Unexpectedly good dark fantasy film

Rating: 9/10 (9 November 2015)

I just finished watching PAN'S LABYRINTH and it was an unexpectedly good film. At first I was confused because it was in Spanish, I thought my DVR recorded the airing from the Latin channel; but as it turns out, that's the way the film is. If you understand Spanish it should be no big deal, and if you don't understand Spanish don't worry, there are English subtitles.
Set in Spain of 1944, a young Ofelia, escapes to a dark fantasy world of The Labyrinth. The set design is spectacular, it's very dark, very Tim Burton like. The creatures of Labyrinth, particularly the old faun, are great. Through the whole film I could not figure out if the faun was sincerely trying to help Ofelia or manipulating her for evil deeds. PAN'S LABYRINTH really reminded me of a dark Chronicles of Narnia film. The cast as a whole gave great performances, but the one who really stood out to me is the performance of Captain Vidal by actor Sergi López. Whenever I tried to anticipate Captain Vidal's next move, he did the complete opposite.
Overall, PAN'S LABYRINTH is an entertaining dark fantasy film that will take you on a ride. I was surprised to see that this film is rated R, now I know why. PAN'S LABYRINTH is a dark fantasy film that is NOT FOR CHILDREN, but great for adults. Don't let the film being in Spanish stop you from seeing it. If you get pass the subtitles, you will enjoy this film.