautiful story. Boy arrived at orphanage and could not even expect what is going to happen to him. From the beginning it was obvious movie is going to reveal us a great deal of secrets that were hidden and it did not disappoint. With his presence Santi just keeps everything going and some of the blackest and deepest secrets come to light. Carlos is absolutely magnificently portrayed and amazing character that just keep landing new stuff and things that are pushed onto him. As the end is coming the orphans had to deal with loss of Dr. Casares and trying to survive without him a three guys that are driven by greed. After only Jacinto is left there they unite and show us how they are powerful and will do anything to survive. Absolutely great story telling and writing done by Guillermo, that created one character that we will not forget Santi. 3/4

I read the glowing reviews before deciding to see this film and was disappointed. While technically and cinematically well made, with many long close-up of faces and expressions under yellowish tint throughout the orphanage, and while it offers the occasional humor, the plot is thin - a boy murdered by the villain the caretaker because he accidentally discovered the villain was trying to steal gold, turned into a ghost and finally got his revenge. Yes it is not meant to scare but make you sympathize with the ghost. But so what? The movie has too many characters to delineate and they are delineated very slowly - the always stressed headmaster and her doctor/husband, the unbelievably brave 12-year-old hero, his rival the older orphan, the villain, the villain's girlfriend, etc. It tries to cover too many characters but ends up leaving each undeveloped or illogical. Why is the hero so brave and inquisitive having been suddenly abandoned in an orphanage? Are the headmistress and her husband in it for money, kindness, political correctness? Why would a worker whom we hardly met and then the headmistress be so silly to run towards the burning and exploding cans of gasoline to just be killed? Why was the villain's girlfriend so enamored by him and was going to marry him and suddenly became a martyr to die just to defy him? Are the boys happy and adjusted as it seems all they cared about was pranks and nobody seemed to care about the missing Santi boy who was rumored to become a ghost. Without character development, one never really identifies with the characters and get too involved with their curiosity, fear, cruelty, and agony. And the movie feels long. The director should be congratulated for not using artificial devices to just scare you, until that one sudden gunshot, which was louder than a canon!

'The Devil's Backbone' is a film co-written and directed by the critically acclaimed Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. It is set in Civil War era Spain. The film starts when a young boy named Carlos after losing his father arrives at Santa Lucia School which was being secretively used as a shelter for the orphans of Republican soldiers and politicians. There he comes across new characters like the strict headmistress Carmen, the generous professor Dr. Casares and the hot- headed caretaker Jacinto. He also meets the other orphans, one of whom named Jaime seemed to be a bully. Along with the people, Carlos also starts to sense some supernatural presence in the school.Del Toro is one of those directors whose work can justifiably be called the work of an auteur. Whenever you come across a film made by him, you can clearly see his stamp on it. 'The Devil's Backbone' has all the Del Toro-esque elements that one expects from his films. It has his signature visual flair. The cinematography by Guillermo Navarro and the general look of the film is astonishing. The rich and vibrant colours that ornament almost every scene is impossible to not get bowled over by. Not only the special effects, but also the scenes on location in natural surroundings get enriched by Del Toro's vibrant style and look beautiful. In a way this can be called a precursor to 'Pan's Labyrinth'. Like 'Labyrinth', this film is also at the basic level a fairy tale which doesn't necessarily follow the conventional rules followed by fairy tales in general. There is some graphic violence, there is blood, there are disturbing visuals. But still, the innocence of the young characters in the film shine through.Other than the visual style and the cinematography, another admirable aspect of the film is the ambitious nature of the screenplay. The whole setting of the script is meant to serve as an allegory for the Spanish Civil War as well as what caused it. The Santa Lucia School is meant to represent Spain itself during the ongoing Civil War. Headmistress Carmen and Dr. Cesares represent the older generation who remained naive and oblivious to the intentions of the dictatorial factions and allowed them to invade the country. The ghost represents the spirit, the emotions and the memories of Spain during happier pre-Civil War days. The adults in the school premises refuse to acknowledge its presence, but the young newcomer Carlos senses the same. Jacinto in a way represents the power hungry General Franco. The underlying theme of the film is of hope and optimism. Del Toro shows the new generation with the guidance of the elders has the capacity to usher in an era of peace by defeating the perpetrators of violence, which makes the film's theme universal and timeless.But for me, although the film has great positives, it still contains some flaws primarily in terms of the script and the character development. Although the screenplay works well as a thematic allegory for the Civil War and has the Guillermo-esque Gothic creepiness, I think when it comes to writing of the characters, it is a bit weak. I found myself astonished by how extreme the writing regarding the character of Jacinto was. Although he is supposed to represent Franco and his vicious acts are supposed to mirror those of Franco's, but in the context of the film itself, it felt rushed and underdeveloped. Considering the background and the circumstances, I found it difficult to believe that Jacinto would do the things that he is made to do in the screenplay.The acting is good from everyone. A special mention should be given to Federico Luppi who plays Dr. Cesares. In a nutshell, the film is certainly worth watching due to Del Toro's artistic vision and visual flair. The thematic backdrop and allegory of the screenplay is also admirable. But the film fails to make the transition from good to great due to the problematic, rushed and underdeveloped nature of character development.

It's a lot like "What Lies Beneath" and "The Orphanage." It's a bit of a mystery, mixed with drama of the war and its effects on a poor orphanage for young boys. One in particular whom we follow, Carlos, is new and begins to suspect that the orphanage is haunted. There isn't a lot to criticize here, yes it may be predictable and dry at times, but it's well put together with an eerie setting. Personally, as a horror fan, I'm a bit disappointed in the movie. But as del Toro fan, and a cinematic fan in general, I was well satisfied with the movie. Its harsh reality and ghost theme helps set the somber mood, and no complaints about the actors either, everybody did a convincing job in their roles. Great movie, go see it if you like mystery, drama, and yeah, even horror, why not.