A Must See Fantasy Spectacular

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2006)

Guillermo Del Toro's eighth feature length film and fifth in his native Spanish 'Laberinto del Fauno' (Pan's Labyrinth) is a highly entertaining visual masterpiece that should not be missed.
Set in 1944 during the Spanish Civil War, young and curious Ofelia (Baquero) moves with pregnant mother (Gil) to live with her wicked fascist stepfather Captain Vidal played excellently by Sergi Lopez. Here, Ofelia befriends 'Pan', a faun like creature claiming to be the gatekeeper of a magical land he believes Ofelia is the long lost princess of. To reclaim her throne, Ofelia must pass a series of challenges set by Pan to prove she is the princess. These challenges set against the backdrop of Vidals vicious regime, create a wonderfully contrasting world in which fantasy is far more comforting and inviting than the brutal reality experienced at the time.
Visually stunning and unapologetically gritty, Pans Labyrinth is an explosive combination of hard-hitting human violence and whimsical fantasy.