Engrossing movie

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2007)

I waited and waited to see this movie, not expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's a cinematic feast for the eyes. The camera movements, the picturesque setting, the dark underworld... Guillermo del Toro goes from reality to fantasy. When we are in one world, we can't wait to go back into the other to see what's going to happen next. The acting is superb. Especially from young Ivana Baquero, as Ofelia, and from Sergi Lopez, as Captain Vidal. The story is engaging, rich and imaginative. Fantastic it may be, but it's definitely not a movie to be seen by young children. Seen in Toronto, at the Market Square Cinemas, on February 11th, 2007.
87/100 (***½)