Set in 2054, “Minority Report” stars Tom Cruise as John Anderton, chief of Washington D.C.’s Precrime unit who lost a son six years ago. Precrime is a system used by the police that uses three Pre-Cogs, humans with visions of the future, to stop crimes before they are committed. John Anderton defends Precrime when Dan Witwer (Colin Farrell) questions its accuracy as well as its morality. He argues that if the ‘criminals’ have not yet committed the crime in question, they are not truly criminals; Anderton, on the other hand, disagrees. With Lamar Burgess (Max von Sydow), Anderton defends Precrime relentlessly; up until the Pre-Cogs have a vision of him killing a man whom he doesn’t even know. On a quest to prove the Pre-Cog vision, and therefore Precrime, wrong, Anderton must evade his former colleagues while searching for the Minority Report; the vision that may lie within Agatha, the strongest Pre-Cog, which differs from the image of the future that is displayed on screen. He kidnaps Agatha, and when faced with the supposed murderer of his son, must decide whether or not to change his future. The plot of “Minority Report” will allow its viewers to stay interested throughout the 2 and half hour film.

            Overall, the plot is fairly easy to follow; this is the case, for the most part, because the script spells out most complexities for the audience. While some of the plot could be left up to the viewer’s interpretation, it is necessary that the actors explain most of their conclusions. In the scene where Witwer is explaining the difference between two similar Pre-Cog visions, he explains why he has the suspicions he does, which is helpful to the audience, since the difference is so subtle, it would probably not be apparent had he not said anything. At times, the script was a bit clichéd- Anderton says “Say goodbye, Crow,” in the Pre-Cog’s vision, but for the most part, the dialogue was original.

            The special effects in “Minority Report” will make audiences feel as if they are taking part in the exciting and dangerous lives of the characters on screen. The variation in camera angles heightened the mood and therefore added to the suspense. Cool colors, as opposed to warm colors, are used in this film, creating a feeling of frigidness and isolation. The visual appeal was one of the strongest aspects of the film.

           The major theme expressed in this film is the idea that to humans, science is quickly progressing to become near holy. The room where the Pre-Cogs stay is called the temple, and the characters revere yet are also frightened Agatha and the other Pre-Cogs. Because humans are the ones who created the technology that allows the Pre-Cogs’ visions to be displayed, it is as if the people are worshipping themselves. The Pre-Cogs are the embodiment of science at its most advanced, and by making them so vital to life that they are worshipped, humans are making themselves divine. This connects with the other theme having to do with morality. The film raises the question that though humans have the technology to do something, should we do that something? Steven Spielberg, the director, is implying that though we can create technology, we are not as godly as we sometimes perceive ourselves to be.

            “Minority Report” is a film that can be classified under many genre types- mystery, action, science fiction, which allows many people with diverse tastes to enjoy the film. With an absorbing plot as well as a classic theme, “Minority Report” will stimulate the minds of audiences during and for long after the film.

Staring at the television set blaring Family Feud, Stanley Uris let the phone drop from his sweaty palm. ‘See ya soon Stan the Man,’ Mike Hanlon had said before disconnecting the call. See ya soon? Stan thought to himself. Really? That’s it… Nothing for years and years, and then all of a sudden it’s ‘See ya soon?’ and ‘Come back, Stanley?’

            As if any of the others would come back. Ha! Like the promise they made at home back then had meant anything to them. Stan thought after wondering why none of them had even tried to keep in touch. What he didn’t realize was that he was the only one of the seven who could remember it all.

            Derry…Stan thought, and at once, every horror, every memory from his youth came flooding back in a wave that was so forceful, he felt it knock every last breath of air from him. We were so young. What horrible, unfortunate trick of the cosmos would have brought the seven of us together in the place we called

(scary Derry with the canary)

home?

            And what if I’m the only one who returns? I can’t deal with It by myself. I can’t deal with It at all! Yes I can. I will. We all will. We made the promise. We are bound to it. I have to, Stan argued with himself. His thoughts were broken fragments- barely cohesive.

            But It greeted me once when I was alone. It came but I fought it off. But…I was stronger then. I had no other choice. What harm can it be now if I don’t return to Derry? It’s not like these killings are affecting me. It’s not as if I’m being targeted here! Why should I be responsible for stopping It? A crazy thought sprung into his head as crazy thoughts tend to do in times of great stress, Robins! Loons! Grackles! Hammerhead woodpeckers! Chickadees!

            What…? It took Stan only a moment to remember when he had last said this aloud…

            In his encounter with It. He felt the blood pump from its source faster and with more force than it had in a long time.       

            “Stan, honey?” Patty asked, not taking her eyes off the TV. “Who were you talking to?”

Stanley stared at the back of his wife’s head. She has no fucking idea what I’ve been through. How I’ve been haunted during the day by the thoughts, and at night, I can’t escape the nightmares that come. And she honestly thinks I take Benedryl every night before bed because I have year-round allergies…Please! I just want to find some respite from the torture of my memories…I do love her though. Oh Patty! I can leave and you will take care of yourself. No, I won’t leave you dear…

            “Oh. Uhm. N-no one important,” Stan replied. It’s Bill who stutters. Not me. Ha Ha! Bill. He’s a writer now. He’s living the high life. Our leader. Leader, yeah right. No way will he return home.

            HOME? No! not home. This is my home. This leather Lazy-Boy, the fireplace, the Monet hanging in the living room, the TV set…My wife…Dammit THIS is my home!

            “Hmm. Kay,” Patty responded, interrupting his failing attempt at convincing himself of where his home was.

            “Yeah. Kay. I’m…” What can I say to her? Hey sweetie, that was my old bud. I’m going to go back to Derry for a few days. Yeah, it’s no big deal. It’s just that seven of us made a pact when we were little that we would come back if the evil, cannibalistic clown ever returned and started killing innocent children. I will most likely die trying to stop It, so if I don’t come back… Love ya. Don’t sell my Monet. “Gonna take a bath,” he finished. He stood up and on legs that felt about as sturdy as crêpe paper, managed to walk out of the room without falling to the ground.

            And if I don’t go? What if It does come to get it’s revenge on me for escaping It all those years ago? How the heck did that happen, anyway? Some miracle I suppose. Or not… If I had been taken? I wouldn’t be forced to make this decision right now. When we were all young, we had each other. We were so faithful in one another, that no matter what happened we knew we were going to fight It together. Now though…How can Mike expect me to drop everything to meet six strangers? I have no idea the kind of people they have become.

            Stepping into the bathroom and locking the door, he turned the water on in the bathtub. When it was steaming hot, he stepped in. Shoot! He thought, jumping out of the water and onto the tile. Bending over, he peeled off his gym socks, dropped them to the floor

[Camptown ladies sing dis song, doodah doodah

            (Squish-squish)]

and stepped back in.

            Outside, he heard the squawk of a crow and inevitably, the memory of the Standpipe blasted back into his head like the whistle of an oncoming train. Why am I alive? How easy it would be to end it right now. Wait, Stan! Stop being crazy. YOU are the one who cut all of their wrists, and made them promise to return. No cowards allowed, remember you asshole? But how was I supposed to know we’d lose touch? Really, what’s one less? Not that any of them will come back anyway. Stop, Stop, STOP!

The empty beer bottle on the sink counter shifted shape momentarily and became a broken coke bottle. The same bottle he had used to cut their wrists twenty eight years ago. The exact same bottle. With the same mysterious silver line of color running through the glass. So full of an opaque, red liquid that it was dripping down the sides onto the surface of the sink. As quickly as it had become The coke bottle, it changed back into last night’s beer bottle. Ahh. Ha ha ha. Very funny Stan. Now you’re convincing yourself the bottle mutated into another that is now long gone? No, it was

            (Pennywise)

            my imagination. Then Stan began to laugh. He laughed so hard, he was shaking. He could take in any air for he was cracking up so hard. Hahaha hahaha haha- a bottle hahaah changing haha shape! Hahahaha! Tears began spurting out of his eyes and his belly began to ache. What would Richie say? Oh yeah! I just got off a good one! Stan began to laugh even harder still, Got off a good one! His laughing caused him to roll front to back in the tub, clutching his stomach all the while. Good thing Family Feud is on tonight- Patty would hear me! Ha ha ha!

            “Stanny-boy! What’s so funny? I love jokes. Please tell me one?” said a cackling, horrible, broken, inhuman voice. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, was the only thing that ran through his mind.

            “No need to swear, Stan-the-Man. Oh please, oh please tell the joke? Maybe you could come down here. We all love jokes down here. Hey, I know! You know what goes great with jokes? Balloons! A balloon hat. Sure, that’s it. I’ll make you a balloon hat in the shape of a bird. You can come down here and wear it. It might make you float… We all float down here!” The voice went on.

            New tears sprang from his eyes, these of fear. Mouth gaping, with deep and shaking breaths, Stanley Uris sobbed. Snot ran from his nose, soap and salty tears stung his eyes and turned them red. He took his face in his hands and claw-marks of agony formed upon it.

            “Stan! Now we match! You’re all red from crying. And my nose is red. And I have red balloons! They float! You must come down and see them. We all float down here,” with that the wicked being began to cackle.

            No, no, no, this isn’t happening. Please Dear Lord, this is not happening! Not again! I CAN’T DO IT AGAIN!! With that, the cackling stopped and a blob started to squeeze through the sink drain. It grew and grew until out came a large, red balloon that floated to the ceiling. On it, there were white letters… J One down, 6 to go J. Stan had just finished reading the message from below when the balloon popped, splattering the entire room with a mist of blood.

            A memory oozed through his mind; one that may be insignificant to her, but for Stan, it was an outlook on life. And death. One night he was talking to Patty about the contestants on Family Feud, “It’s probably a lot tougher when you’re up there under those lights…Everything’s a lot tougher when it’s for real. That’s when you choke. When it’s for real.” Has she ever sensed the Hell I’m living in?

And with his friends’ blood flowing through him, Stanley Uris re-opened the old scars on his wrists and smeared one simple word upon the bathroom wall. A word showing that he had given up. A word that broke the circle of faith. A word proving that, in this battle, It had won.

In the book V for Vendetta, the media, run by the government, reinforces racism. This is demonstrated in chapter 3 of Book 2. The government runs shows that portray blacks (and people of any race except Caucasian) as unintelligent and violent. Even the name of the weather segment of the news is trying to get across the point of white-dominance; the name is “Storm Saxon”, as in Anglo-Saxon, or Caucasian. In both V for Vendetta and in real life, the media has an immense amount of influence on the people. By stereotyping people with different colored skin, the government is saying that whites are superior to all other races, and is swaying the people to agree with this idea. Jordan Tower is where the Fate computer lies, and it is the people running the Fate computer (the Ear, the Mouth, etc.) that are showing their beliefs on the treatment of people of different races than their own.

What is the role of women in the Leader’s fascist society? What evidence exists to prove your point?

            Women’s roles in the Leader’s fascist society are extremely limited in this book. On numerous occasions, women are depicted as sex-objects, being strippers or prostitutes. To the fascists, all women are seen as weak and inferior to men. Rose Almond is a perfect example of a woman attempting to survive in the male-dominated fascist society. After the death of her husband, Rose first decides to be with Dascome, because he is there and she is lonely; she doesn’t think she can make it alone in the world- she needs the companionship. Later on, Rose is performing at a strip club. The fascist men in “V for Vendetta” do not give women a fair opportunity to support themselves, because they are so egotistical.

Why does V subject Evey to mental and physical torment? Do you agree with his methods? Explain.

            In Book 2, V subjects Evey to physical and mental torment to change her view on life to one that is similar to his. V thinks he has the most clear and correct opinions on the workings of the world and society, but his thoughts are free of emotion. The way he tortures Evey by putting her into a physical prison then torturing her constantly, daily, is not morally right. When she discovers it was all a set-up, V convinces her that he did everything to benefit her; she believes him. This makes it seem as if V is brainwashing her. His methods are not moral (because he is torturing an innocent person), but they are effective in obtaining his goal. V strips Evey of everything physical and mental, including her clothes, with the intent to build her back up again, this time with his views in mind.

            In the beginning, in an attempt to save his village from an attack of a wild, enormous boar, young Ashitaka (Billy Crudup), kills the beast, but not before receiving a blackened wound on his arm caused by the red, writhing demons consuming the boar. His adventure begins when he is exiled from his home to put an end to the fatal curse. On his search, he meets Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver), the leader of an iron-mining village, and her rival, wolf-raised San (Claire Danes). San and the animals are protecting the forest from the destruction Lady Eboshi and the other miners are creating. Set in feudal Japan, this film is an allegory for the complex struggle between nature and progression.

For the most part, the plot is relatively easy to follow, should the viewer be an adult. Some parts may have the younger audience confused; for example, Jigo’s stance on the conflict between Lady Eboshi and San was unclear, as was his reason for wanting the head of the forest spirit. Many times in the movie, the theme of balance was presented. This was shown in the forest spirit both giving life, and taking it away. The number of times this theme was presented in the film strengthens the idea Hayao Miyazaki, the director, is trying to get across.

            Several characters find themselves riddled with leech-like fibers, not only consuming their bodies, but also disintegrating their brains. A symbol for hatred, these demons erupt only when the balance of nature and technology is thrown off. Because Ashitaka was touched by the red fibers, his wound throbs when it is a time of great need for balancing the benefits of progression with nature’s beauties. Hand-drawn, and still looking as if they are actually writhing, these demon fibers were among the many images in the film that are animated well. Hayao Miyazaki made the right decision when he chose to color the leech-fibers red. Red is a color that is commonly associated with anger and aggression, the two main causes of the demon fingers.

            This film is unique because it portrays women as strong, able leaders in the time of feudal Japan. Women having the ability to lead men, and joke and tease them is role reversal of what is usually seen in films, especially set in the same time as “Princess Mononoke”. Lady Eboshi as the leader of the industrial movement, and San represented as a savior of nature breaks the typical stereotypes set by many cultures, throughout time.

Something that took away from the overall impact of the film was the voices of the characters. In particular, the voice of Claire Danes as San was a distraction. San is a strong, young woman and her voice should be one that evokes in the viewers a sense of power and authority. Instead, Princess Mononoke sounds like a young teen, arguing with her mother about cleaning her room. Lady Eboshi’s voice, on the other hand, fit her character well. In the film Driver’s voice is low and soft, yet commanding, typical of Lady Eboshi.

            “Princess Mononoke” is not the only movie Hayao Miyazaki has directed. Among many other films, in 2002 he was the executive producer of a movie called “The Cat Returns”. This movie, however, is not seen as a masterpiece of film as is “Princess Mononoke”. Daniel Etherington writes about “The Cat Returns”, “The elements you’d find in one of his films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away are all here, from the teenage girl protagonist to the elements of folklore and fantasy.” The elements he mentions here are also present in “Princess Mononoke”, which shows that Miyazaki has a characteristic style of directing and of creating stories. “Princess Mononoke” is generally seen as one of Miyazaki’s best films.

            Michael Booth of the Denver Post writes, “Prince Ashitaka tries to mediate between the town’s voracious leaders and the forest’s angry, people-hating spirits.” This brief summary of the movie supports the idea that hate is the cause of the feud and the hardships. However, in this sentence, he makes both sides seem as if they are only bad. The people/ characters all have good in them, they are just concerned about what will happen to their race and family, should the other side “win”. This is why Ashitaka must mediate between the groups; he doesn’t want that title, he wants there to only be one “group”, and that is everyone living in harmony.

            “Princess Mononoke” is a high fantasy film with a conflict that is facing the people of the world today. The end of the film is vague; the effects are left up to the audience’s interpretation. With the timeless theme of nature vs. progression, “Princess Mononoke” is successful in showing that this theme really is complex and there is no easy way to find the balance.

An evil clown lies in the street drain.

Tufts of red hair and yellow eyes that gleam,

He finds pleasure in hearing his victims scream.

George Denbrough was the brother of stuttering Bill,

And it was George the clown decided to kill.

Seducing the boy with balloons and charm,

Once he trusts him, he bites off his arm.

Adrian Mellon was flamboyantly gay

And because of that, his body will now decay.

Three teenage boys pushed him off a bridge and out of sight,

And the clown killed him in the dead of the night.

Patty Uris loved her husband, Stanley,

But to her, the fact that he was a Jew was not dandy.

In the bathtub, she found him dead,

“IT” written on the wall in bloody red.

After speaking to Mike Hanlon on the phone,

Rich Tozier agrees to return to Derry, his home.

He calls the Townhouse to reserve a room,

And is wary of the danger that does loom.

Ben Hanscom drinks copious amounts of alcohol

Yet seems sober enough to even play baseball.

Ben reminds Ricky Lee, of a ghostly form,

Before departing for Derry, into the storm.

Fat Myra is the wife of Eddie Kapbrak

Whose late mother kept him on a leash with no slack.

After a phone call, Ed has to leave his wife to go to Derry,

And you can bet your salary Myra wasn’t merry.

Because his own mother beat him with belts,

Upon his wife, Beverly, Tom Rogan left many welts.

A phone call caused Bev to defy Tom, who attacked and frowned,

Then she ran away from her home, Derry-bound.

Now Bill Denbrough is a grown man,

Married to Audra, where her salvation began.

His brothers memory kept from his mind,

But those nightmares caused his teeth to grind.

It was police officer Mike Hanlon who called them all back,

Remembering their oath to end the attack.

After the death of Adrian Mellon,

He called his old friends to stop the clown felon.

Young Ben Hanscom was the teacher’s pet

So Henry and his gang always made him fret.

When one day, after Henry and Ben got in a fight,

Ben met Bill and Eddie and knew everything was going to be alright.

Ben shows them how to build a mighty dam,

And so becomes friends with Bill, Rich, Ed and Stan.

As they share private tales as together they work,

Police man Nell comes and sees the dam and goes berserk.

Ben and Rich are ecstatic when Bev comes to the picture show,

Too bad for them, it is Bill who makes her glow.

When Richie comes out of the movie with Ben and Beverly,

The three defend themselves from Henry’s gang quite cleverly.

Macklin killed Dorsey Corcoran, Eddie’s brother,

Not caring that he was his stepfather.

One night, Ed sees dead Dorsey as a zombie

And runs his hardest, attempting to flee.

Unfortunately, the swamp-monster caught up to Ed

And dragged him back to the Canal, then ripped him to shreds.

Mike Hanlon narrowly escaped the attack by a giant crow

Who had the intention of pushing him in the canal below.

When Bill goes into Georgie’s room,

He sees something that foreshadows doom.

In an old picture of George at school,

His eyes rolled and blood flowed from the book, collecting in a pool.

When young Bill speaks of this incident to Rich,

They look at the photo album and realize it is bewitched.

The two see a moving scene at the end, including them and the clown

And in reality, Bill’s hand was cut by invisible blades when he plunged it down.

Ben saw the evil clown on the ice in the winter

Then screamed and ran home faster than an Olympic sprinter.

Eddie K. was walking on Neibolt St. one day,

And out came the clown, with flesh that was decayed.

Not wanting to avenge his brother’s death alone,

Richie reluctantly agrees to go with Bill, with a groan.

At the house, Bill sees the monster that attacks them as a clown

But to Rich, the werewolf monster is what’s haunting the town.

In the bathroom, Bev hears voices coming from the sink

And as she leans closer, she smells a sewer-stink.

Blood that only she can see bubbles up and bursts,

She knows that it’s the clown and that she is cursed.

While bird-watching at the Standpipe, a dangerous place,

Stan had an encounter with The Clown that made his heart race.

Drawn to the appealing smells and sounds of a fair,

He wanders through the open door, ignoring the signs of “BEWARE!”

Once inside the round tower, young Stan hears the door slam

And realizes the carnival set-up was an evil scam!

In the dark, the clown tries to grab Stan by the shirt,

He yells bird names, and escapes- fear then rendering him inert.

Mike Hanlon’s late dad spoke of “The Fire at the Black Spot”

Which, in 1930, was a club for blacks that was hot.

The racists killed eighty by setting fire to the club one night;

It was then that Mr. Hanlon saw a giant black bird with balloons in flight.

As an adult, Bill is nervous on his way to meet his old chums,

He knows not of where they have been or what they all will become.

Bill sees that much of Derry has changed on his drive through town

The cabbie tells Bill of the places Mike fought to keep from being brought down.

Bill is the last one to show up at the reunion, still feeling sickly

But found that they all settled into each others’ company quickly.

Over lunch, Ben tells the tale of how he became slim.

Mike observes that they are all without kids; are all rich, except him.

At once, Mike says that there have been many murders lately- nine!

Then shows a picture telling them to “Come Home”, written in blood that did shine.

And though literal horrors did their fortune cookies emit,

The Gang decided they would stay and fight It.

Alone, Ben enters the library on a nostalgic whim

And hears his name being called out to him.

Slowly he turns, finding Pennywise filled with spite,

Cackling about Ben’s murder he was planning for that night.

Eddie Kaspbrak always loved to watch baseball,

But on his walk, he sees something that makes him want to bawl.

Crawling over the fence was the leper that had haunted his dreams

Coming towards him, then strangely disappears, it seems.

When Beverly saw the exterior of her old home, she cried.

The lovely old woman who answered the door told Bev her father had died.

Once inside, Bev realized the lady was becoming a “Pennywise” hag,

And the tea It had offered her was sewer-water, not from a tea-bag!!

In the town center, Richie Tozier’s pulse goes into overdrive

When the enormous statue of Paul Bunyan comes alive.

It changes into The Clown, standing at 26 feet tall

And tries to kill Eddie; it was him It wanted to maul.

Bill sees his old bike Silver in a vintage shop

So he buys it, brings it to Mike’s and fixes it up.

He doesn’t know why he feels the need,

But his intuition is telling him to proceed.

Henry Bowers was locked away in jail.

He was greasy, crazy, murderous, and pale.

With the help of the clown, he escaped from the prison

In him, a fresh wave of vengeance for the “Losers” had risen.

Tom chases after Bev while Audra does Bill,

Tom beats Bev’s best friend, and threatens to kill,

Like Audra, he wants info. on where his spouse is,

They wind up in Derry, definitely not for show biz.

Old Mr. Keene spoke of the shoot-out downtown,

Thousands of shots fired, it was a massacre all-around.

Mr. Keene said that during the killing spree,

He saw a strange clown, cackling with glee.

Henry Bower’s insane father hates blacks,

So before killing it, Henry gives the Hanlon’s dog some smacks.

Henry’s hate for Mike runs deep

And he plots ways to make the boy quiver and weep.

The sewer system is a maze of subterranean pipes 

Where within there lies horrors of all types.

Mike buys helmets with lamps, hoping to postpone

The inevitable descent into the eerie unknown.

Young Henry’s gang tries to attack Mike,

But he slips into the Barrens, and The Losers strike.

The gangs face off in a vicious rock fight,

And The Losers win, causing Henry’s flight.

With Mike Hanlon they were seven, the perfect number.

Now the “Losers” were ready to wake the beast from Its slumber.

Before, the deaths had been many,

But now, they were expecting more from Ol’ Penny.

The Gang finds that to make It disappear,

The method that must be used seemed rather severe.

They must make It laugh first, but what is really cruel,

They are biting the monster’s tongue in a twisted duel.

Hoping for visions on how to proceed,

The Gang does a Smoke-Hole Ceremony, dangerous indeed.

Richie and Mike are the only two left in the smoke

When they see It has existed since the earth was but a yolk.

The doctor tells Eddie his meds are phony

He says it’s in his head; that his sickness is bologna!

After, Eddie runs into Henry-with-a-grudge

Who breaks his arm, causing it to not budge.

Pat Hockstetter was killed with Bev looking on-

He was attacked by leeches, then was simply gone.

It killed the crazy sociopath kid

By the old fridge where half-dead animals he had hid.

Led by Ben, the Gang made silver slugs,

They wanted to kill It, not give it hugs.

And because Bev had the best aim,

The slingshot bearer she became.

They enter Neibolt Street’s house of “fun”

And a few true battles against It they had won.

Finally, they battle It, a werewolf, in the bathroom

The silver sends It back to the drains, where It did then loom.

In the fourth Interlude of Derry,

Claude Heroux is a man who was crazy and scary.

He killed dozens in The Silver Dollar bar-

Axed them to death; clearly he was bizarre.

Bev’s father had been spying on her

He was so angry that a horrible thing did occur.

Mr. Marsh chased Bev through the streets, raging mad

And she barely escaped her brutal dad.

Not ten minutes after this great chase,

Bev ran into Henry who had murder upon his face.

Vic, Belch and Henry with a knife

Sent Bev running (to the Clubhouse) for dear life.

In the early morning hours, adult Henry stabs Mike

Using the same knife, not just one it was like.

Henry continues to the Town House, killing on his mind-

A list of the Losers’ room numbers he did find.

Eddie kills Henry in self-defense

The Gang decides to return to the Barrens, though the foliage is dense.

By the Pipe, rain falls and thunder does blare

And they are shocked to see Audra’s purse there.

Back to childhood, they’re traveling underground

Only Henry’s chasing, Belch and Vic are dead- not around.

Through the sewers, they utter cries of despair

Finally, Eddie leads them to It’s lair…

After the Losers wound It, It must retreat

But It didn’t die- the task wasn’t complete.

They had used the Ritual of Chud,

And narrowly escaped, losing a bit of blood.

Back into the Pipes the grownups go

With the force of The Other, they kill their foe.

Bill vigorously splits Its heart wide

But in a final heroic act, Eddie died.

During the storm, Derry was destroyed

And the Gang left each other, feeling no void.

In fact, they couldn’t recall any of their crusade,

Like the diary entries, their memories did fade.

Bill rescued his traumatized wife

She was like a corpse, absent of life.

To wake her from her eerie trance,

Bill rode with her on Silver as if it was his last chance.

            The wind caught some sand in a hungry vortex then screamed and whistled for more.  Barren and lifeless, the desert met the orange sky in an endless wave of tan dunes. He whipped the rope in the air and flicked it around the chief marauder in a graceful arc. The rope caught the chief’s hands and wound around both, pinning them together, and continued to wrap around his legs.

            “KETYAN!” the thief screamed as he fell face-first into the blistering, Baluria desert sand. Ketyan picked the man up with ease and threw him into the pile of the conquered and unconscious. With a grunt of satisfaction, Ketyan turned to the aged old man who had been the victim of the attack. “Are you alright?” Ketyan asked him. The old man nodded slightly before whispering, how did you just win a fight against the Alyourts?”

            “Their tactics were nothing special. Why do you speak in such awe?” Ketyan asked, gathering up the old man’s baskets.

            “I have seen the sun high overhead for many, many years, and I have never heard of a gang more feared than the Alyourts… You brought them to shame by fighting them so well!” the man exclaimed.  With a small smile that barely changed his expression, Ketyan turned towards the hot, never setting sun, and began to walk.

            “Wait! That’s not the way to the city,” the man said. “That’s where your home is, isn’t it…?”

            “No. I follow the sun,” Ketyan said.

            “Why?”

            “Why stay in one place when you could travel the world whenever you wanted?” Ketyan replied. This was the answer he gave when anyone asked him about his home. He hated being the victim of others’ pity. It was easier than admitting that he was completely and utterly alone. Though he had not ever formed the words in his mind, his subconscious knew that he was running away; chasing away his demons as if they were the predators he fought.

            “You must come to my home. I need to repay you for saving my life. I have an extra cot, but the room it is in is a bit cluttered because it is where I keep the unfinished baskets I sell, but the bed is clean,” the old man spoke so fast that it was difficult for Ketyan to understand, especially with the man’s strange accent.

            The idea of sleeping in an actual bed and not in the shade of some rock won him over. ‘I might even get a meal from this old vendor,’ Ketyan thought. He nodded.

            Several times on the way to the city, Ketyan heard the old man mutter things like, “The Alyourts… impossible…” When the pair reached a low gate made of sand from the desert, Ketyan could not see a single building. He had not been expecting the city to be all that majestic or impressive, but he had been expecting to see actual buildings. “This is Gharana…?” Ketyan asked the old man. The man smirked in response as he led Ketyan through the opening in the gate. Near the gate, there was a small door that lay horizontally atop the sand. The old man bent over and yanked the door open, letting the front side crash into the sand. Stairs led the two men down the dark corridor, towards the center of the earth. After a full minute of walking downwards, the ground felt to Ketyan as if it were leveling off. Cool air touched Ketyan’s sweat, and caused goose bumps to rise on his skin. The darkness was overwhelming, and the only sounds he could hear were the footsteps of the old man and his own heavy breathing. Without warning, the old man stopped abruptly, causing Ketyan to crash into his back. He did not say anything as he led Ketyan through the door that lay before them.

The light was not so bright, but it was enough of a change from the utter darkness that Ketyan had to blink a few times to adjust his sight. Ketyan took in his surroundings. He saw low buildings made of the sand from the Baluria desert. He saw the streets of the city crowded with people. Searching for the source of the light, Ketyan gazed upwards, but could see only the same, mysterious glow on the ceiling. “Why…?” was the only word Ketyan could manage in his state of bewilderment.

 The man understood his question and answered him, “There are two main reasons we live underground: to be protected from the heat of the sun, and to keep bands of gangs such as the Alyourts away from our city and from our families.”

The old man then led Ketyan to the front of a tan building that was identical to the one to the left of it, and to the right of it. Ketyan was wondering how the old man could tell the difference between his home and the others surrounding it, when he heard someone yell out in pain.

            He sprinted towards the noise, and found himself at a house identical to all the others. Instinctively knowing there was someone who needed help, he let himself into the home. “Who’s here?” he called. When no one answered, he stealthily tip-toed towards the back of the house, thinking someone was in danger. Pushing the door of the room at the end of the hall open ever so slightly, he found himself in a dark room, illuminated only by the weak glow of a wax candle. There was a woman with a shawl over her head, leaning over a bed. “Is everything alright? I heard someone scream, and when no one answered when I called out, I thought someone was in trouble…” Ketyan asked, at this point feeling foolish that he had broken into someone’s home.

            “It was my sister. She’s ill,” the woman said. A closer look allowed Ketyan to see a girl lying in the bed, eyes closed. With sores covering her face, she did, in fact look to be on the edge of death. “I’m sorry,” Ketyan whispered. “I wish I could do something to help.”

            The woman looked at him with dull eyes and said, “No. I have tried everything and I do not know how to cure her.”

            Never taking his eyes off the girl in the bed, Ketyan asked the sister, “What is it that ails her?”

            “The doctor said it was a disease called Rutbergs, and that my sister would surely die,” the woman answered in an unbearably sad voice. Ketyan flinched at the sound of the disease; the same monster that had taken his own sister from him. He had never forgiven himself for not being able to heal her. Mere days after her death, he had heard that only the root of the Lamlon tree would have been able to save her. He cursed the god of healing for taking the last of his family from him, and vowed to never let someone suffer the way he had, if he could help it. “I may know of a cure,” Ketyan said in a voice that was barely audible to the lady standing over her sister.

Rushing over to him, the woman cried, “TELL ME! You must. I will not lose my sister!” as she grabbed his broad shoulders and shook him.

            “It may only be a myth… but I once heard a legend that said the root of the Lamlon tree would stop the disease completely,” Ketyan said.

            “Really?! The Lamlon tree? Is that all?” Suddenly, dismay flooded the young woman’s eyes, “But the only Lamlon tree is far, far away from here. I can not leave my sister here to die.”

            Feeling as if it was his duty to protect this small but strong family, Ketyan said, “I will get it for you. I know the way to Yelka Mountain, and I am fast and strong. Let me help you.”

            “Oh! Yes! Please do! If you could save my sister, I would never be able to thank you enough… Please help us…” the woman begged.

            “I will do everything I can to not take longer than three days, I promise this,” Ketyan declared.

            “Thank you, sir. Should you save her, I will be forever in your debt,” The lady said.

            Nodding, Ketyan turned and walked out of the house. He walked down the underground streets and found his way to the staircase that would lead him to the hot, dangerous world above. He briefly remembered the old man he had left, but he had already saved his life, and he now had to save someone else’s.  Walking up the dark stairs, he began to worry about the promise he had made to the woman. He was not sure he could get the root in three days, especially with the fabled Yelken people protecting it.

            The sun almost caused Ketyan to fall back down the stairs when it greeted him with the powerful light of day. Ketyan looked around him, and in the distance, he saw the slight bump that was Yelka mountain. Ketyan began his journey, running with quick, long strides.

            It took him many hours at the same quick pace to reach the mountain, and when he did, sweat was rolling down his temples, onto his neck, and beading on his brow, stinging his eyes. The mountain looked out of place in the desert- a lone hump rising out of the sand. It was completely different terrain on the mountain, with large boulders covered in green moss, and grass coated the earth that was not covered by rocks. A river flowed around the base of the mountain, circling it; there was no source, no end, no beginning. It was an infinite, flowing circle. Ketyan wondered if this river was a phantasm, for it seemed impossible for a body of water to exist in such a hot, dry climate.

            The rhythm of the river beckoned Ketyan to dive in. Without thinking, Ketyan plunged headfirst into the wonderful, cool water. The current was much stronger than he had been expecting, and immediately began to tow him under. Ketyan was a strong swimmer, but the river was stronger. It pulled and yanked him underwater, and around the mountain. The water wanted him to lie at the bottom, Ketyan knew. He went under. He stayed under. 

            Ketyan saw the sun glisten overhead, and used his all the strength in his powerful arms to propel himself upwards. Reaching the surface, Ketyan sputtered and coughed. He gasped for oxygen, trying to fill his lungs with air instead of water. Still being pulled by the force of the river, Ketyan grabbed for anything sturdy. He felt his hand clasp around a large rock, and held himself as the river rushed around him. Letting go with one hand, he reached for the rock that was close to the bank. He almost was taken again, but his long, strong arms held him in place. Making it to the next rock, he reached for another rock, even closer to the bank of the river.

            He pulled himself out of the water and lied on the rocky ground, completely motionless besides the rising and falling of his chest. His adrenaline had been pumping so hard that he was now left exhausted. He fell asleep on the uncomfortable, uneven ground, as the sun shone overhead.

            It took a moment for Ketyan to remember where he was once he woke. With a jump, Ketyan shot up off the ground, and cursed himself for falling asleep, completely defenseless and vulnerable in such a foreign land. Remembering his mission, he looked up at the mountain looming in front of him.

            The side of the mountain was covered in boulders, and Ketyan’s arms still hadn’t fully recovered from the strain of his near-death experience in the river. He stretched his arms behind his back, clasping his hands as he pulled them away from his core. He shook them out and began his arduous climb. Instinct took over as he scaled the mountain, hanging from the cracks in the larger rock faces, and the tops of the smaller rocks. His veins popped from his arms, and sinews strained as he continued his climb to the top. Suddenly, he heard the sound of rocks clacking together. He looked up and saw an avalanche of stones hurtling towards him. He deftly swung himself under the cover of a larger boulder and hung in the overhang. His muscles ached and his fingers bled, but he would not let go. Trying to overcome the pain, Ketyan closed his eyes and pictured the next step in obtaining the Lamlon root. A pebble bounced off his skull, interrupting his attempt at meditation. His fingers began to slip. He was tired from running, and climbing and swimming. One hand let go of the rock, and he clung for his life with only one arm. As if sent by a god, in that same instant, the rumble of the rocks ceased, and the only sound was the plunk of falling rocks into the river below.

He swung his dangling arm over the side and pulled himself upwards. With a final heave, he made it to the top of a rock he could sit on. Catching his breath, Ketyan leaned against the face of the cliff, legs dangling over the side of the rock. From this vantage point, he could the desert stretching for miles. His arms were sore and hard, with blood collecting at the surface of the wounds he had obtained during the climb. He tilted his neck backwards, and looked at the climb he still had ahead of him. It would take a lot of energy. Again, he closed his eyes and let exhaustion overtake him. He slept sitting up, in the cave-like shelter of the indent on the cliff.

            The cry of a bird awoke him, and mind hazy with the fog of sleep, Ketyan began to panic when he found himself halfway up a cliff. When he remembered his quest, Ketyan carefully got into a crouching position, slowly turned to face the rock, and pounced upward, grabbing the nearest hand-hold. Eventually, Ketyan made his way to the very top of the cliff, where he could see the Lamlon tree. It was the only tree he had seen in a long, long time. Without leaves, it looked like a small, crooked, miserable thing.

            Dagger in hand, he approached the tree, ready to cut the root and save the young girl from the terrible disease. He had just been thinking that the mission had been relatively easy, compared to what he had battled in the past, when suddenly, he felt himself fall face-first into the ground. Lifting his head slightly, he gasped in surprise. What he saw he knew must the Yelken people. ‘They must not even reach my hip when I’m standing,’ Ketyan thought. There were hundreds of them, and they were all unbearably pale. Their posture was incredibly crippled, and they had talons for hands and feet. They had white hair that was knotted and long and piercing, red eyes. They were unlike any creature Ketyan had ever seen before.

            Invisible ropes twisted around Ketyan, rendering him immobile. At least a dozen dragged him across the rocky ground to the Lamlon tree. Ketyan felt the ropes tighten as he futilely struggled to free himself from their clutches. He was now tied against the tree, as the Yelkens looked at him and laughed, in an eerie, strident sound.

            The one who appeared to be the chieftain, who carried a gnarled-looking wooden staff, approached Ketyan. “Why do you intrude on our homeland and try to steal from us?” he asked, showing his tiny, pointed teeth. “Were the river and the avalanche of rocks not enough of a warning?”

            “I’m sorry. I did not know the tree belonged to anyone,” Ketyan lied.

            “This is our home, and we don’t like visitors,” the leader said, causing several of the on-looking Yelkens to chuckle- a sound that sent chills through Ketyan’s body. Behind his back, Ketyan attempted to cut some bark from the tree with his dagger, out of sight of the Yelken people. Ketyan grunted in response to the leader. With a slam of his staff, Ketyan felt the ropes coil even tighter around his neck. Realizing the staff was the source of the Yelkens’ power, he began to think of ways he could obtain it.

            Trying to distract the Yelkens, he asked, “How is it that you sent the rocks down the mountain towards me?”

            They answered, “We pushed them down.”

            Hmm… that was not much of a distraction. Ketyan knew the key was to keep them talking, to buy himself enough time to use the tree bark to cut through the invisible ropes. “It fascinates me how you live high atop this mountain. I just came from a land where people live like animals under the ground,” Ketyan said to the Yelkens. The idea that he thought they were mighty beings seemed to please them, so Ketyan kept lying. “They hide from the sun, but you all embrace it. It is amazing, really, the power you seem to possess. Tell me, how? Is it simply your race that has such strong abilities, unmatched by any other creature?” Ketyan asked, amused by the satisfaction they were getting from his speech. He felt the ropes fall to the ground, but kept his hands behind his back. When the leader approached him, staff raised as he said, “We are a mighty race, and will not be challenged,” Ketyan pulled the dagger out from behind him, and stabbed the leader in the chest, slaying him. Falling to the ground, the leader released the staff, and Ketyan grabbed it.

            The Yelkens froze in shock. Dagger and bark in one hand, staff in the other, Ketyan expertly sprinted down the side of the mountain. Without their source of magic, the Yelken people were powerless. He reached the bottom of the mountain, and barely slowing, he hit the staff to the ground, and the flow of the river stopped. Quickly, he swam across it, and followed the trail his feet had made earlier, back to the city of Gharana.

            Ketyan reached the gate, and entered the city. Down the stairs he flew, and into the soft glow of the subterranean world. Panting heavily, Ketyan reached the home of the sisters, only being able to tell which house was theirs because the door was still open, even after several days. Flying into the house, he handed the woman the bark of the tree. Tears streamed down her face as she kissed Ketyan on both cheeks and embraced him.

            She ran to the kitchen, and ground up the bark, mixing a bit of water with it to form a paste. With a spoon, she fed her sister the paste. Before his eyes, Ketyan saw the young girl’s face clear of the sores that had been there. She opened her eyes and smiled up at her crying sister. The woman ran over to Ketyan and said, “Oh, thank you!! Thank you! What can I do to repay you? Anything in the world, for you saved my sister’s life.”

            What Ketyan wanted, the woman couldn’t give him- he wanted his sister to be alive like her sister was, so instead he replied, “A hot meal would be nice, but after that I must leave. The Yelkens may find me one day and I could not put anyone in this wonderful city in danger.” The woman smiled and kissed his cheek again before going to the kitchen to fix him dinner.

            Ketyan knew he was destined to be alone, but for this one moment in time, before he set off on his way, he would enjoy a sumptuous meal with this family.

Ext-Woods, Nighttime

A woman, Mercedes, has left the mill house to get “firewood”. Mercedes is wearing a long green maid’s dress with an apron fastened on the front. She walks up the hill and waves her hand over the lantern, signaling into the hills. At the top of the hill Mercedes sees a dark figure waiting for her. She scrambles her way up the hill, falling and climbing, racing to get to the dark figure. 

The man at the top of the hill is a Spanish rebel. He is wearing grey-blue, unwashed pants and a similar color jacket placed atop a ragged white shirt. Over his coat lies a rifle. His clothes have obviously gone unwashed with dirt stains covering the length of his pants.

The two embrace and then Mercedes’ eyes scan the hills nervously before pulling the man deeper into the cover of the woods.

After a few minutes the two slow their pace to a leisurely walk.  

MERCEDES

How are the men holding up?

PEDRO

It’s been tough, there isn’t much food in these woods but we make do. We have sent word for more men; we haven’t heard a response yet.

MERCEDES

And you? How are you?

PEDRO

I miss you everyday.

MERCEDES

I wish I were up here with you, instead I live under the roof of that butcher. Father would be so proud of you, but ashamed of me.

PEDRO

Don’t say that. You have no idea how much you help us by risking your life every day. Your information is invaluable. We would be dead without it. 

(Mercedes looks to the ground and shakes her head slightly)

MERCEDES

Instead of killing him I’m serving him. 

PEDRO

Sister, one day soon we will be living in our house again. I still wonder if we made the right choice…

FLASHBACK (5 years back):

(Mercedes is by the stream washing a basket of clothes, when she sees Pedro walking towards her. They haven’t seen each other in five years)

MERCEDES

Pedro! Pedro! I thought you were dead! When the Spanish won the war, I lost all hope.

PEDRO

Shhh, I’m alright. I’m back home now; everything will be just as it was.

(Mercedes freezes and slowly looks up at Pedro)

MERCEDES

Pedro… Three years after you left for the war…

PEDRO

What? What happened?

MERCEDES

When the Fascists army advanced into our village, a man named Vidal came and…

(She chokes on her words and has to fight back tears)

PEDRO

What did he do? I have heard of him.. What has happened?

MERCEDES

He killed them. He came in broad daylight and lined all of us up, Mamma, Poppa, the mill workers, everybody. His right-hand man, Serrano, picked only a few of us to keep alive and live as Vidal’s housemaids. He shot all of them one by one, and I just stood there… 

(Pedro’s jaw tightens and his fist clenches. He looks over Mercedes’ shoulder, staring into the distance)

MERCEDES

I stood by and watched our mother and father be murdered. I didn’t do anything about it… Pedro- I’m so sorry. I’m so ashamed.

PEDRO

Stop it now! This is not your fault. If you had tried to stop him, he would have shot you too. I should have been there.

Wait, you’ve been by yourself this whole time?

MERCEDES

N-n-noo, him and his army overtook the mill. They kept me as a servant, he is living there now. 

(Pedro, visibly angry, begins to walk away in the direction of the mill)

PEDRO

I’LL KILL HIM!!! 

(Vidal is such a goner!)

MERCEDES

Pedro! No!

(She grabs his arm and spins him around)

You can’t!

PEDRO

Why not? Why are you protecting him?

MERCEDES

Why not?? He’ll kill you if you go down there. 

PEDRO

Well then I’ll die trying

MERCEDES

You are the only family I have left! You are my life.

PEDRO

You can’t stay with him. I know some rebels in the woods. They are part of a resistance. We’ll go together.

(Pedro pulls Mercedes)

MERCEDES

I can’t. Don’t you see if I leave, Vidal will come looking for us. He’ll find the rebels before they are ready to fight him.

PEDRO

I can’t leave you with him.

MERCEDES

You have to. One day soon, we’ll be together again. Leave me here; I’ll send you information from the mill. You need to lead the rebels to victory.

*********************

(back to present)

MERCEDES

It was the best thing we could have done.

(footsteps approaching)

MERCEDES

(in an urgent whisper)

You have to go. We will be seeing each other soon.

I love you.

PEDRO

And I do too.

(Ofelia comes into view after her encounter with the frog, and Pedro slips into the woods)

            In the opening scene, 10 year old Ofelia and her mother are traveling in an expensive-looking car to Ofelia’s new stepfather’s house.  On the way, Ofelia’s mother, Carmen (played by Adrinda Gil) gets sick because of her pregnancy. When the car stops so that the two can get out, Ofelia wanders into the woods, and comes across a strange statue. When a large bug flies out of it, instead of being afraid and screaming as would be expected of a young girl, Ofelia attempts to catch it, calling it a fairy. This event foreshadows events to come later on in the film. Ofelia’s mother does not want to hear about her fairy tales, attempting to suppress Ofelia’s imagination before the two must go live with Carmen’s new husband, Captain Vidal, an evil, Fascist leader during the Spanish Revolution, who tolerates no nonsense, and acts as if using an ounce of imagination would either make him lose his power within Spain, kill him, or both. It would be a huge understatement to say that from the beginning, Captain Vidal and Ofelia do not get along. Ofelia loves her mother, but oftentimes seems frustrated that her mother does not understand her need for fantasy and creativity. Following the “fairy”, Ofelia wanders into the deepest parts of the land on her new home, and discovers an underground lair, wherein lives Pan, a faun who greets her with reverence, calling her “Your Highness”. Ofelia is so spirited by the idea that her soul may soon find peace in an alternate world she knows exists, that without question, she accepts rising to the three challenges Pan gives her in order for her to once again become the “princess of the Underworld”. As the reality of living with an evil stepfather and a mother whose pregnancy is compromising her personal health becomes more and more difficult to bear, Ofelia loses herself in the mythical challenges Pan the faun presents to her.

            Because the film was set in Spain in 1944, it was important for the viewer to have some basic knowledge about the Spanish Civil War. Ivana Baquero’s performance as Ofelia was radiant. She did not overact at any point in the film, and the tone of her voice as well as her facial expressions were at most times extremely believable. Watching the film, it was as if Pan and the other mythical creatures were actors on set with Baquero. During all of the fantasy scenes, Baquero was acting with no one else on screen, yet she made the scenes seem incredibly like reality. The fact that Baquero did such a great job acting in this movie was crucial for the viewer to feel the mystery between what is fantasy and what is reality (a main theme in the film). Another character played very convincingly was the tyrannical Captain Vidal, played by Sergi López i Ayats. His performance made it easy to see Vidal as the antagonist of the story, to put it mildly. Guillermo del Toro, the director of Pan’s Labyrith did a wonderful job in the execution of the film. Though it had many elements of fantasy, the story was very relatable for those who have ever dreamed of something unearthly happening to them. Del Toro also was the director for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Receiving high ratings, it evident that Del Toro was born to make fantasy become reality on the big screen.

            The visual appeal of Pan’s Labyrinth is yet another aspect to admire. The fantasy creatures, like Pan and the monster with eyeballs on its hands, seemed believable because their mannerisms and movements were human-like, which added to the fear and suspense of the story. With the monster in the room with the feast, once awoken, he moved as if he had not stood up in thousands of years- it appeared to be his legs were stiff, but he was determined to catch Ofelia; it was not like he was sliding down the hallway with outstretched arms, Frankenstein-style, but instead, he was limping and loosening up his joints, his motions becoming more fluid, so that he could catch up to and feast upon Ofelia. The actor in the costumes of both Pan and the pale-skinned monster did a believable performance in acting as living monsters. The use of color was very powerful in this film. For almost the entire film (with the exception of the opening scene) there was no sunlight, creating an atmosphere that was visually and psychologically dark. The red of Ofelia’s blood at the end of the film stood out immensely because of the dark background in the scene. When in the final seconds of her life she imagines herself finding the peace she had been searching for, the palace seems to be lit up by the sun, with warm colors, almost inviting her “home”. Del Torro was subtle, yet effective in creating the dark atmosphere in Pan’s Labyrinth.

            While all the elements required for a movie to be fantastic were made reality in Pan’s Labyrinth, such as acting, visual appeal, script, and much more, it is apparent that the fantasy scenes in the film were present only in Ofelia’s own mind.