Best movie of the decade.

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2007)

This is the best movie I have seen in a long time. This movie teaches a lot about morals and motivation. All of the characters are superbly acted, with the captain being (IMO) the best. He is supposed to be a self-centered, cruel killer, and that is exactly how he shows up. The scene where he is at his highest, though it sounds horrible to say it, is the torture scene. You can see him making small talk about the tools, and he acts through during the whole scene. Also, at the end, when he hands the baby over to Mercedes, you can tell that Vidal is really getting into the speech. It left me wondering if he had perhaps been planning for this, and had the speech memorized. He also looked so shocked and disappointed when Mercedes said that the baby wouldn't even know who his father was.
The part that struck me the hardest, though, was Ofelia's ultimate sacrifice. She could have done so many things to get into the Underworld easily, like drawing her brother's blood herself, or simply letting the faun have him. Instead, she remained devoted to her brother, and got shot as a result. This is the biggest moral of the story, and is even the tag-line.
While some may say that this isn't a good movie for younger people, I disagree. This would be a great thing to show to teenagers, from fourteen up, about how the world isn't all fun and games. NOTE: If you are going to watch this, use the subtitles and leave the original Spanish on. It is worth reading.