A recommended film for those who love fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (2 October 2010)

This film has to be the best one i have seen in a long time; the use of phenomenal special effects, along with believable characters, help to create a masterpiece that kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire film! Pan's Labyrinth is not set out in the usual film narrative; the use of non-linear narrative enables us to see Ofelia laying and bleeding in the shadowed, gloomy labyrinth before the film has fully started-informing us that the character is doomed from a very early stage. Only at the end of the film do we come to realise that Ofelia was shot by her stepfather, Vidal. Before Ofelia's killing, she is talking to the faun when Vidal finds her-only when the camera establishes the scene from his point of view, it appears as if Ofelia is talking to thin air. I can't help but wonder if the director wanted his audience to think that the labyrinth is all in Ofelia's imagination, or only she can see the creatures because she is the long, lost princess who was found by the fairies and the faun.
When we are first introduced to the faun, the close up allows us to fully appreciate the detail and workmanship that has gone into him-aside from this, i felt that i was wanting to connect with the character but the use of the somewhat spooky non-diegetic sounds made me suspicious of him...even now i am unsure if i should deem him trustworthy.
In conclusion, the closing scene of the film, (when Ofelia is reunited with her mother and father as a princess), is definitely an open narrative in my opinion and i anticipate the sequel to this film should one be in the making. (Which i think it should!).