"El Laberinto Del Fauno"

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2008)

You've probably heard nothing but good things about this film, if you STILL haven't seen it yet. Well, until just a few short hours ago I was among the ranks with you, my friend. Not any more. Having received it on DVD for my birthday, I finally had time to settle down and see what all the fuss was about. And guess what? You ain't gonna get a negative review from me!
This film is an absolute Must See! It's a dark, dark fairy tale for adults, set in the horrific brutalities of the end of the Spanish Civil War, yet somehow exquisitely jumping into a fantastic world of both beautiful and terrifying monsters. In either world nothing is what it seems, be it the cricket-type insect that transforms into a fairy, or the brutal captain who shows his true colours after Ofelia and her mother arrive at his base camp to live with him.
Obviously, as you can tell from its certificate, this film is NOT for youngsters. There are some bloody torture scenes and plenty of gunshots to relay properly the horrors of fascism. As for the monsters, probably the most famous scene is with The Pale Man, a ghastly child eater whose eyes fit into slits in his hands. However, the title faun himself (who is never named as Pan in the film at all) can at times be a little creepy, particularly in his dirty old man attitude towards our heroine, Ofelia.
All of Del Toro's trademarks as a director are here; this is a man clearly in love with monsters and mythical beasts, as one can see from other films of his such as "Hellboy". It is an absolute crying shame that this film was passed for an academy award for Best Foreign Film, but I think that it will still get the public vote every single time.
8/10