Many are the tales that have been spun, in cinema and in every medium, concerning the power of music. Many such tales before this one have been spun with a bent of dark fantasy or horror, and in fact the very name is pointedly evocative of a certain classic folk tale. Actually, I rather wonder who chose the name, be it writer and director Erlingur Thoroddsen, or someone involved with marketing or the executive suite instead of someone creative. There’s nothing wrong with it, per se, save for that like a trailer that reveals too much, with one word we know what space ‘The piper’ will play in. And, granted, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, either, for the work may still delight of its own accord, hopefully doing something imaginative with the concept, and stand firmly on its own merits despite such foreknowledge. Unfortunately, though I mean no disrespect to Thoroddsen or anyone else involved, I don’t think that’s quite what happened here, and the upfront nature of the name turns out to be reflected in how this was made.<\/p>\n