A Perfect Blend of Fantasy, History, and Horror

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2007)

After finally seeing this film after waiting months for the DVD release, I am enormously surprised about a number of things. First of all, I have to wonder how in the world this film did not win the Oscar for Foreign Film. It should have been nominated for Best Picture in general, and has proved to be far superior to this past year's front-runners, like The Departed and Babel.
Pan's Labyrinth tells the story of a young girl named Ofelia who is thrust into two frightening worlds when she and her mother go to live with Ofelia's monstrous step-father: a fantasy world set mainly in the labyrinth of a mysterious faun, and also the even more horrifying world of her new father and his men, in which battles constantly rage and no life truly means anything.
Pan's Labyrinth is a phenomenal film on every level. Del Toro presents the two worlds in such contrasting ways that the story is always interesting, yet is often very upsetting. The movie is filled to the brim with small motifs, brilliantly diverse characters, and an entertaining storyline. The finale, though rather sad, is extremely meaningful and almost poetic.
The acting in the film is also great across the board. Ofelia's character is so believable, and her step-father is played so cruelly that I stopped even thinking of them as actors. The supporting cast is also flawless.
The last aspect of the film that I found truly amazing was the overall visual presentation. The art direction was enchanting, the visual effects were startling, and the cinematography gave the film a whole new dimension. However, especially noteworthy is the makeup. The two main mystical creatures in the film are the faun, of course, as well as a disturbing-looking humanoid villain. They both look incredibly mystical, and in the case of the latter, disturbing. Overall, this is one of my favorite movies of all time and I wold recommend it to anyone above the age of 14, due to the intense and brutal violence and gory scenes.