Sheer Brilliance

Rating: 8/10 (9 April 2013)

Pan's labyrinth is a truly wonderful experience and right from the start the viewer is treated to some beautiful visuals. But this film is a lot more than just being pretty to look at and beyond the excellent visuals, the viewer is treated to a captivating story.
The main star of the film is Ofelia (played by Ivana Baquero) and considering she was only 12 years old when the film was made I thought her acting was really good - arguably the only acting that was as good as/better than Baquero's was Sergi Lopez whose performance as the evil captain Vidal (Ofelia's step-dad) was also excellent. We also have Mercedes (played by Maribel Verdu) Carmen (Ofelia's mum - played by Ariadna Gil) and the doctor (played by Alex Angulo) in supporting roles.
Another of the film's strengths is the pacing - although the film is nearly 2 hours long, you won't even notice the time passing - the film's main plot covers Ofelia and her fairytale world within the Labyrinth and we also have a sub plot involving Captain Vidal and his war against 'The Guerillas'.
Pan's labyrinth is beautiful to look at, has a wonderful story, is well acted with a strong script. I would strongly recommend checking it out