Despite the Warnings From the Faun, You'll Want to Eat and Drink This Film

Rating: 8/10 (9 September 2007)

In Fascist Spain, 1944, Ofelia and her pregnant mother travel to live with the mother's new husband, the cold and brutal Captain Vidal of the Spanish Army. As he fights the rebels, and her mother suffers, Ofelia is drawn into a fairytale world, where she is told that she is a princess and must complete tasks to return to where she rightfully belongs.
I can see why many love this film, and it has many positives. Technically its absolutely gorgeous - the music is haunting, and the cinematography of the 'real' world and the 'fairytale' world seamlessly compliment each other. The art direction is beautifully imaginative but never overkill. At its heart is a fantastic central performance by Ivana Baquero as Ofelia. And she's not one of these teenagers who just looks young either - she was only about 11 when they shot this. She rarely puts a foot wrong and makes you believe everything she's going through. She's the glue that holds it all together.
The main problem I had with this film is that it takes a while to warm up. Half way through, the film still felt like it was setting things up rather than moving forward. It felt frustrating and I was worried that this would turn out to be like writer/director Guillermo del Toro's 'Hellboy,' where I felt that not enough happened to sustain the movie. That it would be all a tease.
But the film gets better and simply casts a spell on you. Captain Vidal is such a violent, temperamental asshole that you can completely understand why Ofelia retreats so readily into fairy tales and the world of the Labyrinth. The more committed filmgoers will argue whether or not the fairytale world is 'real' or not, but the rest of us can be content with the knowledge that its real if the girl believes its real. Personally, I think it all was really real but I'm a bit of a sap. The ending is perfect and one of those that you can revel in.
This is not really for kids because of the violence and the maturity of some of the themes. But if you're an adult, don't be put off by the idea of giant toads and underground worlds. The magic in this is totally character driven and that makes it all the more special.