The perfect film

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2007)

There is nobody who is more critical of films than myself but I have just seen this film on the big screen and 24 hours later I am still unable to talk about anything but Del Toro's masterpiece.
Pan's Labyrinth has everything. It's storytelling at its best, the performance of the actors and the characterisation are astonishing. Textbook. Technically it is beautiful. Every shot is stunning. Del Toro has truly understood everything that cinema is about and I urge anyone who loves movies to see this on the big screen.
As a filmmaker myself, I aspire to creating something like this - a film that can reach audiences across the world regardless of their language. The magic of 'Pan's...' is that it combines a riveting historical story with an outlandish mystical tale. The two intertwine so perfectly that you are totally drawn into the magic.
It is genius - one of the great films of the 21st century. I am reluctant to give any modern film 10 out of 10 but I wouldn't change a single thing about it, so I simply have to give it the highest mark.