Definitely not your typical Peter Pan of a movie...

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2007)

I saw this movie last week with my girlfriend. We are in the mid 20s age bracket and both enjoy thrillers, although I would classify this as more of a film-noire
After that preface, let me say that I went into this movie with high expectations, having seen the hefty 8.5 score that it was given on this site. Well, the score was perhaps ballooned by the few scenes that are quite dramatic and vivid with the emotions that are going on and the violence. I didn't have any major qualms with the movie, although I surely would have liked to see the background developed more on the whole idea of just what the "underworld" is comprised of and what the heck the thing in the buffet room was all about.
The gripes I DO have with the movie include Mercedes towards the end running into the woods after stabbing the captain SEVERAL times with the knife. She runs for maybe 15 seconds, the guards see her, jump on horses and follow her into the woods, yet she seemingly makes it hundreds of yards into the woods- far enough to be saved by the group of rebels that just happen to spring out when she's about to get captured after being surrounded by the guards.
Secondly, the captain himself. After taking a severe stabbing, he is able to meander about the complex, stitch himself up and is seemingly in good health until poisoned by Ofelia.
Lastly, I HATED the ending, far too predictable, if you didn't see that coming you should remember the whole "blood of the innocent" line that the faun tells Ofelia.
Definitely not a bad movie, but it could have been so much better if the backgrounds were developed, and the last 2 tasks were a bit more encompassing. The whole ordeal with the "baby-eater monster" in the buffet hall was cool cinematically, but very poor telling the viewing just what the heck the monster's deal is.
7/10, a solid movie, worth seeing, but somewhat overrated. No super-strong acting performances, all the leads were solid, but no one was knock em dead outstanding.